Portrayal of The Protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' and Sue Monk Kidd's 'The Mermaid Chair'.
ABSTRACT
Dalam penulisan Tugas Akhir ini, penulis akan membahas tentang karakter
seorang istri yang terdapat dalam novel karya Nathaniel Hawthorne yang berjudul
The Scarlet Letter dan karya Sue Monk Kidd yang berjudul The Mermaid Chair.
Kedua karakter dalam kedua novel tersebut, Hester Prynne dan Jessie Sullivan,
adalah istri yang tergoda untuk melakukan perselingkuhan.
Setelah membaca dan menganalisis kedua novel tersebut, penulis menarik
kesimpulan bahwa kedua karakter dalam novel ini sangat menarik untuk dibahas. Di
dalam kedua novel ini diceritakan bahwa kedua karakter ini melakukan
perselingkuhan di saat mereka tidak bersama suami mereka. Setiap karakter dari
tokoh ini tentunya memiliki perbedaan dalam sifat dan masalah yang dihadapi, dan
tentunya cara mereka menyelesaikan permasalahan akan berbeda pula.
Dalam pembahasan Tugas Akhir ini, penulis juga menghubungkan
penggambaran karakter dari kedua tokoh ini dengan teori dari Soren Kierkegaard
tentang keputusan, konsekuensi dari masalah mereka serta komitmen dan
pertanggungjawaban yang harus mereka jalani. Dapat dilihat bahwa kedua karakter
dari The Scarlet Letter dan The Mermaid Chair ini menjadi topik yang menarik untuk
dibahas dalam penulisan Tugas Akhir ini.
i
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………….......................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ………………………………….………….…1
Statement of the Problem …………………………………………...… 3
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………….. 3
Method of Research ………………………………………………...….. 3
Organization of the Thesis ……………………………………………. 4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER ………………5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN
SUE MONK KIDD’S THE MERMAID CHAIR ……………………………16
26
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
…………………………………………...…………….… 30
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of The Scarlet Letter...….……………………………………… 32
Synopsis of The Mermaid Chair………………………………………… 33
Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne ………………………………………34
Biography of Sue Monk Kidd ………………………………………….. 35
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF THE SCARLET LETTER
Hester Prynne is a wife of Roger Prynne. Her marriage is happy before she
goes to New England without being accompanied by her husband. She is tempted
to have an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale, a reverend in the puritan society and
she gives birth to a daughter. Society wants to know who the father is but Hester
insists on hiding the identity of the father. Society condemns her cruelly by
putting the scarlet letter symbol, A, which symbolizes the sin of adultery on her
chest.
Hester feels that this is a very severe on this punishment. Society does not
regard her as a good woman because society thinks that she is a bad woman who
is involved with Satan. Hester works as a seamstress to earn her daily bread. She
makes beautiful dresses for people in the town including the governor. The A
letter symbol has caused Hester to be patient. Hester helps poor people although
sometimes they refuse her help.
Meanwhile, people change their mind because they think Hester has
become a good person. Some people think that Hester is very helpful, patient,
and keen. Hester takes care of Pearl, her only child. Pearl is growing and
becomes an impish child but Hester still loves Pearl. When the community
32
attempts to take Pearl away from her, she refuses their command and defend
her child.
Later, Arthur confesses that he loves Hester and he is the father of
Pearl. After that confession, Arthur dies and Roger dies one year later. Finally,
Hester feels free because she does not have to keep her lover’s identity
anymore. She goes with Pearl to start a new life in another town. After several
years, she comes back to that town, still wearing the A letter symbol.
SYNOPSIS OF THE MERMAID CHAIR
Jessie Sullivan is Hugh Sullivan’s wife. She takes care of her family well.
She loves her husband because her husband is very kind. After Dee, Jessie’s only
daughter, goes to college and stays at boarding house in Vanderbilt, Jessie feels so
lonely. She feels uncomfortable in her house. After receiving a call from her
mother’s friend, Kat, telling her that Jessie’s mother, Nelle Dubois, cuts her finger
off, she goes to her homeland, Egret Island. First, she feels sad, wondering what
happens to her mother as she has bad relationship with her mother. It becomes a
good reason for her to separate for a while from Hugh Sullivan, her husband.
