Introduction
The novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” and Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” exhibit the theme of profound alienation woven into the lives of Hester Prynne and Oscar de Leon. These characters are in a battle cry with societal expectations, which, according to them, defy the conventional norms. The United States considered a land of opportunities, becomes the backdrop of the struggles these two characters face. Both Hester and Oscar battle with extreme alienation in “The Scarlet Letter” and Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” demonstrating to us how inner fortitude may help a person get through difficult and isolating times.
Hester’s Alienation
The theme of alienation is a crucial aspect exhibited in the novel, “The Scarlet Letter.” Hester Prynne, who is the essential character in the novel, happens to conceive a child with the minister to whom she was not married. They get a daughter, Pearl, but she comes into a world that despises her for her mother’s transgressions. The act that Hester commits by engaging in adultery and then refusing to give out the name of the father of the child makes her lose her dignity.
The community members despise her as she is paraded on the street and body shamed as an example to the rest of the women in an attempt to warn the others of such acts. Hester is, hence, forced to struggle to create a new life that will restore her dignity and repentance to the rest of the people. Her husband, Chillingworth, whom she had presumed to be missing from a voyage in the sea, comes back into her life but vows to destroy the life of the father of her child.
Prynne’s husband changes his name to find out who the child’s father is and gets revenge while in the process, leaving her to live alone with all her miseries. Following the affair with the minister, Dimmesdale, she is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A,” which represents a symbol that stands for her adulterous transgression. The scarlet stands to communicate to all who might attempt to talk to her about her misdeeds. She is found in a community, the Puritan society, which harshly judges her acts. These acts lead to Hester’s isolation as she is exiled from society and the conventional social circles of the village.
Hester’s alienation becomes anchored on the societal norms dictating people’s moral conduct. The scarlet letter that she was forced to put on for the rest of her life served as her passport into some of the regions that other women dreaded to tread. The symbol was associated with despair, solitude, and shame, which would accompany her together with her child, Pearl. The daughter is also forced into a world of solitude not because of her liking but due to her mother’s actions. The Puritan society views her as the fruit of a mother who defied the societal norms and tends to judge her even though she only has pure intentions. Several factors contribute to Prynne’s isolation, including societal judgment and a result of her choices.
Oscar de Leon’s Struggle
Similar alienation in the character Oscar de Leon becomes apparent in the novel, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” Termed as the nerd he is, Oscar faces many challenges and struggles about his love life relations. He defies the societal expectation that leads to the alienation he feels in his entire life trajectory. Oscar does not follow the typical masculine gender path expected to be involved in strenuous duties. He is deeply rooted and fascinated with reading fantasy novels and science fiction, which makes most people identify him as strange. Oscar gets bullied several times while in school, contributing more to his choice of alienating himself from other people.
The societal norms in the Dominican Republic intertwine with the concepts of historical prejudices that consider Oscar an outcast, just like the rest of his family. He thinks this plague is a generational curse that follows his family. “The fat, the ugly, the smart, the poor, the dark, the black, the unpopular, the African, the Indian, the Arab, the immigrant, the strange, the feminine, the gay-and in every one of these clashes, he saw himself” (Abdul Hamid 1486). This depicts Oscar’s sense of empathy and capability to relate to other people’s experiences despite their existing differences. The boundaries that define Oscar’s existence in society alienate him from the whole community.
The condition is further exacerbated by the rigid societal expectations that happen to define masculinity. However, Oscar depicts a certain resilience that makes him defy all odds when he falls in love with a sex worker. He shows her compassion and happens to be brutally injured by another secret admirer who sends him into a coma. However, after recovering, Oscar decides to go back and pursue the woman that she loves, which gets him killed by the same person who attacked him the first time.
Individual Choices and Societal Norms
The societal norms deeply embedded in the machismo culture in the Dominican Republic and the confines of the Puritan society shape the forms of isolation that Oscar and Hester face. The environments in these cultures follow strict consequences with the people who choose not to conform. These two societies impose various moral judgments on these characters, making their lives burdensome and dismantling any social relationships they can have.
Hester is made to wear the scarlet that symbolizes her defiance, which contributes to her isolation since society does not forgive such acts. The prospect is evidenced by the encryptions that are put on her grave when she dies so that everyone will know what the woman had done to be considered an outcast. “Oscar lives a lifetime of ostracization in surroundings that do not understand him, traumatizing the character into thinking he could never belong until the end.” (Abdul Hamid 1487). The case is similar to Oscar’s since he deviates from traditional masculinity expectations that exclude him from social acceptance.
However, the character’s choices contribute to the consequences of the retaliation of society. The affair that Hester has with Dimmesdale happens to challenge the moral fabric of her community. She declines to reveal the identity of the child’s father, which further provides evidence that it was her own choice to be part of the act. Oscar also decides to pursue love, and his overall identity isolates him from society as he defies the community’s expectations. Both characters defy societal norms, which become catalysts for their alienation from the rest of society.
Individual Resilience
Oscar and Hester face severe isolation but portray an inner resilience, shaping their lives amidst the lonely times. The scarlet letter that Hester wore turns into a symbol of defiance, stability, and strength. “Hester never gave a damn about the Puritans” beliefs about sin or the weight of collective guilt; instead, she followed her heart, which rendered her guilty of adultery” (Sharma 478). This makes it rather evident that she broke a social norm because she was acting on her emotions and now has to pay the price for it.
The transformation from the attributed acts of shame turns into something good due to their unrelenting nature to give up as she fights to keep her daughter. “Additionally, Hester does not fall but becomes a miniature of a resistant – a “Feminist Angel,” a strong woman looking forward to the equality between men and women” (Sharma 479). This shows how Oscar portrays a similar resilience in his passion for literature as he pursues what he loves despite societal ostracization
Fault for Individual Alienation
Determining who is at fault regarding the two characters, Hester and Oscar, becomes complex. Society is at fault for the people’s isolation due to oppressive norms. These values and beliefs cause the characters who defy them to be regarded as outcasts, such as the Puritan society’s judgment on Hester’s act and wearing the scarlet all her life. Oscar is also marginalized by the community just for pursuing what he loves. “That alas didn’t happen. The white kids looked at his black skin and his afro and treated him with inhuman cheeriness” (Abdul Hamid 1486). This also depicts that Oscar, despite his pursuit of personal interest, faces marginalization and discrimination from the community because of his racial and cultural background. However, the characters also must be considered to be full of responsibility, as they continuously pursue acts that alienate them from the rest of society.
Conclusion
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ and Junot Diaz’s work, ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,’ exhibit a narrative of isolation stemming from defiance of societal norms and defiance. Oscar Wao and Hester Prynne struggle with the aspects of isolation that make them lonely from being considered outcasts by their societies. However, they show a deep inner strength that influences their character amidst the loneliness journey. Their lives thus depict the intricate interplay between societal expectations and people’s individual choices.
Works Cited
Abdul Hamid, Mohd Hafriz. “Identity Crisis through Intergenerational Trauma in the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 12, no. 1. 2022. Web.
Sharma, Vipin. “Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter, a Product of Puritanism or a Reaction against It: A 21st-Century Critical Perspective.” World Journal of English Language, vol. 13, no. 5, Sciedu Press. 2023, pp. 475–75. Web.