Shayla Boyd
Mr. Griffin
English 3, Period 5 29 September 2014
Compare/Contrast Essay
Shannon Alder once said, “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” Chopin’s “The Awakening” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlett Letter”, two of the most iconic novels written, have some of the same plot even though they were written in completely different eras. Confident and rebellious, Edna Ponteillier, struggled to maintain the role of a woman in Victorian New Orleans. Women in the Victorian Era were expected to live lavish lives and were not seen as people, but as material possession that needed to be shown off. 200 years prior, Hester Prynne was publicly humiliated for committing a sin and judge by Puritan society. Although the main characters were in completely different societies and …show more content…
When Edna realizes that she wouldn’t be able to be with Robert Lebrun, she felt that the best and only way to get out was to kill herself. Edna felt weak and powerless in the situation. Instead of staying with her family and the people around her, she commits suicide because she could not live the rest of her life being in bondage. Edna took the cowards way out instead of taking responsibility for her mistakes, as well as accepting the punishments. Hester, however, realizes that she needs to let “..the scene of her guilt and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment...”(Hawthorne 63). She lives the rest her life nursing Pearl to adulthood and loving her for exactly who she is. Putting her experience to good use, Hester becomes a counselor for women who have similar situation or feel like they aren’t good enough. Rather than running away from her problems, like Edna, she decides to face reality and face her sins. Hester and Edna might have the same situation, but their personalities make them have completely alternate
Mr. Griffin
English 3, Period 5 29 September 2014
Compare/Contrast Essay
Shannon Alder once said, “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” Chopin’s “The Awakening” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlett Letter”, two of the most iconic novels written, have some of the same plot even though they were written in completely different eras. Confident and rebellious, Edna Ponteillier, struggled to maintain the role of a woman in Victorian New Orleans. Women in the Victorian Era were expected to live lavish lives and were not seen as people, but as material possession that needed to be shown off. 200 years prior, Hester Prynne was publicly humiliated for committing a sin and judge by Puritan society. Although the main characters were in completely different societies and …show more content…
When Edna realizes that she wouldn’t be able to be with Robert Lebrun, she felt that the best and only way to get out was to kill herself. Edna felt weak and powerless in the situation. Instead of staying with her family and the people around her, she commits suicide because she could not live the rest of her life being in bondage. Edna took the cowards way out instead of taking responsibility for her mistakes, as well as accepting the punishments. Hester, however, realizes that she needs to let “..the scene of her guilt and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment...”(Hawthorne 63). She lives the rest her life nursing Pearl to adulthood and loving her for exactly who she is. Putting her experience to good use, Hester becomes a counselor for women who have similar situation or feel like they aren’t good enough. Rather than running away from her problems, like Edna, she decides to face reality and face her sins. Hester and Edna might have the same situation, but their personalities make them have completely alternate