Jessie’s relationship with her mother is not good because Jessie thinks that her
mother still blames Jessie for her father’s death.
In Egret Island, Jessie has an affair with a junior monk, Whit, in the St.
Senara Church. She feels that Whit has a good side, because he earnestly trusts his
God. Jessie refuses Hugh’s coming to Egret Island because she is in love with
Whit. Jessie feels that this affair is her second love, which is the same as when she
fell in love with Hugh. Elle cuts her finger again and the real problem is revealed.
33
Nelle, Kat and Father Dominic kill her father because her father requires them to
do so. Jessie feels free because she always blames herself on her father’s death.
Jessie regrets because she has hurt Hugh and Dee.
When having the affair, she does not realize that she has a happy family.
She comes back to Atlanta and apologizes to Hugh. She wants to fix her fault. At
first, Hugh only lets Jessie alone. At night, Jessie sleeps in the guest room and
keeps thinking about her fault. In the morning, Hugh makes breakfast for them,
which means that Hugh and Jessie want to fix their marriage and start a new life.
After several years, she goes to Egret Island by herself and Hugh allows her
because Hugh trusts her.
BIOGRAPHY OF NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts.
He was a 19th century American novelist and short-story writer. Nathaniel’s
father is William Hawthorne, who emigrated from England in 1630 and was the
first of Hawthorne's ancestors to arrive in the colonies. Hawthorne studied in the
Bowdoin College from 1821 to 1824, he made friend with Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow and the future president Franklin Pierce. In that college, he joined the
Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He wrote Twice-Told Tales in 1837. Hawthorne’s
career as a novelist was boosted by The Scarlet Letter in 1850, in which the
preface refers to his three-year tenure in the Custom House at Salem. The House
of the Seven Gables (1851) and The Blithedale Romance (1852) followed in quick
succession.
34
Many of Hawthorne's writings are about New England and many feature
moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered of the
Romantic movement and, specifically, dark romanticism. His writings would also
reflect his negative view of the Transcendentalism movement. His themes are
often about the inherent evil and sin of humanity. His works often have moral
messages and deep psychological complexity.
Source: “Nathaniel Hawthorne”. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 March 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne
BIOGRAPHY OF SUE MONK KIDD
Sue Monk Kidd was born on August 12, 1948 in Sylvester, Georgia. She is
a great novelist. Sue’s works are influenced by Henry David Thoreau, Kate
Chopin, Thomas Merton, Martha Burke and Carl Jung.
She read Thoreau’s
spiritual memoir, Walden, and Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, and they
had a deep impact on her and made her a great novelist. Her writing is inspired by
place. The Secret Life of Bees, her first novel, is inspired by her experiences of
growing up in Sylvester
Sue mostly writes spiritual memoir and novels. Sue’s second novel, The
Mermaid Chair, has been sold more than 1.7 million copies since its publication,
in 2005. It explores a woman’s self-awakening, the inner conflict of mid life
marriage, and about region in the female soul where the blame, sex and doubt mix
together. The Mermaid Chair was soon the #1 spot on the New York Times
35
bestseller list. It is the Winner of the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction, and
was on translated into 23 languages and was produced as a television movie.
Today Sue lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband Sandy,
her two children, and their black lab, Lily. She writes in a book-lined, upstairs
study where she can see the beautiful view at the tidal creeks and marsh birds. She
is still at work on a new book
. Source: “Author”. Sue Monk Kidd.com. Sue Monk Kidd Official. 27 March
2007
36
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The issue of adultery has become one of the major themes that have been very
much discussed until today. This issue happens to be the subject matter in the novels
because this issue represents the situation that really happens in society. However, it
is continually covered by society.
I have chosen two novels dealing with the issue of adultery. They are The
Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd.
In The Scarlet Letter, written in the 19th century, Hawthorne presents a complex
protagonist because “his works focus on individual effort to understand moral
problems and relationship”.(Person). The Scarlet Letter is an influential novel for the
United States of America and this novel has been known as Hawthorne’s masterpiece.
