The themes of social alienation and victimisation are central in both The Scarlet Letter and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In these texts, the authors use the protagonists Hester Prynne and Huck Finn to represent the ways in which children and women are outsiders and victims in their respective societies. Ruth Benedict argues ‘that any society selects some segment of the arc of possible human behaviour [and consequently] inhibit opposite expressions’. This is identifiable in through Hester and Huck, who are represented as outsiders as a result of their refusal to conform to the ‘segment of the arc of possible human behaviour’ that their societies have selected. Foucault argues that those who do not conform to society’s rules are ultimately ‘isolated [and] treated in a special manner’, which is exhibited by the way Hester and Huck are victimised due to their social isolation. However, the way in which they choose to respond to this ostracism plays a significant role in determining the degree of victimisation they experience. Furthermore, the position of the outsider is not always presented as negative and victimising, with the detached position often proving positive in allowing the character to view the community from an angle which is not available to those who remain within it. This essay will aim to explore the ways in which the protagonists are represented as outsiders as well as considering whether this status is entirely victimising.
Hester and Huck’s refusal to conform to their society’s designated ‘segment of human behaviour’ evidently plays a crucial role in determining their outsider status. This supports Foucault’s theory of isolation, where an individual is alienated from society for abnormal behaviour. Both protagonists are initially presented as being outside of the main body of their communities due to their familial connections, which is out of their control. Hester arrives at the puritan settlement alone and Huck is essentially an orphan due to his only parent being the town drunkard. Neither of the characters have a secure position in society, which is only weakened further by their disregard for societal rules. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester’s act of adultery and expression of sexuality results in her breaking free from the ascetic constraints of puritan society and ultimately exiling herself from civilization. As argued by Nina Baym, ‘self expression {…} is a threat to the [puritan] community’ and therefore it is criminalised, which explains her outsider status. Similarly, whilst Huck is represented as an outcast due to his familial background, he also chooses to reinforce this through his deviant behaviour. Huck clearly dislikes the civilised lifestyle that constitutes the norm in 19th century southern America. The widow pesters him to abide societal expectations, which he finds ‘tiresome and lonesome’. Huck claims ‘it was rough living in the house all the time’, and despite the abuse, prefers living with his father in the cabin as ‘it was kind of lazy and jolly, laying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing, and no books or study’. Inevitably, Huck’s defiance of social order makes him an outcast as there is no place for individuals who do not conform, which is evidenced by his father’s position in society.
Additionally, Hester and Huck’s representation as outsiders is reinforced by the hostile treatment the community subjects them too. This treatment also represents them as victims. Undeniably, Hester experiences more hostile treatment than Huck does. Hawthorne claims that Hester ‘was without a friend on earth who dared to show himself’, whereas Huck does have the Widow and Jim. Gurudev argues that ‘to an extent, Hester Prynne is more sinned against than sinning’, highlighting the severity and injustice of her isolation. Not only is Hester isolated from society; she is also isolated from humanity. Hawthorne states that ‘in all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it’ and that each person she came in contact with ‘implied, and often expressed that she was banished, and as much alone as If she inhabited another sphere’. By emphasising her loneliness and isolation, Hawthorne represents her as the ultimate outsider and victim. Furthermore, the community often takes advantage of her good nature yet show no gratitude. Recipients of her charity often ‘insulted the hand that fed them’ and ‘dames of elevated rank […] were accustomed to distil drops of bitterness into her heart’. This hostile response, combined with her physical isolation, exposes her victimization and the way in which she is relentlessly shunned by society.
Unlike Hester, Huck is not subjected to relentless hostility, yet he is still treated badly by the community, which further outcasts him and makes him a victim. Huck is only a child, yet the widow is the only member of society who actively tries to re-integrate him into the community. However, a new judge with the attitude that ‘courts mustn’t interfere and separate families if they could help it’, decides that Huck should remain in the custody of Pap. The law has evidently failed Huck, and society has mistreated him by placing him under the control of his abusive father. As a result, Huck follows pap’s outcast lifestyle and is subjected to relentless abuse that no one protects him from; further intensifying his victimisation and outcast status.
