THE DUALITY OF HESTER PRYNNE’S IMAGE: SUBVERSION AND SUBMISSION

Abstract

Hester Prynne is a young woman of The Scarlet Letter. She has borne a child out of wedlock and been sentenced to wear the scarlet letter A, a symbol of committing adultery for the rest of her life. She refuses to take the scarlet A as a token of outlaw. With her needlework, she struggles to subvert the original signification of the letter A and to build her new identity as an able, angelic and admirable woman. She transforms the letter A for herself outside the patriarchal signifier. However, her return to Boston, where she voluntarily wears the letter illustrates that Hester acknowledges the importance of the social order and her submission to the public. She has the rebellious spirit but it is not strong enough to overthrow the patriarchy. Hester’s dual image of subversion to submission is attributed to Hawthornes’ ambiguous attitude toward women.