”...Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter reaches to our nation’s historical and
moral roots for the material of great tragedy...” (The Scarlet Letter). The Mermaid
Chair, written in the 20th century, is an excellent novel because in The Mermaid
Chair, Sue Monk Kidd achieves “a bold intensity and complexity.” (The Mermaid
Chair)
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I would like to analyse characterization, specifically the protagonist. I
personally think that analysing the protagonist of a novel is interesting because the
protagonist is the central character who will face some problems around her.
Definitely, the author has particular motivation in creating the protagonist. In both
The Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair , the protagonist of each story is a wife
who is tempted into having an affair with another man. In The Scarlet Letter, the
protagonist is Hester Prynne. She is portrayed as a wife who is tempted into having
an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale and I believe this is related to “Hawthorne’s
purpose to explore the ideas of individual responsibility by using the protagonist”. (
Merriman). Meanwhile, in The Mermaid Chair, Jessie is tempted into having an affair
with Brother Thomas. Since Jessie is tempted into having an affair, she finally knows
what is best for herself. The Mermaid Chair is about “a vision quest. Jessie is trying
to find herself” by this affair ( Duval). Moreover, in The Mermaid Chair “Kidd tried
to figure out for Jessie the confluence of authentic love and freedom at the same
time” (Duval). Furthermore, I believe Jessie must be responsible for having this
affair.
The two novels have the same subject matter, that the protagonist deals with
adultery sin and they must be responsible for having this affair. The protagonists in
these novels have freedom to choose whether to involve themselves in this affair or
not. Moreover, they will face some choices in their life. Thus, in analysing these
novels I think it is suitable to use Soren Kierkegaard’s theories. I have chosen his
theories because they emphasize on the individual and Kierkegaard “stressed the
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ambiguity and absurdity of the human situation. The individual's response to this
situation must be to live a totally committed life, and this commitment can only be
understood by the individual who has made it. The individual therefore must always
be prepared to defy the norms of society for the sake of the higher authority of a
personally valid way of life.” (existentialism). Thus, I think his theories are suitable
for analysing the two novels.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
The problems are stated as follows:
1. How do the authors portray the protagonists?
2. What is the purpose of each author in creating such a character?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the statement of the problems above this study is done:
1. To show how the authors portray the protagonists in the novels
2. To show the purpose of each author in creating such a character
METHOD OF RESEARCH
I start the research for this thesis by library research, by first reading The
Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair as the primary texts. I also read and compile
some texts that are taken from reference books and the Internet. After that, I analyse
the two novels. Finally, I make some conclusions.
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ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis consists of three chapters, preceded by the Acknowledgements.
Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the
Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the
Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the discussion of the portrayal of the
protagonists in The Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair. The last chapter, Chapter
Three, is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices,
which contain the synopses of the two novels and the biography of each author.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analysing Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Sue Monk
Kidd’s The Mermaid Chair, I would like to draw some conclusions. Both Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Sue Monk Kidd’s The Mermaid Chair deal with
a wife who is tempted into having an affair. Yet, they have different characteristics,
so they will face and solve the problem in their own way.
First, I would like to point out the similarities and differences of these novels.
The similarities between The Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair are about the
freedom to choose and truth for them. Both novels tell about the infidelity in
relationship. Each female character is tempted to be involved in the sin of adultery
since she is not with her husband. The female protagonist goes to some place without
her husband for some reasons. Moreover, the female character has the freedom to
choose whether to be involved in the affair or not.
The second similarity is that each female character does not regret deeply
because they think what they have done is not a mistake. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester
loves Arthur more than she loves her husband. Arthur also loves Hester so much. In
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The Mermaid Chair, Jessie sees her affair with Whit only as her second love.
The third similarity is that each female character has an affair with a man who
has authority in a church. In The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne, has
an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale. He is reverend in the puritan society. In The
Mermaid Chair, Brother Thomas is a junior monk in St. Senara church.
Moreover, I find differences between the two novels which are about the
reasons why the two characters are tempted into having the affair and about their
commitment. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne commits this adultery because of
love. She loves Arthur so much. She is committed to her decision. She does not want
to tell her lover’s identity to anybody because she does not want Arthur to get into
trouble. She is even willing to bear the burden herself.
