Hester’s resistance against the patriarchal society: A postcolonial reading of The Scarlet Letter

Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter can be read within the framework of postcolonial theory, with colonialism equating patriarchy. The anti-colonial reading of the novel is permitted through Hester’s struggle with what seem to be prevalent regulations regarding gender, culture and religion. The only way for females to be liberated from this patriarchy is by rejecting it. Hawthorne, in this novel, suggests that being a woman is in itself fighting back. Thus, it is only through womanhood that the female character is able to arrive at a reconciliation with themselves and with their consciences.