Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2022.12.023
Discipline and Punishment in the Scarlet Letter: Based on Foucault's Disciplinary Theory
Xinyu Zhang
Department of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541006, China.
*Corresponding author: Xinyu Zhang
Published: January 15,2023
Abstract
Most of Hawthorne's works were created from the 1830s to the 1860s, roughly corresponding to the reform era in the United States. The Scarlet Letter sharply reflects the impact of punishment and discipline on Hester and other Boston residents in society. Based on Michel Foucault's theory of discipline and punish, this thesis analyzes the causes and people's attitudes towards punishment and discipline. This thesis explores how the power system in The Scarlet Letter works. Power holds the supreme decision-making right, and laws, morals, religions, and other systems construct and embodies the operation of power. Hester was punished and disciplined. At the same time, the self-discipline of Hester and, with the attention of members of society everywhere, in turn, strengthened the operation of power and shaped a discipline system. The meaning of this thesis is to convey the importance of being critical and alert because discipline is everywhere and everyone is an individual with an independent mind and free will.
References
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How to cite this paper
Discipline and Punishment in the Scarlet Letter: Based on Foucault's Disciplinary Theory
How to cite this paper: Xinyu Zhang. (2022) Discipline and Punishment in the Scarlet Letter: Based on Foucault's Disciplinary Theory. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 6(4), 680-682.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2022.12.023