Hawthorne’s Typical Females Essay

Hawthorne’s stories talks a lot about human evil deeds and nature. Several of the themes are parables or allegorical depiction of human nature. Many readers believes that his stories posses morals which represents the culture and traditions during his time. Others consider his approach as sublimely misogynistic due to his portrayal of woman. This paper ought to present an analysis of Hawthorne’s stories. This includes ‘The Minister’s Black veil’, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown’ and ‘The Birthmark’. It involves a critical analysis of the themes and the plot of the stories centering on the presentation of women or female characters in the stories. Also, a high regards on the prevalent culture and traditions during the period when the stories were written will also be analyze to provide a brief history or background as to how the author come up with such ideas. Hawthorne Former American Literature prior to Hawthorne’s stories represents woman or female characters as innocent or as mothers caring, gentle and kind. In this regards one can assume that women are viewed and treated as weak, emotional, understanding and naive (Amoia, 1998). Some even viewed woman as threats which is depicted by Eve. Others discard women as simply unimportant. In literature they almost always play the role of supporting characters if not servants. This mirrors the typical view of woman during Hawthorne’s childhood. Men view woman to be inferior. Nonetheless such outlook does not affect Hawthorne’s judgment. Some scholars believe that this is due to the fact he grows up without a father. Living his whole life with woman around him, helping and caring for him (Amoia, 1998). Ideas common during the time revolves also with equality of men and women as expressed by Rousseau and his followers. In literature, women are always seen as witness of a crime or victims. Hawthorne’s stories tries to remove this stereotypical female function by creating female characters that serves as men’s companions rather than their servants. There is also emphasis given on men’s fear of woman as the main theme of his writings. Such conclusions are made not through observation but by experience. One should also note that most of Hawthorne’s writings create an impact of social deviation. As he tries to include his main theme in his stories, he also tries to cover it with the disastrous result of human sins or of evil. His writings primarily describe the Puritan way of life and the culture in America most specifically in Salem, which is his home town. In reading Hawthorne’s short stories, one would come across a prevailing plot of man’s failure or loss of power. Power can then be considered as the central idea where Hawthorne’s writings revolve. Men are rendered as powerful, women are displayed as weak. Such denotations stagger with Hawthorne’s persistent referral to women’s control of life. Young Goodman Brown In the ‘Young Goodman Brown’, Hawthorne portrays a man who is innocent about evil. Thus, Goodman Brown is a character who does not know about his mistakes or sins. Faith is Goodman’s wife, which also symbolizes Goodman’s faith in general with reference to life and God. The discovery of treachery or unfaithfulness of Faith leaves Goodman with doubts and a stereotypical female figure similar to Eve. Goodman’s view of Faith as a loving, spiritual wife changes into a whore-like woman similar to most women he knows. In this regards it seems that Hawthorne tries to dissect the usual marital relationship by magnifying man’s common notion of woman. This being woman along with sex and all other things which they represent are tools or apparatus which the devil uses to fool men. It seems that this perspective thrives on men’s mind for as early and as long as the story of Adam and Eve exists. The Christian religion creates the idea and practice of sexual intercourse as something unnatural and must be done, privately between husband and wife. Thus as can be seen in the story of Goodman Brown, the belief in such dogma led him to think that sex is unnatural. Hawthorne gives the reader the view about sex as something that degrades woman for eternity making it a sin. The Minister’s Black Veil The next story which also describes man and woman marital relationship is ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’. Although the focus of the story seems to revolve around Mr. Hooper and his black veil, the reader/s cannot miss the part wherein Mr. Hooper had a talk with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is Mr. Hooper’s fiancee in the story (Stearns). She is a good woman and their relationship is good up until Mr. Hooper starts to wear the black veil. The conversation between Elizabeth and Mr. Hooper is a confrontation regarding the wearing of the veil and the reason for it. To everyone it seems that the veil symbolizes something close to a secret sin. Hawthorne makes the female character looks good or nice while male characters are displayed with evilness. In this particular story, the male character appears deviant not only to the citizens but to the church as well. The wearing of the veil seems to symbolize a secret sin indeed. Nonetheless, if one would read the story in light of the female’s role, one will see that the veil actually prevents the marriage between Mr. Hooper and Elizabeth (Stearns). In first reading one may regard Elizabeth to be inconsiderate. Mr. Hooper even begs her to stay. But upon reading the conversation again, one will see that the smiles of Mr. Hooper symbolize success or the triumph to stay away from Elizabeth. This is in line with the celibacy rule of the church. Hawthorne seems to make his reader consider the fact that celibacy is but a form a male expression of dominance over women. Everyone in the town believes that the veil that the minister wears symbolizes sin and evil. Hawthorne uses this symbolism to define the norms and the way people think in that town. The story ends with Mr. Hooper telling the people that it is fine if such veil represents sins, nonetheless his sins are covered unlike their sins which are revealed. Hatred of woman seems to be obvious in the first few paragraphs of the story. There are consistent referrals on bachelors attending the sermon. The minister needs to attend the funeral of a young lady and the wife who does not want to eat with the minister. With celibacy as a form of excluding woman to a specific male sphere, misogyny is brightly illuminated. With