Comparing The Scarlet Letter and A Streetcar Named Desire

Natasha Tan 2T07 â€Å"I am! Yet what I am none cares or know, My friends forsake me like a memory lost†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Compare the ways in which isolation or alienation from society are presented in any two of the texts you have studied. We witness cases of alienation in the texts The Scarlet Letter and A Streetcar Named Desire, which are presented mainly in the female protagonists Hester Prynne and Blanche DuBois. However, although both characters experience isolation from their respective societies, it is my contention that the causes for their isolation are different. While Hester’s isolation is largely societal, Blanche experiences two different kinds of isolation. Blanche’s isolation is societal with regards to her expulsion from Laurel, whereas her†¦show more content†¦However, while the alienation experienced by Hester is societal, it can be argued that Blanche’s isolation is largely self-inflicted rather than societal. Due to the criticism Hester faces after her release from prison, she moves to an isolated area, where she is physically isolated from the rest of the Puritan community. Even then, she still remains the subject of the community’s mockery and speculation. Hest er’s isolation is revealed by Hawthorne through the description of her house, as well as the psychological burden she experiences from the speculation of the rest of the community. Hester is described to live in a â€Å"lonesome† cottage â€Å"not in close vicinity to any other habitation†, where its â€Å"comparative remoteness put it out of the sphere of that social activity† (Chapter 5). There is a parallel between the setting of Hester’s home and her isolation in the community. The location of Hester’s home symbolises the extent to which she is viewed as an outsider, relating to the poem as she has been forsaken in an area away from the rest of the community, and left alone to look after herself and her