However, in The Mermaid Chair, Jessie Sullivan commits adultery because of
her boredom. Nevertheless, she does not commit herself to her previous decision. She
also tells her husband about her lover’s identity because she knows that it is the right
choice. At the end of the story, Jessie Sullivan decides to go back to her husband
when she realizes her wrongdoing. They live together and start to fix their
relationship, but again it is her choice.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is portrayed as a strong, strong-willed,
and independent woman while in The Mermaid Chair, Jessie Sullivan is portrayed as
a contrite, easy-to-get-bored, and responsible person. Having different characteristics,
they have different ways to solve their own problems. Hester solves her problem by
keeping her lover’s name and bearing the punishment from the puritan society, while
Jessie solves her problem by mentioning the man’s name and going back to her
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married life. Their own characteristics show their existence. Their attitude and actions
are closely connected to and thus can be explained through Soren Kierkegaard
theories about choice, decision, commitment and responsibility.
I get the impression that the most discernible lifelike character is portrayed in
The Mermaid Chair’s protagonist, Jessie Sullivan. Sue Monk Kidd as the author
creates Jessie as a character who can represent wives in general who feel great
boredom after a certain time in their married life. The characterization of this
protagonist can be seen from the first page until the last. We can understand her
portrayal through her conversation with other characters such as Hugh Sullivan,
Brother Thomas and from her reaction to others actions. I know her characteristics
from her own perspective.
From this novel, I also get an understanding about the relationship between a
man and a woman. This affair could happen to anyone including to someone who has
authority in the religious institution such as a clergyman in the church. It is a must for
them to be a role model for the society but they fail. I feel sorry for someone who has
authority in the religious institution being trapped in such an affair. These novels
show that every man, including a clergyman, is possible to commit a sin including the
sin of adultery.
I can also learn from these novels that long distance and boredom are some of
causes for an affair. We must really pay attention to this matter. I think we have to
always renew our relationship, by spending more time together to reach mutual
understanding in husband and wife relationship.
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Although the two novels were written in different periods of time, they deal
with the same problem, adultery. Through the portrayal of the protagonists in coping
with their problems, the two authors have succeeded in achieving their goals.
Through Hester Prynne, Nathaniel Hawthorne has succeeded in exploring the ideas of
individual responsibility in order to criticize the puritan society. Meanwhile, Sue
Monk Kidd has skillfully used Jessie Sullivan to show one’s searching oneself. And
the way they present the characters makes these two novels worth reading and
analyzing.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Signet Classic Printing, 1999.
Kidd, Sue Monk. The Mermaid Chair. London: Headline review, 2006.
Internet Sources:
Duval, John Formy. “The Mermaid Chair-book reviews” About.com. 28 August 2007
< http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/fiction/fr/mermaidChair.htm >
“Existentialism”. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 20 September 2007
“Kierkegaard
Quotes”.
Island-of-freedom.com..
20
September
2007
“Kierkegaard
quotation”.
World
Quotation.com.
28
August
2007.
<
http://www.worldquotations.com/A/Kierkegaard,%20Soren/4029>
“Kierkegaard,
Soren
Quotation”.
Quotation
Book.com.
28
August
2007
Merriman, C D. “Nathaniel Hawthorne- biography and works”. Onlineliterature.com. 28 August 2007. < http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/ >
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Person, Leland S. “The Cambridge Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne”.
Cambridge.Org.
28
August
2007
“Quotation
by
Author”.
Quotationpage.com.
10
November
2008
“Quotations by Soren Kierkegaard”. Entplaza.com. 2001-2006. 28 August 2007.
“Quotations from SOREN KIERKEGAARD”. Poem Hunter.com. 28 August 2007.
“Quotes
of
Kierkegaard”.
Geocities.yahoo.com
28
August
2007
“Soren Kierkegaard quotations and quotes”. Age of the sage.Org. 28 August 2007. <
http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/philosophy/kierkegaard_quotes.html >
“The
Mermaid
Chair”.
Reading
Group
Guides.com.
10
May
2007.
