Angel 美国文学史summary.docx

SummaryTitle: Hester’s Prisons: Sex, Intellect, and Gender in The Scarlet LetterAuthor: Nina TassiIntroductionThis essay mainly tends to tell us how Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, and the relationship between him and his characters in this book, especially the heroine Hester. For a better and easier understanding of the essay, you may go through these three main points following: Hawthorne held contradictory attitude towards society at his own time, feminists, and humanity.Mainly tells us two great women: Hutchinson and Hester.Gender comparison in The Scarlet Letter.BodyHawthorne’s contradiction150 years has past, readers are still enchanted with this woman—Hester, who was created by Hawthorne, as heroine of his notable work The Scarlet Letter. However, her unusual mind and body led her into a series of prisons, which quite similar with Hawthorne himself, he also created himself lots of prisons he could never escape from. The first contradiction of him is his attitudes towards women. At some point of view, he had sympathy to women, to those whom always have been cheated unfairly at his day, but as a man, he still tried to protect man’s benefits. He felt worry when he found that many women were joining his profession, as Men’s “false liberality” and “courtesy” have allowed these women to publish their writings. He had some kind of threaten feeling. Secondly, when he linked Hutchinson with feminists of his own day, he saw no redeeming value in her and agreed with his Puritan forebears who silenced her for her “seditious” views. However, when he just focused on herself, leaving social elements behind, he was fully taken by her and marveled at her confident sexuality and superior mind. In another word, he had contradictory attitude towards her of praise or blame, desire or fear, and sympathy or censure. Thirdly, Hester, the character created by Hawthorne, had all the shining traits of Hutchinson: strength of mind, passion, and courage—with an admixture of stunning