I
don't know if it's just me, but I feel like the ending to The
Scarlet Letter is unfair. It
doesn't seem right that Dimmesdale just dies because he finally told everybody
the truth. Meanwhile, Hester and Pearl have been living with public ignominy
for over seven years. Pearl has to grow up without a father figure in her life
now. Plus, she and her mother have to endure the disgust and disappointment
brought on by the townspeople who think that it is their faults that they have
"corrupted" Dimmesdale and caused him to die. This makes
Hester and Pearl seem much stronger than Dimmesdale. They are tough, like the
thorns of a rosebush, whereas Dimmesdale is the delicate petal. For the
majority of the story, Dimmesdale is always associated with his “bodily
weakness” and “faintness of heart” (Hawthorne 250), as he is basically “destroyed”
(155) by this whole “A” situation. Hester, on the other hand, has “strength”
and “power” (158). It’s a bit ironic because it’s usually the male who is
portrayed as being the tough guy who can handle everything. This kind of
reminds me of Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games, because Katniss
is the strong, quick archer, and Peeta is known as a baker’s son who can lift
bags of flour. Just like in The Scarlet Letter, the male, Peeta, is
wounded along their journey and the female, Katniss restores his spirit and
passion to fight through everything.
I enjoyed reading about your opinion on the ending of the novel. Your insight on how public humiliation affects Dimmesdale versus Hester shows a unique contrast in character. Dimmesdale is afraid of his reputation being corrupted because of his social class, while Hester can endure the ignominy because she does not have a significant social standard. You pointed out that Hester seems to be stronger due to this, and I also agree!
ReplyDeleteI love how you related The Scarlet Letter with The Hunger Games. Although I am team Gale, you bring up a great point of how expectations of men in fiction have changed throughout the years.
ReplyDeleteYou made a great connection to The Hunger Games. Although the ending did not satisfy me either, I did like the fact that Hawthorne portrayed the female as the strong, enduring figure. This is a refreshing change from all the strong heroic male characters that exist in many novels.
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