Easy A....or Not

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic novel that has inspired many creative minds. Its influence can even be seen today. Easy A is a movie that came out in 2010 and is loosely based on this book. There are a few similarities between the two, but there are also some key differences. 

One similarity is the scarlet letter itself. The protagonists of each work both wear a red 'A' on their clothes at some point. While on the surface this seems like a simple comparison, it is actually an important difference. Wearing the scarlet letter means two very different things to each protagonist. Hester Prynne is forced to wear the " ignominious letter" (Hawthorne 53) as a punishment for her sins, and as time passes she begins to equate the letter to herself, thinking that the letter is all she is. On the other hand, Olive Penderghast, the heroine of Easy A, wears the scarlet letter by choice. She sews it onto her clothes as an act of anger, showing that while she has given up trying to fight the harmful rumors being spread about her, she will make the most of it. Olive uses the scarlet letter to control how people view her, while Hester loses control of how people see her by wearing the letter. 

The Scarlet Letter and Easy A have many similarities and differences, but even so it is interesting to see a modern interpretation of a book from so long ago. 

The Easy A movie poster from IMDb

Double Standards

The discussion in class about how gender can influence public space really caught my attention. When it was pointed out how if a girl is with a group of all boys she is 'thirsty' but if a boy is in a group of all girls he is a 'playa', I noticed that it really resembles double standard between men and women that is present in society today. If a women dates a lot of different people she is labeled as promiscuous, which is of course negative, but if a man dates a lot of different people he "gets high-fives for his...antics." (Sexual Double Standards). This contrasting situation can affect public space in more ways than one would think. If a man shows up with a new girlfriend each week, there will definitely be whispers-but most will be of the envious type. On the other hand, if a woman shows up with a new boyfriend each week, the whispers will be far from envious. She will be berated for her actions. So, while both situations generate a similar response on the outside, the motive behind each is very different. Additionally, the woman would be shunned by many of her peers because of her behavior, while the man would gain positive attention and probably more friends for his. The double standard between men and women when it comes to dating can alter public space in a drastic way. 

Here is a short video that highlights some other double standards related to labeling that are similar to the ones discussed. 

This video can be found on Youtube

The Work of Architects

Our discussions in class about the symbolism hidden in different memorials really opened my eyes. I never realized how architects convey meaning just by styling a monument in a certain way. For example, the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, in Thiepval, France uses wide arches to emphasize empty space inside them. This mirrors the empty space caused by the absence of the missing soldiers. 

(Picture is from cwgc.org)

The architect of this monument clearly put a lot of thought into it's design. Whenever an architect starts making the plans for a monument, he or she must have to take time and consider the emotional meaning of the of structure and make sure the meaning shows. Many familiar monuments, such as Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument probably have hidden symbolism that is just waiting to be discovered. 

If you think about it, architects borrow this technique from writers, who always add meaning to unexpected things and wait for someone with a keen eye to discover them. Writers are also able to borrow a bit from architects in their own pieces, "creating images of houses," (The Shapes of Bodies 41) with their words. In war literature, these portrayals of houses can represent many things and are extremely useful in helping civilians understand the war and accept it psychologically. War monuments, designed by thoughtful architects, also help civilians in this way. So, architects and writers can both contribute to aiding civilians in healing emotionally during and after wars. The idea that the influence of the styling alone of a monument can have so much meaning is incredible to me. I never even realized it until we discussed it in class!