However, whilst both characters are evidently victimised by their outsider status, the degree of victimisation endured is dependent on the way they respond to the ostracism they are subjected to. Consequently, Hester is considerably more victimised by social isolation than Huck. Once Hester is released from prison she chooses to continue residing in Boston as it was ‘the scene of her guilt, and [therefore] here should be the scene of her earthly punishment. As a result of this, Hester ‘undergoes a self-inflicted punishment’ as well as enduring punishment from the community, which inevitably intensifies her victimisation. Hawthorne states that ‘she never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage’. Even when the community warms to her, she continues to enforce her isolation by ‘la[ying] her finger on the scarlet letter, and pass[ing] on’ when members of the community try to interact with her. By responding in such a way, Hester enforces her punishment and alienates herself even further from society. Despite her accepting and submissive response to victimisation, Hester is not entirely defeated by the puritan society. Lehtie Thompson argues that ‘Hawthorne’s heroine falters, but never bends beneath the overbearing will of the magistrates’ and as a result, ‘Hester triumphs over the strictures forced upon her’. Whilst her submission can be read as defeat, it in fact provides her with a way to retaliate and to an extent overcome her victimisation.
Contrastingly, Huck does not regard being an outsider as a punishment, but rather an ideal status. He clearly prefers living a life outside of the ‘segment’ of behaviour that his society encourages, and ‘didn’t want to go back no more’ to live with Miss Watson where he had to abide by rules. Evidently, Huck feels more victimised within society than outside of it, stating that he found it ‘rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways’. Twain emphasises the way in which Huck feels restricted by society through Huck’s comment that ‘other places do seem so cramped and smothery, but a raft don’t’. This is paradoxical, as the raft is in fact small and and restricted space wise. However, the fact that Huck feels less cramped when inhabiting such a small area than he did living with the Widow highlights the extent to which civilization suffocates him.
However, it must be noted that Huck’s liberation is contingent on him being away from society, a position Hester does not find herself in until the end of the novel. Whilst Huck and Hester are within close proximity with society, their outsider status makes them victims. Twain shows this through Huck’s numerous contacts with society, which results in any freedom being overthrown. An example of this is the arrival of the King and Duke, whose interaction with Huck results in the fragmentation of any liberation he gained from being outside of civilization. When they encounter the pair, Jim has disguise himself as Huck’s slave, resulting in them both becoming outcasts and servants yet again. Furthermore, when Huck is given the opportunity to re-enter society through Aunt Sally, he claims he has ‘got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because aunt sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it’. Huck’s loathing of society rules means that when he is forced to abide them he is victimised, therefore to experience positive impacts of being an outcast he has to physically remove himself from civilisation. Additionally, Huck’s liberation as an outcast is heavily dependent on him being a child. Twain represents being an outsider as a partially positive status for a child as it gives Huck freedom, unlike the other boys who have to conform to rules. However, Twain would not be able to represent this outsider status as positive for an adult, as exemplified through Huck’s father.
The protagonists in both texts are certainly victimised by their outsider status, but paradoxically this allows them to view their respective societies through a lens that is not available to those within it. Consequently, their outsider status is partly represented by their capacity to be ‘free thinkers’. As argued by Emma Pallarino, ‘because of [Hester’s] removal from the community, she can perceive its politics from a different angle than other individuals who are completely engrained in the community’, with this allowing Hawthorne to expose the ‘hypocrisy of puritanism in new England’. Mursalin Jahan highlights Hester’s individualism by describing her as ‘an Emersonian self-reliant’. Unlike the rest of her community, she is not confined to the restrictive puritan ‘segment’ of behaviour, which allows her to act on her accord and see society for what it truly is. Hester’s self-reliant attitude would into be permitted within the realm of puritan thought, therefore it is only as an outsider that she can act in this way. Similarly, Huck’s battles between his moral judgement and the racist southern values which are ingrained within him expose the ‘racial hypocrisy’ of 19th century southern America. This is evidenced by Huck proclaiming ‘ I’ll go to hell’ rather than hand Jim back into slavery. The fact that he believes he has condemned himself for what we as the readers know is morally right allows Twain to expose the injustice of racism and slavery. Huck is capable of seeing the injustice of racism due to his position as an outsider, as his friendship with Jim would not have formed unless they had the common ground of being outcasts. Hester and Huck are represented as outsiders through this free thinking, as the way in which they thoughts juxtapose the norm makes them different whilst also exposing the corruption of each society.
Evidently, the most significant ways in which Hester and Huck are represented as outsiders is through their refusal to ideologically and behaviourally conform to the mainstream views and expectations of their respective societies. Nevertheless, what ultimately represents the as victims is the treatment they are subjected to by the rest of the community who refuse to tolerate any deviance from their selected ‘segment of human behaviour’. The severity of this victimisation is ultimately determined by the way in which they both approach their outsider status.
Evidently, the principle ways in which Hester and Huck are represented as outsiders is there refusal to physically and ideologically conform to mainstream views of their societies. This leads to both also being represented as victims, which is supported by Foucault’s theory that as a result of not conforming, uncompliant individuals are ‘isolated [and] treated in a special manner’. Whilst both figures are represented as outsider in similar ways, the ways in which they are represented as victims does vary.