Identity In The Scarlet Letter

A person’s sense of identity is one of her most defining aspects. Thus when a person’s sense of identity is threatened, they often respond through extreme means. However, responses to losing a sense of identity greatly differ. Nonetheless, every event that threatens a person’s sense of identity results in huge changes for the person, whether they lost their identity or not. In both Nella Larsen’s Passing and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, threats to character’s sense of identity result in huge changes to their personality.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the townspeople stripping Hester Prynne of her initial sense of identity unexpectedly exposed her charitable nature. Hester, a woman who was punished after committing …show more content…
The sense of identity propelled both characters and stories through the biggest changes in the novels. The greatest example of this were The Scarlet Letter and Passing. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester’s loss of identity actually ends up bringing out some of the best in her. While it stripped her of the old traits which initially built her sense of identity, it allowed for her to become the greatest charitable force in her town. However, in Passing, the loss of the sense of identity lead to negative consequences. Clare initially chose to rid herself of her old identity as an african american for a better social standing. However, she tried to reclaim her old sense of identity, associated with Irene, her family, and her friends in Harlem. While this initially lead to Clare rediscovering parts of her old sense of identity, and building it back in Harlem, her selfish personality in addition to her pursuit would end her quest. As she both solidified her position in Harlem and garnered the attention of those close to Irene, particularly her husband, Irene began to feel anguish. Irene, who had been able to keep her sense of identity by establishing her control over her and her family’s life, began to lose control as Clare further built her old sense of identity. Irene’s loss of identity, and Clare’s recovery of her old identity continued to clash until Irene became convinced that Brian was having an affair with Clare. Knowing that Clare was planning to permanently live in Harlem, Irene found that the only way to protect her identity was to kill Clare, which she does by pushing her out a window. While The Scarlet Letter and Passing contrast in how the loss of identity affects the characters of their stories, they both illustrate that the sense of identity is one of the most important traits a person can have, and is responsible for the biggest changes in a person’s