<
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/mermaid_chair1.asp >
“The Scarlet Letter”. Microsoft Reader eBooks.com. Microsoft Reader. 20
September 2007 < http://www.ebookmall.com/ebook/133806-ebook.htm >
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Dalam penulisan Tugas Akhir ini, penulis akan membahas tentang karakter
seorang istri yang terdapat dalam novel karya Nathaniel Hawthorne yang berjudul
The Scarlet Letter dan karya Sue Monk Kidd yang berjudul The Mermaid Chair.
Kedua karakter dalam kedua novel tersebut, Hester Prynne dan Jessie Sullivan,
adalah istri yang tergoda untuk melakukan perselingkuhan.
Setelah membaca dan menganalisis kedua novel tersebut, penulis menarik
kesimpulan bahwa kedua karakter dalam novel ini sangat menarik untuk dibahas. Di
dalam kedua novel ini diceritakan bahwa kedua karakter ini melakukan
perselingkuhan di saat mereka tidak bersama suami mereka. Setiap karakter dari
tokoh ini tentunya memiliki perbedaan dalam sifat dan masalah yang dihadapi, dan
tentunya cara mereka menyelesaikan permasalahan akan berbeda pula.
Dalam pembahasan Tugas Akhir ini, penulis juga menghubungkan
penggambaran karakter dari kedua tokoh ini dengan teori dari Soren Kierkegaard
tentang keputusan, konsekuensi dari masalah mereka serta komitmen dan
pertanggungjawaban yang harus mereka jalani. Dapat dilihat bahwa kedua karakter
dari The Scarlet Letter dan The Mermaid Chair ini menjadi topik yang menarik untuk
dibahas dalam penulisan Tugas Akhir ini.
i
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………….......................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ………………………………….………….…1
Statement of the Problem …………………………………………...… 3
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………….. 3
Method of Research ………………………………………………...….. 3
Organization of the Thesis ……………………………………………. 4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER ………………5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN
SUE MONK KIDD’S THE MERMAID CHAIR ……………………………16
26
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
…………………………………………...…………….… 30
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of The Scarlet Letter...….……………………………………… 32
Synopsis of The Mermaid Chair………………………………………… 33
Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne ………………………………………34
Biography of Sue Monk Kidd ………………………………………….. 35
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF THE SCARLET LETTER
Hester Prynne is a wife of Roger Prynne. Her marriage is happy before she
goes to New England without being accompanied by her husband. She is tempted
to have an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale, a reverend in the puritan society and
she gives birth to a daughter. Society wants to know who the father is but Hester
insists on hiding the identity of the father. Society condemns her cruelly by
putting the scarlet letter symbol, A, which symbolizes the sin of adultery on her
chest.
Hester feels that this is a very severe on this punishment. Society does not
regard her as a good woman because society thinks that she is a bad woman who
is involved with Satan. Hester works as a seamstress to earn her daily bread. She
makes beautiful dresses for people in the town including the governor. The A
letter symbol has caused Hester to be patient. Hester helps poor people although
sometimes they refuse her help.
Meanwhile, people change their mind because they think Hester has
become a good person. Some people think that Hester is very helpful, patient,
and keen. Hester takes care of Pearl, her only child. Pearl is growing and
becomes an impish child but Hester still loves Pearl. When the community
32
attempts to take Pearl away from her, she refuses their command and defend
her child.
Later, Arthur confesses that he loves Hester and he is the father of
Pearl. After that confession, Arthur dies and Roger dies one year later. Finally,
Hester feels free because she does not have to keep her lover’s identity
anymore. She goes with Pearl to start a new life in another town. After several
years, she comes back to that town, still wearing the A letter symbol.
SYNOPSIS OF THE MERMAID CHAIR
Jessie Sullivan is Hugh Sullivan’s wife. She takes care of her family well.
She loves her husband because her husband is very kind. After Dee, Jessie’s only
daughter, goes to college and stays at boarding house in Vanderbilt, Jessie feels so
lonely. She feels uncomfortable in her house. After receiving a call from her
mother’s friend, Kat, telling her that Jessie’s mother, Nelle Dubois, cuts her finger
off, she goes to her homeland, Egret Island. First, she feels sad, wondering what
happens to her mother as she has bad relationship with her mother. It becomes a
good reason for her to separate for a while from Hugh Sullivan, her husband.
