Subverting Traditional Gender Roles in Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

Author(s)	Dr. Shanthala
Country	India
Abstract	This paper examines the deconstruction of the female image in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (1850) by analysing how the protagonist, Hester Prynne, destabilizes the rigid dichotomies of seventeenth century Puritan society. Utilizing feminist and deconstructive literary theories, this study explores the tension between the patriarchal inscription of the female body and Hester's autonomous redefinition of her identity. The Puritan hierarchy attempts to categorize the female image through a strict binary: the submissive, pure "saint" versus the fallen, corrupt "sinner." By analysing the symbolic evolution of the scarlet letter 'A', this article argues that Hawthorne does not merely critique Puritan misogyny but actively deconstructs the structural linguistics of patriarchal power. Ultimately, Hester Prynne emerges not as a static symbol of victimization or idealized heroism, but as a site of continuous semiotic resistance, proving that the "woman image" is fluid, uncontainable, and perpetually self-authoring.
Keywords	Deconstruction, Feminist Theory, Hester Prynne, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Puritanism
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-03

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research