Puritan Society and the Role of the Female Gender in the 17th Century. By the example of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlett Letter'

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3, University of Duisburg-Essen, language: English, abstract: This research paper deals on the historical and cultural background of the 17th Century and will be focused on the literary work 'The Scarlet Letter'. Today, topics like gender equality and feminism are so important and up-to-date that one cannot be uninformed. Everyone has an opinion and no one is afraid to speak openly about it anymore. They are free to say, write and think what they believe is right. They are able to vote and go to work. They can use any social media platform and tweet or post their views and experiences and get some attention. This was not the case a few centuries back. Women were oppressed and not able to speak their minds. Women had to fight for their rights to be acknowledged, which has enabled us to be in the position that we are in now. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a literary work that has academic value and is often classified as required reading in classes. It was published 1850 and tells the story of a woman in Puritan times who has to face the consequences of committing adultery. The novel represents the Puritan society and the way women were treated in that time. It gives attention on the ideology and gives many details in which today's readers can imagine the struggle of obedience to the system.