Excerpt from pages 246-253

I think it is very interesting how the excerpts from pages 246-253 starts out with a list of things a man should look for in a wife. The list, which has eight characteristics mentioned, starts out with chastity and goes into greater detail about its importance. The excerpt, from Advice to Young Men (1831), states that without chastity and perfect modesty in word, deed, and thought, a female is not fit to be a wife. This goes hand in hand with the main character in the story, Ester Prynn, because she will no longer be fit for a wife since she committed adultery. The same excerpt claims that women should act as if they don’t even comprehend dirty words. This shows how women were expected to think and behave in colonial time and how Ester Prynn went against the norm.

The status and role of women in society has changed greatly since colonial times. In the past, women were usually recognized by the American legal system through their husband. By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law. However, this means that the legal existence of the women has been suspended or at least incorporated into that of her husband. Everything the wife does is under the protection and influence of her husband. Back in this time, if women went against their husband and committed adultery her legal existence and life is at stake. The husband is bound by law to provide for the wife and pay debts. However, if a woman elopes with another man, the husband is not chargeable to provide for her anymore.

By looking at the expectations and rights of women in the setting of “The Scarlet Letter” I cannot help but realize what a difference that is to what we know today in America. Here, women are raised to equality with the other sex and they are viewed to have the same potential. I agree with the excerpt from Peculiar Responsibilities of American Women , when it says that in America today, females are treated as superior in custom and courtesy. In many ways, women have much more freewill and are allowed to do what they want with their lives. They are not letting themselves be bound to a mindset that women should act inferior or should be controlled by one group’s political or religious beliefs. It is interesting to look at Ester and see how she would be treated if she committed adultery in America today. It would not have been such a big deal at all, considering in previous times they were killed for this transgression. Going back to the beginning of this excerpt, where it lists things a husband needs to look for in a wife, I cannot help but realize that list has drastically changed. Men do not look for all of these traits anymore and women do not feel the need to line themselves up with these expectations.