celibacy man has triumph to exclude woman from the power vested upon them by God. Inventions or the proliferation of such conventions still exist nowadays with the same purpose but with less effect. Hawthorne makes it explicit that the veil does create a barrier that grabs away the possibility of woman entering the Minister’s life. Hawthorne assists his readers to generate the idea that the veil generates ‘power’. When he explains how the veil functions on his sermons and how the veil makes the Minister look more authoritative, it crates the impression that a veil signifies power and/or control. The Birthmark This addictive stance of man towards power was moreover expounded on Hawthorne’s ‘The Birthmark’. In this story Hawthorne creates a man of genius, depriving from the usual religious role. Hawthorne manages to construct a character which is a ‘man of science’. Such man has dedicated all his life to the pursuit of Utopia and/or perfection that by which demonstrated through the man’s persistence to out do Mother Nature. The female figure in the story is Georgiana whom the author describes to be almost perfect. Such descriptions of perfection compose physical appearance which must be flawless and fair. This type of ‘beauty myth’ is something that exists during Hawthorne’s era up until today. This idea of beauty has successfully controlled women over the years. It defines woman’s status and possibilities in life. Another thing that is prominent in Hawthorne’s depiction of Georgiana was her submission to her husband’s wishes. The thought of her letting him do whatever he thinks to be applicable and best for her even if it means her own death. This sacrifice seems to explore the subjectivity of woman to men’s choices and women’s submission to men’s control. The story also depicts the profound way that men ‘disguise themselves’ as someone ‘not emotional’ concealing their true selves with a facade of illusions and self-deceptions. In the story, Aylmer conceal his emotional side by being a ‘man of science’ having the ‘genius’ to even try to counter nature. Although all of his experiments landed as failures, his display of objective knowledge gives him a higher authority or power over his wife. This is evident in the way by which the story ended, with his wife, Georgina submitting to his wants even at the costs of her death. The hatred of woman evident in the story as discussed by Fetterley covers man’s attempts to capture the power that both nature and woman share in common, the power to create. Such power is not available to men making him feel inferior. Fetterley also argues that the story provides insights on man’s ability to disguise ‘hatred as love, murder as idealization and failure as successes’. In this regard, I believe that Fetterley is right in her reading of the story. Man is indeed capable of masking himself with another identity apart from which he really is and what he really intends as can be seen on Aylmer’s vision of success marked by an inescapable failure, for his attempt to win over nature only led to a creation of death. Apparently, this creates an image that Aylmer is someone who would do anything to exceed nature and woman, even at the cost of death to prove his success. When Fetterley accounts that female was envisioned as ‘hideous and unnatural’ in the story, she mentioned the ‘cult of female beauty’ which create an idealization of women that makes her look ‘monstrous’ in her natural form. Women were portrayed to be hated on their natural form, just as in the story, when a birthmark represents an imperfection, a thing that may cause her to be hated and thus needs a remedy, which she will be wiling to accept even in expense of her own life. Fetterley showed that man posses such power over women that he can dictate and influence her outlook, he can even manage and control her life to his liking, making her a possession or a thing that owned by him. Deviation of Female Characters Georgiana deviates from the typical female character the most. She is someone who succumbs to the wishes of her husband as if she is a ‘lab mice’. Although she sees the blatant failures he committed in the past, she still worships his genius. At the face of death she still looks forward for his triumph. The other female character such as in the case of Elizabeth managed to leave her husband while Faith at least did not display such display of subjectivity. Elizabeth on the other hand deviates from Georgiana and Faith in the sense that she left her husband instead of standing by his side, which is the typical nature of Hawthorne’s female character. Female characters are always support characters but take the role as fire starters. It seems that they are the reason or is partially responsible for the actions made by their husbands. The male characters are displayed with an inclination towards evil. The woman are displayed innocent but it is implicitly shown that they are just doing what a good woman should do and how they should act in a society. At the least, plain reading of Hawthorne’s literature would create an image of woman as reason’s for male’s failure, an image that is common during their time. But thorough reading would guide the reader to the courage an power that woman posses and men lacks. Conclusion All in all, the writings of Hawthorne hold high respect for woman. Although it somehow discusses and depicts hatred of woman, it is quite obvious that it is not the authors purpose to promote such hatred. Instead the misogyny is elaborated to be able to present man’s cowardice and insecurity with respect to woman. It also present the different ways by which man tries to grab the power from woman by making them feel subordinates or looking down at them. Finally, Hawthorne creates female characters which display the typical female in his era. They do not argue with man as much as woman of today do however the way that men sees and/or treat woman stays the same. This might be rooted in the fact that women does not only permit men to treat them as subordinates and or objects but also encourage them. Work Cited Amoia, A. , Hawthorne’s Rome: Then and Now, Nathaniel Hawthorne Review. 1998. Fetterley, J. The Resisting Reader: A Feminist Approach to American Fiction. Indiana University Press. 1981. Stearns, F. The life and genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Wineapple, B. Hawthorne: A Life.. 2004. PagebyPageBooks. com. NAtaniel Hawthorne. Retrieved on April 18, 2008, from http://www. pagebypagebooks. com/Nathaniel_Hawthorne/