A Study on the elements of feminism as seen through Hester's characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter

This thesis, entitled "A Study on the Elements of Feminism as Seen through Hester's Characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is focusing on the analysis of Hester's characters related to Hester's relationships with her lover, the Puritan Tradition, and the Society where she lives in. From those relationships, the writer finds out Hester's characters which reveal the elements of feminism. In her analysis, the writer uses the background literature about the life of Puritan women since the main character is a Puritan woman. Besides, the feminist theory and the literary theory on characterization will also be used. The writer uses the theory of characterization in analyzing Hester's speech, action and the comments of other characters. The analysis discusses the elements of feminism in Hester's characters dealing with the relationships between Hester and her lover, the Puritan tradition and the society where she lives in. Eventually, Hester shows that she struggles for her equality, independence and freedom. Her strength, responsibility, and independence as a lover, a wife, an adulteress and a single parent in facing difficult situation, defending her thought and her will and making a decision, prove that Hester is the forerunner of feminism