"The Scarlet Letter"—How to Face Your Own "Scarlet Letter" [Reading Notes] 052
"The Scarlet Letter" is considered a masterpiece of American literature. It is read as "himonji." Since 'hi' means scarlet, 'himonji' means "scarlet letter."
The setting is 17th-century New England. At the time, a Puritan society was being formed. The protagonist, a young and beautiful woman named Hester Prynne, leaves her husband, who is busy with work, in England and begins her life in this land ahead of him.
After that, news arrives that Hester's husband has died in a shipwreck... yet, surprisingly, Hester Prynne gives birth to a child.
The town was in an uproar, wondering whose child it could possibly be.
In Puritan society, adultery was strictly forbidden, to the point where it could even be punishable by death. However, because she had a child, Hester Prynne was not executed, but instead received the punishment of being exposed on the scaffold.
The scene of the people who gathered to catch a glimpse of her was very vivid.
This is what I think. We are women, but we are of age and are reputable believers in the church, so if we were to deal with a wicked woman like this Hester Prynne ourselves, it would be a great service to the public. What do you think? You all. If that harlot were to be tried before us five gathered here, do you think she would get a sentence like the one the judges decided? I certainly don't think so!
Everyone was tearing her apart. I thought it was just like the online pile-ons we see today. In every era, people who step outside the social order are attacked, aren't they?
The people attacking Hester Prynne believe they are doing the right thing for the sake of society, justice, and faith. But runaway justice can also become madness (a weapon).
Of course, social order is necessary, but what happens when maintaining order turns into judging people?
It makes you think about things like that.
Moreover, in Hester Prynne's case, it doesn't end with everyone attacking her. As further punishment, she is ordered to live wearing the scarlet letter "A" on her chest. It is said that this 'A' stands for Adulteress or Adultery.
It's an incredible punishment, isn't it? It doesn't just punish the act of committing a sin; it makes it so that anyone can see that this person is a sinner. Wherever Hester Prynne goes, she must live with the letter "A."
However, Hester Prynne does not break because of this. Those around her demand that she reveal the father, but she firmly refuses.
"(...) Speak the name! And if you repent, the scarlet letter will be removed from your chest."
"I will not!" Hester Prynne replied, not looking at Reverend Wilson, but gazing into the young minister's deep, anxious eyes. "It is branded too deeply. The letter cannot be removed. I wish to bear his suffering along with him."
"Speak it!" another voice shouted coldly and sternly from the crowd around the scaffold. "Speak, and give your child a father!"
"I will not!" Hester replied, pale as a corpse, to the voice she knew all too well. "And my child will seek a heavenly father. She shall never know an earthly one."
Hester Prynne absolutely refuses to reveal the father. I cannot even imagine what the father's state of mind must have been at this time.
If the focus of the story were on the theme of who the father is, I think this novel would probably have become a mystery novel. I think that would have been quite interesting in its own right, but in fact, the father is revealed around the middle of the book.
The author, Hawthorne, likely did not intend to write a story about finding the culprit.
Then what was it?
I believe it is a "sense of guilt."
What is sin? Also, how can that sin be atoned for? How should people who carry sin live? And how should those around them treat people who carry sin?
And once a person has been branded as a sinner, how do they face that brand?
Being branded by society, judging others, and facing one's own past—I think these are all universal themes.
In fact, the meaning of the scarlet letter 'A' that Hester Prynne bore gradually changes over time. This is the interesting part.
A person's life is not determined solely by the label they are given once. The way others see them changes, and the meaning of that symbol also changes depending on how one lives their own life.
I think that is where the depth of life lies.
Hester Prynne bore the scarlet letter 'A', but I believe we all have some kind of "scarlet letter" in our own lives. It is likely something that cannot be erased even if we try. We live our lives while carrying our own respective "scarlet letters."
Reading this novel, I felt as though Hester Prynne was asking me, "How do you face your own scarlet letter?"
Thank you for reading this far.