a different realm from men and they were “known” to be lower than men are.The strict standards of Puritan life were attacked by early feminists who were once Puritan. For instance, Anne Hutchinson believed that people under a “covenant of grace” could commune directly with God. This was an outrage for the Puritans because if people can talk to God directly then there would be no need for religion. Puritanism would fall apart because no one would go to church anymore. Furthermore in the scarlet letter, Hester believed that a time will come when “a new truth would be revealed, in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on a surer ground of mutual happiness.” This depicts that Hester was a feminist throughout the book and realized that women can be independent. Hester states that she imagined herself to be a prophetess because she had been stained with sin but now she is pure and a “new grave” was built. Therefore, the Puritan religion was giving away to the forces of early feminists. The Puritan woman’s place in society was in the household. This ideology set the standard for many years. Nevertheless, women such as Hester in the Scarlet Letter and Anne Hutchinson broke free from the “domestic sphere.”...
