Volume VI Special Issue V June 2026

Name of Author : Ms. Milcah R, Dr. Muthu Deepa M

Title of the paper : Decolonising Female Shame: Religion, Patriarchy, and Resistance in The Scarlet Letter

Abstract: The current paper aims to discuss the connections between colonial Christianity, patriarchy, and gender construction as depicted in The Scarlet Letter by using the decolonial feminist theory. As the events in the novel are set in the colonial period of America, when Puritans ruled, the role of religion in the maintenance of moral order and social control is analyzed with a focus on the regulation of the female body and sexuality. The paper discusses Hester Prynnes public punishment as the means of gendered exercise of colonial power in which only female deviance was punished, while male power remained safe from any threats. With the help of theoretical insights of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, and Michel Foucault, the paper analyzes how institutionalized Puritanism brought shame and silence to patriarchal domination. Also, the research explores the character of Hester Prynne in a new way, revealing her as a decolonial feminist woman who resisted patriarchal oppression through independence and non conformity. Although the previous studies of the novel mainly emphasised the symbolic meaning of characters and their sins and moral degradation, the current paper focuses on the links between colonial religion and female identity. Ultimately, the study advocates for a critical reevaluation of canonical literature in understanding the persistence of colonial gender ideologies in modern society.

Keywords : Decolonial Feminism, Colonial Christianity, Gender Construction, Religious Surveillance

DOI :

Page Number : 71-79