Hester Prynne, principal character in the novel The Scarlet Letter, is a woman living in a 1600’s Massachusetts Puritan Colony. She has committed adultery against her husband with a man who is unknown until later in the novel. She is shamed by the people of her town and it takes a toll on her. In The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, protagonist Hester feels that “some attribute had departed from her, the permanence of which had been essential to keep her a woman” (Hawthorne 87). Because of the shame and humiliation brought upon her by the townspeople, Hester felt as though she lost a part of herself that made her a woman. This being similar to Edna Pontellier, Hester struggled to fit in to the society she lived in.

As the novel continues, Hester becomes more comfortable with herself and realizes that she does not need to allow societies standards to control her anymore. This being similar to Edna, Hester no longer allows the townspeople’s opinions to hound her.

Edna Pontellier is a women living in 18th century Louisiana. She is married to a man named Leonce Pontellier and they have two children. In the beginning of the novel, Edna was not sure how she felt about tending to the needs of her husband and children perpetually. She could not fully give herself up to the norms of society and be a perfect mother women. In the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, Edna states that she would, “give up the unessential; [she] would give [up] money, [she] would give [her] life for [her] children, but [she] wouldn’t give [herself]. [...] it’s only something which [she is] beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to [...]” (Chopin Ch. 16, 12) During this time period, and up until recently, woman were taught to be perfect and to please their husbands and take care of their children. It came before themselves and most other things. Edna did not follow societal norms and began to stop listening to people around her. Edna stopped allowing others to voice into her life and give their own opinion. These women, Hester and Edna, both grew into the ideas that they did not have to listen to society anymore. They realized that the only opinion that mattered was their own. They both solely sought individuality as individuals. They also sought ambitions of Independence and realized they were being deprived of their own. Hester’s independent was lost to hr scarlet A, given to her by society. Edna’s independence was taken by her husband

In the article, “Adele Ratignolle: Kate Chopin's Feminist at Home in The Awakening”, author Kathleen M. Streater states that, “Edna chooses suicide rather than a life confined by societal expectations [...]” (Streater 406). Edna could not lose herself to tend to the needs of other. She was set in her beliefs as an individual and in needing to be her own person. Mrs. Pontellier knew what she had to do to achieve equality and true freedom. Unfortunately, for Edna, her choice were to conform to societal standard, or death. Her need and want for identity and individuality led to her deplorable death.

As known, both Hester Prynne and Edna Pontellier were both woman set in historical times periods. They knew what it was like to be a housewife and mother. Author Ann E. Towns states in her article, “Women and States: Norms and Hierarchies in International Society,” that “Women had no place in the formal affairs of state in the 19th century” (Towns 2).



Now, woman in America have more rights. Though it is not fully equal, woman have more privileges than any other women in history. In present day, women can be politicians and doctors, and be what they want.

The idea that men are superior to women dates back thousands of years ago. Authors Carol Hymowitz and Michaele Weissman describe in their article, “A History of Women in America,” that “Colonial society did not support the idea of equality between men and women. European men brought with them to America the tenet that woman was man’s inferior” (Hymowitz, Weissman 3). This idea than men are better than women is old and extremely outdated. Woman have worked hard to get to the place of equality where they are today.

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Actively Learn, Herbert S. Stone & Co., 22 April 2021

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Ticknor and Fields, 1850.

Hymowitz, Carol, Michaele Weissman. “Introduction.” Google Books, edited by Carol Hymowitz. vol. 1, Bantam Books, 1978, pp. 1-6, Google Books, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=i6ngjZ4RPtgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=..., 2 May 2021.

Streater, Kathleen M. “Introduction.” ProQuest, Kathleen M. Streater, vol. 48, The Midwest Quarterly, 2007, 406, 2007. https://search.proquest.com/openview/e820be095b8053a985a9936839ce491a/1?pq-..., 2 May 2021.

Towns, Ann E. “A Complex Society of Norms and Social Hierarchy.” University Cambridge Press, edited by Ann. E Towns. vol. 1, Cambridge Univerity Press, New York, 2010, pp. 1-55, Google Books, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tmNWs_TjeqwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=%..., 2 May 2021.