use of reflective objects and images exhibits her persona's search for self-recognition. Sylvia Plath's recurrent employment of the images of 'mirror,' 'moon,' and 'candles' indicates the connotative significance which she invests in the imagery and symbolism concerned with self- reflection. Though Sylvia Plath never realized her youthful wish to walk into the mirror like Alice (Plath 1982:181), she reflected upon the possibility in a good number of her poems. In doing so, the article tries to show certain feminist approaches adopted by the author long before feminism would come to the mainstream of literary thoughts. The article traces Hester’s individual rebellion in an alien land against an artificially created corrupt religious and moral order which exploits her body and denies her humanity at first and ultimately bows down to her consistent individual morality and actions. She struggles to win a place in society and she succeeds in winning it in her revolt against the very order that at the first stage humiliates and condemns her, and accepts and honours her later on.

Thus, he created the character of Hester Prynne who appears as commenting upon the situation of women in the 19thand century of New England society. He does not advocate setting rules and imposing them on the individual to be governed by them.

In opposition to a patriarchal depiction, he wants to allow women’s individuality some room. The Scarlet Letter serves as both a critique of society and a window into Hawthorne’s thoughts.

The scarlet letter book pages