Similarities and Differences Between Hester Prynne and Edna Pontellier
There are many similarities and differences between Hester Prynne and Edna Pontellier. Although The Scarlet Letter and The Awakening were written in different times and tell the story of dissimilar communities in which both main protagonists need to break the rules governing the society in order to explore their inner selves and fulfill individual desires.
What both women share is the fact that they had troubles to find themselves among the people they lived with and accept the rules of the community. What is more Hester, as well as Edna, came from different backgrounds than Puritan or Creole and entered them because of the act of marriage. Hester was born in England and Edna was raised in a Presbyterian family in Kentucky. Hester’s husband sent his wife to a Puritan colony in America and Léonce Pontellier – New Orleans’s Creole took Edna to Louisiana. They were forced to live among the communities different in terms of religion and customs to those from their pasts.
The next similarity is the fact that both got married young and did not love their husbands. Hester married a scholar who was much older than she, did not share her passions and preferred to spend his time researching rather than sharing it with his wife. Edna accepted Léonce’s proposal only because of the strong opposition of her closest family. For her it was an act of rebellion against her strict father. She also knew that a rich businessman would be able to guarantee her stability and financial security.
The unhappy marriages and strong sexual needs in both cases resulted in an affair prohibited in the communities. Hester’s sexual awakening is not described in the novel but Hawthorne mentions it’s consequences (a child that could not have been conceived by her husband). However, the two heroines on the pages of the books realize that romantic love is born from sexual desires. They were not afraid to express their needs. Hester during an honest conversation with Reverend Arthur
What both women share is the fact that they had troubles to find themselves among the people they lived with and accept the rules of the community. What is more Hester, as well as Edna, came from different backgrounds than Puritan or Creole and entered them because of the act of marriage. Hester was born in England and Edna was raised in a Presbyterian family in Kentucky. Hester’s husband sent his wife to a Puritan colony in America and Léonce Pontellier – New Orleans’s Creole took Edna to Louisiana. They were forced to live among the communities different in terms of religion and customs to those from their pasts.
The next similarity is the fact that both got married young and did not love their husbands. Hester married a scholar who was much older than she, did not share her passions and preferred to spend his time researching rather than sharing it with his wife. Edna accepted Léonce’s proposal only because of the strong opposition of her closest family. For her it was an act of rebellion against her strict father. She also knew that a rich businessman would be able to guarantee her stability and financial security.
The unhappy marriages and strong sexual needs in both cases resulted in an affair prohibited in the communities. Hester’s sexual awakening is not described in the novel but Hawthorne mentions it’s consequences (a child that could not have been conceived by her husband). However, the two heroines on the pages of the books realize that romantic love is born from sexual desires. They were not afraid to express their needs. Hester during an honest conversation with Reverend Arthur