Hester Prynne: Feminist of Her Time In the patriarchal society described in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, men are greater than women. Men are stronger, smarter, and they wield more opportunities.The men want a sense of control over their property, reputation, and people. Women have children, raise them, and do household chores. The protagonist of this novel, Hester Prynne, breaks the stereotypes created by the society she lives in. Though the society exiles and punishes Hester by ways of humiliation and isolation, she endures these retributions with strength and acceptance. She embodies feminism as she withstands more than what a woman usually could tolerate in any time period or society. Hester is the strongest character
