The Politics Of Space

Hester Prynne is the protagonist in The Scarlet Letter, the masterpiece of Nathanial Hawthorne. She changes from an “adulteress” to an “able” woman and even an “angel” in the eyes of the inhabitants. The change of her identity results in the change of her spatial position. This thesis studies the change of Hester's identities in The Scarlet Letter from the perspective of space, holding that Hester's identity is closely related to her spatial position and the change of her identity contributes to the change of her spatial position. Through the spatial representations, the novel represents well how Hester changes from a powerless woman into a powerful and honorable woman winner gradually in the town. In addition to the introduction and the conclusion, the main body of this thesis is composed of three chapters.Chapter one discusses Hester's dilemma in sex and class from the perspective of space and it consists of three sections. Section one analyses the spatial representations of sex and class in the puritan society. The town where Hester lives is dominated by Puritanism. In the town, sex and class intermix with each other, constructing a hierarchical society. The spatial positions of different groups of people and the arrangement of the buildings and houses in the town demonstrate its strict hierarchy. Sections two and three analyse Hester's predicament in sex and class. Hester is an “adulteress,” so she has to bear the contempt from the male and female in the town. Though they all regard her as a lost woman, they hold their distinct views of her. In the eyes of the male, Hester is an adulteress; while in the eyes of the female, she is a “hussy.” The hatred from her fellow woman makes Hester terribly painful and sad. Meantime, Hester is an “outsider” of the privileged and the poor, which makes her feel out of place. Therefore, she chooses to move to the outskirts of the town and live there after she gets released from the prison. This change of space manifests Hester's insistence of her love and resistance against the repression of her by the puritan community.Chapter two discusses Hester's rebellion against the puritan community from the perspective of space. If Hester's action of moving to the outskirts of the town is a visible rebellion against the puritan community, her returning to the puritan community and defending her identities are the invisible rebellions to reestablish her public image and pursue her happiness. Based on this view, the first part of this chapter analyses the efforts of Hester to rebuild her public image and its representations of space. In order to change her image in the public, Hester chooses to do needlework and charitable works, which makes her changed from an “adulteress” into an “able” woman and an “angel” gradually. Through needlework, Hester could enter into the exclusive economic space of the male and become an economically independent woman; through charity, Hester represents her benevolence and kindness and becomes a figure equal to the priests in people's minds. In a word, needlework and charity not only help Hester rebuild her connection with the community smoothly but also make her get in the puritan society and win the acceptance of the inhabitants from the bottom up to the top and become an indispensable part of the town. The second part of this chapter analyses the efforts of Hester to pursue her personal happiness and its representations of space from two aspects: Hester's defending her identity as the lover of the priest and Pearl's mother and her breaking away from the identity as Chillingworth's wife and a betrayer. By laying focus on the scaffold and forest---- two typical representations of space, this part analyses Hester's insistence of love, her identity as the mother and custody of Pearl and her suffering from her unhappy marriage. The third part of this chapter analyses Pearl's rebellion and its representations of space. “Pearl” is a “little Hester” in the minds of the inhabitants and she is full of creativity and rebellious spirit. Like her mother, Pearl also experiences the change of her identity. As an illegitimate child born in the new land, “Pearl” chooses to leave the new land for the old land to gain her new identity in a new space.Chapter three analyses Hester's triumph and its representations of space and it consists of two parts. The first part discusses the importance of the cottage to Hester: it provides a shelter for Hester and her daughter on the one hand, and on the other, symbolizes Hester's independence, reflects the change of her identity and demonstrates her growth and maturity. The second part analyses Hester's new identities and their meanings. The death of her lover Dimmesdale and the departure of her daughter “Pearl” make Hester exempt from her identities of a “lover” and a “mother” and become an “able woman,” an “angel” and a feminist pioneer. From an ordinary woman who acts in the personal interest to a saint who acts in the interest of her own race, Hester gets a rebirth finally.Based on the analyses in the body part, the conclusion of this thesis points it out that each time the change of Hester's spatial position is closely related to the change of her identity. By means of the spatial representations, the novel represents the change of Hester's identity successfully and reveals the social, cultural and political significance reflected by the change of Hester's spatial position.