Feminism In Nina Baym's 'The Scarlet Letter'

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While reading Nina Baym’s review she opens your eyes to Hawthorne’s touch on being a feminist writer, not only throughout the scarlet letter, but also compares other work of his as well. Going off on a different path and disagreeing with the traditional critics of The Scarlet Letter disclaiming Dimmesdale being the main protagonist, Baym rejects the idea and takes a whole different view. Revealing Hawthorne’s journals and letters written to his mother and sister showed how much his mother played a big role in his life, leading to believe her being the reason for his feminist side and losing, her inspiring the work of the scarlet letter. Baym goes to describe how Hester plays such a strong role and she would be presented as the protagonist not Dimmesdale, She compares Hawthorne’s women to not only have more of a heart in his stories, but also have more intelligence, “Zenobia is …show more content…

It prefigures and registers the eruption of women into the public sphere through various forms of culturally acceptable womanly activity, what historians have come to call “domestic feminism.” (Baym, Revisiting Hawthorne’s Feminism pg. 555) I believe there is a lot of supporting evidence in this text, but baym making this point stands out on just how strong Hester is. She goes through society practically shunning her while she’s the only one punished for what has happened, she raises her daughter by herself, and loves a man only to the very end for him to come to his senses to do the right thing by her and pearl and come forward on his behalf, leading to what seems to be finally a happy ending for Hester is yet left with Dimmesdale’s death right in front of her. Everything thrown at Hester was meant to break her and destroy her for her wrong doings, yet she stands strong and caries on with her life to take care of herself and more importantly her

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