Despite differences in genre and content, both The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave they present a dehumanization of the seemingly weak protagonist. This is done by stripping each character of their true identity and reducing them to a label such as 'object' or 'slave'; neither Hester nor Douglass are seen as people, but are instead seen through what they have done. There is therefore a huge emphasis on identity in both novels, as the protagonists struggle to maintain their sense of identity while society imposes a new one on them. Despite the difficulties, each protagonist is able to build his own identity away from society's judgments. For Douglass, this freedom occurs through the construction of a new literary identity; in recording his experiences, he is able to break away from this label of 'slave', an identity that suggests illiteracy. Hester also constructs her identity based on who she chooses to love, Dimmesdale, instead of submitting to the shame of his "adulterer" label. Therefore, in both of these novels there is a constant struggle between a self-constructed identity and the identity given to each character by society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the fiction of Frederick Douglass, slaves' identities are stripped through the suppression of their native language. Like slaves in a foreign territory, a common language presents a sense of community and a collective background. Without their common language, they are reduced to the nameless identities that society imposes on them: as workers who cannot use their voices to be heard. Despite this community through voice, Douglass presents a new truth: “the maxim that a quiet tongue makes a wise head.” The very definition of “maxim” as “general truth” is redundant and almost ironic in this case. The saying can exist as a “general truth” in a society where every individual has the choice whether to remain silent or not. However, in this scenario, the maxim has turned into a threat; slaves must keep their tongues "still", otherwise they risk death. This “general truth” has therefore been transformed into a “manipulated truth”. This highlights a suppression of identity as their owners can control not only their bodies, but also their language. However, the slaves claim freedom through song, perhaps suggesting that their owners cannot completely suppress a language they do not understand. The owners only hear the 'tones' of their singing, while the slaves hear them as 'a prayer from God for release from chains' (Douglass, p.20). This mocks slave owners who try to control them in this way; their ignorance of the melodic "tones" means they do not see the song as a threat, despite it giving the slaves hope. Furthermore, the verb “create” incorrectly assumes that a “firm tongue” is the only characteristic that will directly produce a “wise head.” The two are merely co-dependent in the slave trade, presenting an ignorance that was encouraged to keep slaves in mental as well as material chains. Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter presents a suppression of Hester's true identity through this consistent symbol of the infamous red "A". ', which stands for adulterer. Chillingworth suggests that there is an element of fate in Hester's status as an adulteress, perhaps implying that any resistance to this imposed identity is futile. He proclaims: "I could have seen the deadly fireof that scarlet letter that burned at the end of our path!" It is extremely ironic that Chillingworth suggests that Hester was destined to sin, yet uses the verb "might", which suggests an element of uncertainty. Despite these consequences for Hester's identity , he seems to take some responsibility for her downfall with the personal pronoun “our path.” This implies that her identity as an adulteress is a shared responsibility, but Hester ultimately wears the letter “ardent” alone Hester's sin materializes in the "scarlet letter", Chillingworth then enlarges this symbol into a "ball of fire". symbol that Hester's sin for over seven years, consequently rejecting any responsibility he claims to have taken for where their "path" led. Perhaps the most important element of this symbolic fire is its instability; Chillingworth can only suppress his feelings and his wife's actions for a time before they set their entire lives on fire. As mentioned above, the protagonists in both of these novels lose their identity because they are judged based on their actions and not their character. In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, this action is Hester's sin. AN Kaul proposes that “any sin was evidence of damnation; or in other words, every sin represented every sin.'