Was Nathaniel Hawthorne A Feminist?
Hester Prynne is
considered to be both one of the first heroines and feminist icons in American
literature. The creation of “The Scarlet Letter” was contemporary with a
prominent feminist movement in America, with works by that of authors Mary Wollstonecraft
and Margaret Fuller circulating and becoming the topic of cultural discussion.
Although Hawthorne was labeled as a misogynist based on his sexist critique of
Fuller and other female authors of the time, with comments made such as “damned
mob of scribbling women,” he was ultimately threatened by the growing feminist
movement that could possibly displace his position in the literary world as the
“window into the world of womanhood,” or rather how he and other men saw
women’s role and nature. Over the years, he ceased to resist women’s increasing
influence on his life. Granted, “The Scarlet Letter” is riddled with sexist
quips and stereotypes; there is generally a noticeable change in tone towards
how Hawthorne portrays his female protagonist and how she interacts with the
overbearing patriarchy around her.