Envy of the Procreative Power of Women in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Sca

Envy of the Procreative Power of Women in Nathaniel Hawthornes The cherry Letter The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a falsehood about procreation. Though Hester Prynne is the mother of Pearl and the creator of the scarlet letter in the novel, Hawthorne is the symbolic mother of the novel, the letter, and the characters. Careful analysis of the text reveals a var. of womb envy and an attempt to master it on the part of Hawthorne. The concept of womb envy-- envy of the procreative power of women (Kittay 126)-- has been virtually ignored by twain psychoanalysts and literary critics since Bruno Bettelheim first introduced the idea. Though intended as a supplement to the concepts of penis envy and the Oedipal complex developed by Freud, womb envy has not generated the attention that penis envy has. This may in part be due to Freuds interpretation of the desires of the males in his case study to bear children as be anal, autoerotic, or homosexual in nature. (Kittay 127). Si nce Freud ignored the possibility of mens envy of womens childbirthing abilities, most of his followers have as well. The disparity in the acceptance of Freuds and Bettelheims concepts quarter best be seen in psychoanalytic criticisms in the literary world. Examples of penis envy and Oedipal complex readings abound. Hamlets desire for his mother causes him such guilt that he resurrects his military chaplain and goes insane. Gertrudes promiscuous and incestuous marriage to her late husbands brother Claudius is a symbolic attempt to gain a penis. Virginia Woolfs invented sister of Shakespeare is a symbolic penis. At the identical time, few literary critics have attempted to explain character or author motivation in terms of womb envy, despite the fa... ...st new mothers, Dimmesdale dies later on delivering his sermon and confessing his sins. Chillingworth is unable to survive this loss since his dependency on Dimmesdale is unnatural. Of all the central characters, Hester, along w ith Pearl, is the one who strong enough to survive. Works Cited Benstock, Shari. Of Gardens, Gold, and Little Girls. The Scarlet Letter. Murfin, Ross C., ed. Boston St. Martins, 1991. (292-303). Kiehl, Joanne Feit. Re-Reading The Letter Hawthorne, the Fetish, and the (Family Romance. The Scarlet Letter. Murfin, Ross C., ed. Boston St. Martins, 1991. (235-251). Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Murfin, Ross C., ed. boston St. Martins, 1991. Kittay, Eva Feder. Mastering Envy From Freuds Narcissistic Wounds to Bettelheims Symbolic Wounds to a Vision of Healing. Psychoanalytic Review 82. (1995f) 125-157.