Gender Roles in a Puritan Society
Researching a little about Hawthorne, I learned that a big influence in his literature was his religion; he and his ancestors were Puritans. His real last name is actually Hathorne (he added the W in college). One of his family members John Hathorne was actually one of the judges of the Salem Witch Trials.
I then wanted to see how the Puritan Faith played a role in Hawthorne's literature. Researching the Puritan Faith, I found that one of the fundamental beliefs were gender roles. According to the Puritan Faith concerning gender roles:
- While both sexes carried the stain of original sin, for a women, original sin carried more weight. They believed all women carried Eve's corruption.
- Puritan culture emphasized the strict accounting for one’s deeds which women in turn placed at the heart of their work to sustain family life
- The creation of order created a hierarchy, which placed men on top
- Authority was given to the husband over the wife
The Puritan Faith does have as an influence in Hawthorne's depiction of gender roles. In the Blithedale Romance he defines women in their stereotypical role, as the domestic caregiver. They are weak in character and are unable to stand up against social stereotypes. Zenobia becomes an example of a women that attempts to challenge society's views but fails to do so. Priscilla the other key female in the novel is portrayed as naive and sheltered. Hawthorne uses these two characters to portray women's gender roles in a Puritan Society.
"Puritan." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Jul 2008, 05:23 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 7 Jul 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Puritan&oldid=223466954>.
4 comments:
Good find, gives me more background on the author's intention.
So... Zenobia, the stronger female figure fails to achieve feminism, and she eventually commits suicide because she's desperated to know her own limits.
Priscilla, the weaker figure, is suprisingly the final victor in the story.
It makes me more believe that Hawthorne does not like the idea of feminism.
Tim, you raise a good point about Puritanism influencing Hawthorne's worldview. However, your description of gender roles under Puritanism sound a lot like gender roles under Christian patriarchy in general. What specific contribution might Puritanism have made to Hawthorne's theory of gender, if any?
Mad props to you, Tim! I actually didn't read The Blithedale Romance, but I read the other posts about the novel to see what people had to say. I thought it was very clever of you to delve deeper into the author's background to try to justify the conclusion that the author probably was not in favor of feminism. I will use the same strategy to try to understand Sweet Cicely more completely. Thanks!
I would suggest Hawthorne was in favor of feminism. Although the female characters fail to break through their gender roles, I believe Hawthorne was just trying to show how ineffective the Blithedale community was at progressing society. By having Zenobia fail at challenging society's views and Priscilla be passive, maybe Hawthorne is merely emphasizing the wrongs men do to women as an example in favor of women's rights.
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