The Scarlet Letter and The Ramayana

An American romance and a Hindu epic

Introduction

The Scarlet Letter is a popular American romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne written in 1850. The story is of a woman Hester Prynne and punishment to wear the scarlet letter A for committing adultery and her life after this. The novel is full with transcendental, naturalistic, dark romantic elements and symbols. It is about woman fighting against puritan society.

The story of Ramayana is well known as it is a Hindu epic and myth. Dealing with many other stories and interpretations, mostly it focuses on Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana and celebrating victory of good upon evil.

Generally, popularity of the story ends with Lord Rama’s war and victory; later stories are less popular and ambiguous because of multiple stories and interpretations.  The focus of this study is related to some events of unfamiliar later life of Rama and Sita. There are some striking similarities between Hindu myth and American romance. It is very interesting to study these two entirely different literatures.

    

Submissiveness of women

Hester, the protagonist of the novel and sita both are meeting similar situations. The very first chapter of the novel shows public punishment of Hester where on the scaffold Hester is forced to wear A for her adultery by puritan ministers and she is outcasted to forest. The same case is with Sita. After returning to Ayodhya, Sita is forced to give Agnipariksha for her chastity as her purity was doubted by a washer man.

Without fighting with the society, both of these women submit themselves towards society and decision. We never find Hester or Sita cursing society, revolting for injustice or even promising revenge from Dimmesdale or questioning Rama. Even their punishment is in public where it brings shame and insults their dignity.

Role of Society

Even if the novel, The Scarlet letter, was written in 1850, the setting is puritan age, 200 years before it was written. Puritan age is known for its patriarchy, orthodox and strict rules.  Hester is punished with so cruel and humiliating punishment because adultery is sin for the society. Throughout the novel, puritan society plays vital role in developing Hester’s character and also plot and theme of the novel.  In Ramayana Sita faced Agnipariksha because one of the men of Rama’s Kingdome doubts Sita’s chastity.  Lord Rama or any other family member never commented on this but it is to clear doubt of society Sita has done Agnipariksha. Not even this but later she was abandoned and left the palace of Ayodhya. 

Bravery of women and Cowardice of men

Throughout the novel, Hester is standing alone celebrating individuality, independency and fighting against puritan society and beliefs. She has built her own identity which is totally opposite of what society has given.  Her A stands for adultery when punishment is given her to wear the scarlet letter. But she changes the meaning to Able with her independent work, helping nature and fight against hypocrisy and injustice of puritan society.  The novel is attempting to glorify Hester’s character intentionally so it becomes a tale of Hester’s bravery and strength.

It is said about incident of Agnipariksha in Ramayana that, Sita has given it willingly to prove her chastity. Without any force she has decided individually to give Agnipariksha. Later on when she was abandoned by Rama to live in forest, even if she was queen of Ayodhya, she started living in a forest.

In both of these texts, women stand superior to men. In the novel, Dimmesdale is portrayed as a hypocrite, and coward who cannot accept his sin of adultery as Hester stands strong as not reviling her companion’s name.  Dimmesdale or Rama is not fighting for their wife or beloved. It seems as if they are living for society, to show themselves as model of ‘morality’. Rama is known as ‘Maryada Purushottam’. He is God and aware about Sita’s chastity still he never reacts on Sita’s Agnipariksha.  The only reason, why he has abandoned his wife Sita, is for his public, because a man has a doubt on Sita’s purity.  Dimmesdale and Rama remained coward in comparison to Sita and Hester. They are too submissive for society and hypocritical at some extent. Hester fearlessly accepts her sin of adultery.  And Sita is ready to face Agnipariksha without any crime.

Forest

Forest plays vital role in both of the texts. It becomes place where Hester and Sita find her new life with isolation. Hester single handedly takes care of her daughter Pearl near nature. When Sita was left in forest she was pragnant, she starts living in Rishi Valmiki’s ashram. The forest indicates natural forces and how it is affecting all these characters, not only Sita and Hester but also Pearl, Luv and Kush - Sita’s two sons.  As Pearl is living in a forest she is so natural and freedom loving child that she stands against hypocritical puritan ministers and questions everything too maturely. The same case is with twin brothers Luv and Kush. They are learning from Rishi Valmiki. When Rama’s ashv (horse) of Ashmedh arrives in forest, they captured it. They were even ready to fight with rejection of any rule over them. They also fought with Rama and his brothers and defeated them in war. Forest stands as a uniting factor in these texts. Forest becomes a free place for secret meeting of Hester and Dimmesdale and of course Dimmesdale and his child Pearl. They are behaving openly as a family in forest.  In Ramayana, at the end, Rama is united with his sons and wife in forest after fighting with his own sons unknowingly.

Except these significant similarities, some incidents and interpretations are also similar in these literatures. Even if Sita has not committed crime or Hester has committed adultery punishment is similar for both women. It is interpreted many times that, Sita has faced Agnipariksha because she has done a sin when she crossed ‘Laxmanrekha’ with her free will.  The act she has done with her consciousness that’s why she has to prove her chastity or face punishment for that.  The same case is with Hester, who willingly commits adultery and accepts punishment.

All the characters, men, women and children are facing similar situation in these texts.  Even if both are written in different time, place and cultural contexts still have many similarities in characters, plot, theme and concepts.