The Use Of Silence In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

A sense of power derives from the ability to use one’s own voice. In an isolated and silent state, individuals lose the potential to create influence or propel change, sacrificing personal power in the perusal of seclusion and acceptance of self-denial. In separation and a distancing from society, individuals suppress the ability to express themselves in a meaningful and progressive format, succumbing instead to guilt and sin. Isolation from society results in an inevitable surrender to silence, however, an expression of underlying and subconscious desires allow an individual’s voice to regain power and influence. In the 19th century novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals, through the use of silence, how isolation and secrecy compound the intensity of sin and lead to an inability to create progressive political and systematic action, as specifically pertaining to women. In employing silence, Hawthorne emphasizes how the separation between oneself and one’s sin results in a distance from reality, and thus encourages self-acceptance in an attainment of personal power and societal influence. Through self-denial and an attempt to …show more content…
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne illustrates the impact of isolation on an individual’s capacity to maintain respectability, and emphasizes the eternality of subconscious emotions seemingly hidden as a result of sin. Within exposure of isolation and silence, Hawthorne further reveals the mindset of society during the 17th century in regards to women’s own capacity for power and parallels silence with deliberate feminine isolation. Through the committal of sin, one must avoid isolation and silence, instead confronting and accepting reality in order to maintain psychological security and preserve his/her power and