Liberal Notion Of Adultery in "The Scarlet Letter"
The recent verdict of the Supreme Court in India struck off Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code which deals with Adultery. It reminds me of a famed novel of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" which also narrates the story of a woman who committed Adultery.
Hawthorne's novel puts the limelight on the life of Hester prynne who is convicted of adultery and given the punishment of carrying the mark of her sin. The legal system resonates with the Puritan overview of Boston in the eighteenth century, deriving the crime as grave and eager to set an example out of her sentence. They make her stand on Scaffold to show townsmen the committer of the "heinous" crime.
But, in spite of her criticism from all strata of people, we find that the narrative or Hawthorne's voice takes pity on her and her crime. His story-telling takes a soft stance on her and even. He through the character of Dimmesdale who was equally a partner of Hester in adultery. The following lines emphasize that their crime was less than the Chillingworth, Hester's husband who took a vow of vengeance against Hester's lover:
According to Dimmesdale, Chillingworth is more evil than himself due to his seeking of revenge. In fact, the intent of taking someone life can't be compared to a breach of trust. But, we can't solely blame Hester because as a woman, she needs love from her male counterpart, which Chillingworth fails to caress her. It is inevitable that Hester will step outside the context of marriage to receive love. It also shows that love is a mutual trust or companionship are prerequisite of a mature marriage. It isn't the case with Hester and Chillingworth. That's why Hester never truly regret her crossing lines of marriage, it was just because of societal norms which prohibit adultery, she admits reluctantly. Upon her standing on a scaffold, the narrater says:
There is no regret in her and she is ready to face consequences of what people think as wrong. This view of Hawthorne through Hester shows a liberal of thoughts and it reasons that without love, a marriage is null and void.
Hawthorne's novel puts the limelight on the life of Hester prynne who is convicted of adultery and given the punishment of carrying the mark of her sin. The legal system resonates with the Puritan overview of Boston in the eighteenth century, deriving the crime as grave and eager to set an example out of her sentence. They make her stand on Scaffold to show townsmen the committer of the "heinous" crime.
But, in spite of her criticism from all strata of people, we find that the narrative or Hawthorne's voice takes pity on her and her crime. His story-telling takes a soft stance on her and even. He through the character of Dimmesdale who was equally a partner of Hester in adultery. The following lines emphasize that their crime was less than the Chillingworth, Hester's husband who took a vow of vengeance against Hester's lover:
"That old man's revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so!"
According to Dimmesdale, Chillingworth is more evil than himself due to his seeking of revenge. In fact, the intent of taking someone life can't be compared to a breach of trust. But, we can't solely blame Hester because as a woman, she needs love from her male counterpart, which Chillingworth fails to caress her. It is inevitable that Hester will step outside the context of marriage to receive love. It also shows that love is a mutual trust or companionship are prerequisite of a mature marriage. It isn't the case with Hester and Chillingworth. That's why Hester never truly regret her crossing lines of marriage, it was just because of societal norms which prohibit adultery, she admits reluctantly. Upon her standing on a scaffold, the narrater says:
"[She] stepped into the open air, as if by her own free-will.”
There is no regret in her and she is ready to face consequences of what people think as wrong. This view of Hawthorne through Hester shows a liberal of thoughts and it reasons that without love, a marriage is null and void.
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