A warrior or not? A comparative study of The Scarlet Letter and "No Name Woman"

The anonymous protagonist in "No Name Woman" is often regarded as a warrior. This paper argues against the mainstream criticism of her assertion of individuality, as is expressed by Kingston that her story mirrors the pioneering spirit of Hester in The Scarlet Letter. Each of the following five different aspects compared in these two stories, namely, the historical backgrounds, the husbands, the male adulterers, the punishments and even the denouement, challenges her "courageous" announcement of female subjectivity.