[1] Sin therefore depends not only on the wrong act, but on the perspective from which it is viewed. This is extremely important throughout this novel. Hester is judged by others who construct her identity solely through her sin. Since the novel is set in a nineteenth-century Puritan society, it suggests that their approach to sin is blind. Hester is condemned to a point where the sin no longer even seems relevant: I do not ask you why, now how you fell into the pit, or I say, rather, you mounted the pedestal of infamy on which I found you. (Hawthorne, p.68) The focus is not “how” Hester's damnation occurred but rather the simple fact that she committed the sin. This idea of ​​having “fallen into the pit” is key. Not only does it present the traditional view of physical descent into hell, but it also suggests a lack of intent in sin; Hester's fall was almost accidental because she pursued her actions not out of sin, but out of love. However, Kaul's statement suggests that intent remains irrelevant, as "any sin was evidence of damnation." This suggests that all acts came from God and were judged by religious faith, so the sin is deemed more important than the reason that inspired the action. This idea is ironically juxtaposed with Hester's ascension. It is lifted up, as if to heaven, but it is only on a “pedestal of infamy,” designed to serve as a platform of ridicule before it inevitably descends to hell. The label of the “pedestal of infamy” serves as a judicial platform to display his sin, representing the scaffolding that is a constant symbol throughout the novel. Therefore, since Hester's Puritan community sees her one act as representing "all sin," Hawthorne suggests that further context is needed to judge. By comparison, Douglass's narrative features varying levels of sin and transgressions; its severity is constructed and dictated by humans, rather than religion. The narrative presents a certain level of morality within the slave trade, which is most likely different from the rest of the world: "I have always measured my master's kindness bystandard of kindness established among the slave owners around us" (Douglass, p23.). This idea of ​​measured levels of kindness separates the world of slavery from civilized society; due to helplessness in lifelong conditions, their own suffering can only be observed and not changed. Furthermore, labeling cruelty as “kindness” calls into question the truth of the language; using a different word to describe the same experience does not change the reality of how slaves were treated sin within this narrative is presented as an antithesis of The Scarlet Letter, as it is not set up as black and white binaries. Instead, shades of gray are established in relation to other sins committed and accepted as necessity. this institution of sin and kindness may be fundamental to slaves; they are in foreign territory with little knowledge of their moral order. Perhaps this is the only truth about American morality they will ever know. Therefore, sin and its implications on a person's identity are dictated not only by the action, but by the society in which it is committed. For Douglass, slightly less cruel slave owners may seem gentle in identity. The construction of identity does not depend only on the individual, but on who he is in relation to others. This is particularly important in Douglass's narrative as he claims a freedom through narrative perspective, allowing for a separation between his past existence and his constructed current self, groups of "us" and "them." He rejects the slave label by placing it in the past tense: “when a slave,” suggesting that an identity transition has occurred and the label can no longer be imposed on his identity. The use of "a" instead of "the" implies that he was not an individual but a member of a group; this lack of identity is juxtaposed with the new one he builds for himself. The use of the past tense for 'slave' is also interesting to consider. A slave is seen as the legal property of another in perpetuity, and very few lived beyond their role as a slave. However, Douglass challenges this concept through the past, presenting the idea of ​​slavery as a “career” choice (Douglass, p.70) and not an imposed state of being, once again rejecting this claim of victimization. This theme of constructing one's identity based on classification continues in The Scarlet Letter. Neither Hester nor Chillingworth consciously construct groups of “us” and “them,” yet their lack of fit and gender constraints naturally separate them. Chillingworth complains: How could I delude myself with the idea that intellectual gifts could hide physical deformity in a young girl's imagination! (Hawthorne, p.68) This idea of ​​'delirium' presents Chillingworth's incapacity as an old man; she may be intelligent but this is not enough to satisfy Hester's "fantasy". This concept is continued in the physical "[veil]" of Chillingworth's face which not only alludes to marital imagery but also suggests an imposed superficiality in Hester, that her love will be given based on appearance. The two are separated by the opposition between the mental, "intellectual gifts", and the physical, "youth and beauty", and by the assumption that you can only bear one depending on your sex. The connotations of “gift” however suggest an attempt to bridge this eligibility gap and a desire to compensate academically with what Chillingworth cannot provide materially. However, this simply remains an illusion throughout the novel, and the only product of his intellect was pain and paranoia. Hester's gender instead places her with concerns about physical appearance. The idea of ​​a “fantasy”.