Jessie’s relationship with her mother is not good because Jessie thinks that her
mother still blames Jessie for her father’s death.
In Egret Island, Jessie has an affair with a junior monk, Whit, in the St.
Senara Church. She feels that Whit has a good side, because he earnestly trusts his
God. Jessie refuses Hugh’s coming to Egret Island because she is in love with
Whit. Jessie feels that this affair is her second love, which is the same as when she
fell in love with Hugh. Elle cuts her finger again and the real problem is revealed.
33
Nelle, Kat and Father Dominic kill her father because her father requires them to
do so. Jessie feels free because she always blames herself on her father’s death.
Jessie regrets because she has hurt Hugh and Dee.
When having the affair, she does not realize that she has a happy family.
She comes back to Atlanta and apologizes to Hugh. She wants to fix her fault. At
first, Hugh only lets Jessie alone. At night, Jessie sleeps in the guest room and
keeps thinking about her fault. In the morning, Hugh makes breakfast for them,
which means that Hugh and Jessie want to fix their marriage and start a new life.
After several years, she goes to Egret Island by herself and Hugh allows her
because Hugh trusts her.
BIOGRAPHY OF NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts.
He was a 19th century American novelist and short-story writer. Nathaniel’s
father is William Hawthorne, who emigrated from England in 1630 and was the
first of Hawthorne's ancestors to arrive in the colonies. Hawthorne studied in the
Bowdoin College from 1821 to 1824, he made friend with Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow and the future president Franklin Pierce. In that college, he joined the
Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He wrote Twice-Told Tales in 1837. Hawthorne’s
career as a novelist was boosted by The Scarlet Letter in 1850, in which the
preface refers to his three-year tenure in the Custom House at Salem. The House
of the Seven Gables (1851) and The Blithedale Romance (1852) followed in quick
succession.
34
Many of Hawthorne's writings are about New England and many feature
moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered of the
Romantic movement and, specifically, dark romanticism. His writings would also
reflect his negative view of the Transcendentalism movement. His themes are
often about the inherent evil and sin of humanity. His works often have moral
messages and deep psychological complexity.
Source: “Nathaniel Hawthorne”. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 March 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne
BIOGRAPHY OF SUE MONK KIDD
Sue Monk Kidd was born on August 12, 1948 in Sylvester, Georgia. She is
a great novelist. Sue’s works are influenced by Henry David Thoreau, Kate
Chopin, Thomas Merton, Martha Burke and Carl Jung.
She read Thoreau’s
spiritual memoir, Walden, and Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, and they
had a deep impact on her and made her a great novelist. Her writing is inspired by
place. The Secret Life of Bees, her first novel, is inspired by her experiences of
growing up in Sylvester
Sue mostly writes spiritual memoir and novels. Sue’s second novel, The
Mermaid Chair, has been sold more than 1.7 million copies since its publication,
in 2005. It explores a woman’s self-awakening, the inner conflict of mid life
marriage, and about region in the female soul where the blame, sex and doubt mix
together. The Mermaid Chair was soon the #1 spot on the New York Times
35
bestseller list. It is the Winner of the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction, and
was on translated into 23 languages and was produced as a television movie.
Today Sue lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband Sandy,
her two children, and their black lab, Lily. She writes in a book-lined, upstairs
study where she can see the beautiful view at the tidal creeks and marsh birds. She
is still at work on a new book
. Source: “Author”. Sue Monk Kidd.com. Sue Monk Kidd Official. 27 March
2007
36
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The issue of adultery has become one of the major themes that have been very
much discussed until today. This issue happens to be the subject matter in the novels
because this issue represents the situation that really happens in society. However, it
is continually covered by society.
I have chosen two novels dealing with the issue of adultery. They are The
Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd.
In The Scarlet Letter, written in the 19th century, Hawthorne presents a complex
protagonist because “his works focus on individual effort to understand moral
problems and relationship”.(Person). The Scarlet Letter is an influential novel for the
United States of America and this novel has been known as Hawthorne’s masterpiece.
