Depictions of gender roles in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet garner, Hester Prynne is virtually banished from the puritan society because of her crime. She was guilty for adultery with the towns minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. However, the reader is kept in the dark that Dimmesdale is the childs father until latter part of the novel. Although Hawthornes novel accurately depicts the consequences that Hester and Dimmesdale suffer from their sin, the novel does not accomplish the task of reflecting upon the 17th century Puritan gender roles in Hester and Dimmesdale. For one, the mental and physical states of Hester and Dimmesdale are switched. Hester takes on the more courageous role end-to-end the novel whereas Dimmesdale takes on the more sensitive role. In addition, Hester is examined in accordance to the gender roles set for todays American women. Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter is written in a manner that accurately depicts 17th century Puritan society, but does not accurately show gender ro les. To begin, typical Puritan society during the 17th century was painfully stern and somber it was founded on the strictest, unmollified Calvinism, (Puritan). In other words, their society was very restricted and confined to religion. Civil impartiality also played a role in the citizens business and social relations. Law impacted how they dressed, their religious affairs, and even their family relations. In terms of education, Puritans prospered. In fact, in Massachusetts, they required every township of fifty families to employ a teacher to educate the children. Their government was also structured upon religion because religion served as their whole method of life. In terms of gender roles, the men were responsible for earning bread for... ... Letter. Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy. Ghent University, July 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. .Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York tomcat Doherty Associates, LLC, 1989. Print. Gannon, Andres. The Pu ritan Influence in Contemporary American Society. The Puritan Influence in Contemporary American Society. Damien High School, 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. .Tyson, Lois. Feminist Criticism. Critical scheme Today a User-friendly Guide. New York Routledge, 2006. Print.Puritan Laws and Character. History of the USA. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. .