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The Spectrum of Discrimination in The Scarlet Letter
Mayuka Kitada Keio Academy of New York
Reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (1850) for the Headmaster’s Book Club, we discussed how this romance novel could be related to institutional racism, violence, and slavery. Just like Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter was stigmatized by being forced to wear the letter “A” on her dress, likewise, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a backlash against Asians, which was exacerbated by comments made by political leaders in the United States. These comments, such as “Wuhan virus” and “Chinese virus,” created a dangerous Anti-Asian stigma.
The number of anti-Asian hate crimes has drastically increased due to the spread of the coronavirus and anti-Asian rhetoric (Inside Edition 2021). On September 27, 2020, Mr. Tadataka Unno, a distinguished Japanese jazz pianist, became the victim of an Anti-Asian hate crime and suffered a complex fracture of his right shoulder with the devastating news that he might never be able to play the piano again. Our family got a mail from the Consulate General of Japan regarding this news. That was when I truly felt that being Asian in this country is not easy and that hate crimes against Asian are becoming more prevalent. I have lived in Westchester County for over six years and feel a sense of belonging. However, this brutal attack took place just twenty miles away from here. Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 (Yam 2022). My family once went to a nearby park and saw a kid running toward us and screaming, “dangerous yellow!” Now, I feel a little anxious when walking past strangers. New faces make me wonder whether or not they like Asians.
The Scarlet Letter alludes to discrimination in the introduction called “The Custom-House.” There, the author Hawthorne tells of his ancestors’ misdeeds: persecution of the Quakers and people accused of witchcraft. Hawthorne states, “At all events, I, the present writer, … hereby take shame upon myself for their [my ancestors] sakes” (Hawthorne 2017). If the Salem witch trial in 1642 was unjustly caused by sexism, Hawthorne, who felt guilty about his ancestors’ misdeeds, may have wanted to relieve himself from the guilt by writing The Scarlet Letter. In this sense, The Scarlet Letter could be considered the author’s attempt to discourage discrimination and persecution.
Looking at Hawthorne’s other writings, such as “The Birthmark” and “Young Goodman Brown,” it is noticeable that he examines symbolism and markedness. If a subject has an extraordinary element attached to him/her, it is considered “marked.” For example, during the Biden Presidency, Kamala Harris became the first black, Asian-American female vice president. Since this is not the universal image of a typical vice president, her unique attributes make Kamala Harris “marked.” Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, is marked as an adulteress and a heretic in the Puritan society of the 1700s. As Hawthorne himself indicates, Hester is like reallife Anne Hutchinson, who was ostracized from society because she sought religious freedom. To
generalize the idea, Hester Prynne represents whoever is ostracized from society. The whole story relates to discrimination or oppression that endures in society today. Hawthorne very skillfully concealed deep within the novel numerous themes of discrimination such as racism, sexism, and even ageism dominant in Puritan America in the 17th century. His gothic romance is not out of date even now. We still confront horrible discrimination and oppression.
Hawthorne gave the scarlet letter “A” multiple meanings and dared to be ambiguous about what the scarlet letter symbolizes. The author showed that its meaning could change over time. Though the main meaning of “A” was ‘adultery’, today we recognize “A” for possibly meaning ‘Atlantic,’ ‘ambiguity,’ or even ‘abolition.’ However, I would like to propose another idea in this paper, A as ‘Asian’. How is Hester Prynne similar to Asians?
During the pandemic, Asian skin color became a symbol of a virus for some people. Frequently, our skin color has created many stereotypes. Perpetual foreigner stereotyping, such as “So where are you really from?,” is a common one that perceives Asians as outsiders and aliens even if they are native-born or naturalized. The Model Minority myth, such as “You are an Asian. You are supposed to be smart and good at math,” is another famous stereotype Asians have to endure. In the 1960s, after Japanese Americans were released from internment camps, William Petersen used the term “model minority” (Densho 2021). He used it to describe the “success stories” of Asian Americans. During WWII, many Japanese Americans faced discrimination and suspicious eyes. They were considered to be spies of the enemy country. After WWII, they tried to look as harmless as possible and attempted to integrate into American society. As a result, people started to believe Asians as intelligent, hardworking, obedient, and respectful. However, in reality, Asians have the most significant income gap of any racial group (Palmer, n.d.). Since Chinese immigrants came to the US looking for job opportunities, Asian hate has existed and continues to this day. And now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian community in the US sees hatred towards them increasing. The tragedy of the Atlanta Spa Shootings sent shockwaves through the Asian community. That was not the end of the story. We were horrified by the news of other Anti-Asian hate crimes, including two brutal killings in New York City.
Not only do sensational incidents make people of Asian descent suffer, but also verbal violence and the unwelcoming atmosphere afflict them daily. The hashtag #IAmNotAVirus, originally started by French Asians, has been globally used (García 2020). Using the hashtag, Lisa WoolRim Sjöblom, an activist, has posted illustrations of the Anti-Asian hate issue. She shares the story of her son saying to her partner, who is Caucasian, “Look around you. There are only three people here who look different and that’s me and my sister and mama. Everybody else looks like you. And I wish that I could look like you” (García 2020). Due to discrimination, many Asians tend to develop internal feelings of inferiority toward white people. Just as Sjöblom stated, “It isn’t actually about skin color. It’s about the whole idea of what whiteness is and the privileges it gives you if you’re white” (García 2020).
Even after 172 years, Hawthorne’s theme in The Scarlet Letter is relevant to our contemporary society. In the beginning, the A of the scarlet letter means ‘adultery’ and symbolizes Hester’s sin
in the Puritan community. Hester wears the letter as punishment and a reminder of her sin. However, as the story continues, this A transforms into ‘able.’ Hester is later seen as helpful in the community. The story of The Scarlet Letter reveals that our perceptions change over time. Due to the pandemic, Asian skin has represented a virus and something abhorrent for some people. In white society, our skin color represented a “model minority” to a “virus.” At this point, we cannot fail to note that Hawthorne finds in Hester’s nature “a rich, voluptuous, Oriental characteristic (p.55). Then, isn’t A for Asians from the beginning? Reading The Scarlet Letter now in the 21st century, I only hope that the Asian skin color will represent something good in the future, not a symbol of shame.
References
Densho (2021). “Inventing the “Model Minority”: A Critical Timeline and Reading List.” Densho. https://densho.org/catalyst/inventing-the-model-minority-a-critical-timeline-andreading-list/.
García, Stephanie (2020). “'I am not a virus.' How this artist is illustrating coronavirus-fueled racism.” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/i-am-not-a-virus-how-this-artist-is-illustratingcoronavirus-fueled-racism.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel (2017). The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings: Authoritative Texts, Contexts, Criticism. Edited by Leland S. Person. N.p.: W.W. Norton.
Inside Edition (2021). “NYC Pianist Tadataka Unno Returns to Stage After Being Told He Wouldn't Play Again Following Subway Attack.” Inside Edition. https://www.insideedition.com/nyc-pianist-tadataka-unno-returns-to-stage-after-being-told-hewouldnt-play-again-following-subway.
Palmer, Mark (2022) “The Model Minority Myth.” The Practice. Accessed June 30, 2022. https://thepractice.law.harvard.edu/article/the-model-minority-myth/.
Yam, Kimmy (2022). “Anti-Asian hate crimes increased 339 percent nationwide last year, report says.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-crimesincreased-339-percent-nationwide-last-year-repo-rcna14282.