”...Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter reaches to our nation’s historical and
moral roots for the material of great tragedy...” (The Scarlet Letter). The Mermaid
Chair, written in the 20th century, is an excellent novel because in The Mermaid
Chair, Sue Monk Kidd achieves “a bold intensity and complexity.” (The Mermaid
Chair)
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I would like to analyse characterization, specifically the protagonist. I
personally think that analysing the protagonist of a novel is interesting because the
protagonist is the central character who will face some problems around her.
Definitely, the author has particular motivation in creating the protagonist. In both
The Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair , the protagonist of each story is a wife
who is tempted into having an affair with another man. In The Scarlet Letter, the
protagonist is Hester Prynne. She is portrayed as a wife who is tempted into having
an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale and I believe this is related to “Hawthorne’s
purpose to explore the ideas of individual responsibility by using the protagonist”. (
Merriman). Meanwhile, in The Mermaid Chair, Jessie is tempted into having an affair
with Brother Thomas. Since Jessie is tempted into having an affair, she finally knows
what is best for herself. The Mermaid Chair is about “a vision quest. Jessie is trying
to find herself” by this affair ( Duval). Moreover, in The Mermaid Chair “Kidd tried
to figure out for Jessie the confluence of authentic love and freedom at the same
time” (Duval). Furthermore, I believe Jessie must be responsible for having this
affair.
The two novels have the same subject matter, that the protagonist deals with
adultery sin and they must be responsible for having this affair. The protagonists in
these novels have freedom to choose whether to involve themselves in this affair or
not. Moreover, they will face some choices in their life. Thus, in analysing these
novels I think it is suitable to use Soren Kierkegaard’s theories. I have chosen his
theories because they emphasize on the individual and Kierkegaard “stressed the
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ambiguity and absurdity of the human situation. The individual's response to this
situation must be to live a totally committed life, and this commitment can only be
understood by the individual who has made it. The individual therefore must always
be prepared to defy the norms of society for the sake of the higher authority of a
personally valid way of life.” (existentialism). Thus, I think his theories are suitable
for analysing the two novels.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
The problems are stated as follows:
1. How do the authors portray the protagonists?
2. What is the purpose of each author in creating such a character?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the statement of the problems above this study is done:
1. To show how the authors portray the protagonists in the novels
2. To show the purpose of each author in creating such a character
METHOD OF RESEARCH
I start the research for this thesis by library research, by first reading The
Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair as the primary texts. I also read and compile
some texts that are taken from reference books and the Internet. After that, I analyse
the two novels. Finally, I make some conclusions.
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ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis consists of three chapters, preceded by the Acknowledgements.
Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the
Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the
Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the discussion of the portrayal of the
protagonists in The Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair. The last chapter, Chapter
Three, is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices,
which contain the synopses of the two novels and the biography of each author.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analysing Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Sue Monk
Kidd’s The Mermaid Chair, I would like to draw some conclusions. Both Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Sue Monk Kidd’s The Mermaid Chair deal with
a wife who is tempted into having an affair. Yet, they have different characteristics,
so they will face and solve the problem in their own way.
First, I would like to point out the similarities and differences of these novels.
The similarities between The Scarlet Letter and The Mermaid Chair are about the
freedom to choose and truth for them. Both novels tell about the infidelity in
relationship. Each female character is tempted to be involved in the sin of adultery
since she is not with her husband. The female protagonist goes to some place without
her husband for some reasons. Moreover, the female character has the freedom to
choose whether to be involved in the affair or not.
The second similarity is that each female character does not regret deeply
because they think what they have done is not a mistake. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester
loves Arthur more than she loves her husband. Arthur also loves Hester so much. In
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The Mermaid Chair, Jessie sees her affair with Whit only as her second love.
The third similarity is that each female character has an affair with a man who
has authority in a church. In The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne, has
an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale. He is reverend in the puritan society. In The
Mermaid Chair, Brother Thomas is a junior monk in St. Senara church.
Moreover, I find differences between the two novels which are about the
reasons why the two characters are tempted into having the affair and about their
commitment. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne commits this adultery because of
love. She loves Arthur so much. She is committed to her decision. She does not want
to tell her lover’s identity to anybody because she does not want Arthur to get into
trouble. She is even willing to bear the burden herself.
However, in The Mermaid Chair, Jessie Sullivan commits adultery because of
her boredom. Nevertheless, she does not commit herself to her previous decision. She
also tells her husband about her lover’s identity because she knows that it is the right
choice. At the end of the story, Jessie Sullivan decides to go back to her husband
when she realizes her wrongdoing. They live together and start to fix their
relationship, but again it is her choice.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is portrayed as a strong, strong-willed,
and independent woman while in The Mermaid Chair, Jessie Sullivan is portrayed as
a contrite, easy-to-get-bored, and responsible person. Having different characteristics,
they have different ways to solve their own problems. Hester solves her problem by
keeping her lover’s name and bearing the punishment from the puritan society, while
Jessie solves her problem by mentioning the man’s name and going back to her
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married life. Their own characteristics show their existence. Their attitude and actions
are closely connected to and thus can be explained through Soren Kierkegaard
theories about choice, decision, commitment and responsibility.
I get the impression that the most discernible lifelike character is portrayed in
The Mermaid Chair’s protagonist, Jessie Sullivan. Sue Monk Kidd as the author
creates Jessie as a character who can represent wives in general who feel great
boredom after a certain time in their married life. The characterization of this
protagonist can be seen from the first page until the last. We can understand her
portrayal through her conversation with other characters such as Hugh Sullivan,
Brother Thomas and from her reaction to others actions. I know her characteristics
from her own perspective.
From this novel, I also get an understanding about the relationship between a
man and a woman. This affair could happen to anyone including to someone who has
authority in the religious institution such as a clergyman in the church. It is a must for
them to be a role model for the society but they fail. I feel sorry for someone who has
authority in the religious institution being trapped in such an affair. These novels
show that every man, including a clergyman, is possible to commit a sin including the
sin of adultery.
I can also learn from these novels that long distance and boredom are some of
causes for an affair. We must really pay attention to this matter. I think we have to
always renew our relationship, by spending more time together to reach mutual
understanding in husband and wife relationship.
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Although the two novels were written in different periods of time, they deal
with the same problem, adultery. Through the portrayal of the protagonists in coping
with their problems, the two authors have succeeded in achieving their goals.
Through Hester Prynne, Nathaniel Hawthorne has succeeded in exploring the ideas of
individual responsibility in order to criticize the puritan society. Meanwhile, Sue
Monk Kidd has skillfully used Jessie Sullivan to show one’s searching oneself. And
the way they present the characters makes these two novels worth reading and
analyzing.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Signet Classic Printing, 1999.
Kidd, Sue Monk. The Mermaid Chair. London: Headline review, 2006.
Internet Sources:
Duval, John Formy. “The Mermaid Chair-book reviews” About.com. 28 August 2007
< http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/fiction/fr/mermaidChair.htm >
“Existentialism”. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 20 September 2007
“Kierkegaard
Quotes”.
Island-of-freedom.com..
20
September
2007
“Kierkegaard
quotation”.
World
Quotation.com.
28
August
2007.
<
http://www.worldquotations.com/A/Kierkegaard,%20Soren/4029>
“Kierkegaard,
Soren
Quotation”.
Quotation
Book.com.
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August
2007
Merriman, C D. “Nathaniel Hawthorne- biography and works”. Onlineliterature.com. 28 August 2007. < http://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/ >
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Person, Leland S. “The Cambridge Introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne”.
Cambridge.Org.
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August
2007
“Quotation
by
Author”.
Quotationpage.com.
10
November
2008
“Quotations by Soren Kierkegaard”. Entplaza.com. 2001-2006. 28 August 2007.
“Quotations from SOREN KIERKEGAARD”. Poem Hunter.com. 28 August 2007.
“Quotes
of
Kierkegaard”.
Geocities.yahoo.com
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August
2007
“Soren Kierkegaard quotations and quotes”. Age of the sage.Org. 28 August 2007. <
http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/philosophy/kierkegaard_quotes.html >
“The
Mermaid
Chair”.
Reading
Group
Guides.com.
10
May
2007.
<
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/mermaid_chair1.asp >
“The Scarlet Letter”. Microsoft Reader eBooks.com. Microsoft Reader. 20
September 2007 < http://www.ebookmall.com/ebook/133806-ebook.htm >
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