A futuristic Scarlet Letter?

As one begins to read When She Woke  it quickly becomes clear that the novel has many similarities with the classic novel The Scarlet Letter. The similarities in some cases are striking and very evident, while others are more subtle and can go unseen if the reader is not playing close attention to detail. Now you may ask, what are these similarities and is When She Woke a futuristic version of The Scarlet Letter?

The first similarity that was very clear to me when reading the novel was the use of the color motif, specifically red. In When She Woke Hannah Payne is dyed to the color red for having an abortion, which in her society is considered murder. Meanwhile, in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is marked with a red letter “A” as a sign of adultery and she is considered to be a harlot. The use of the color motif strongly develops and forms the character of Hester and Hannah because they are both categorized and with people shunned because of their actions and marking. In relation to Hannah and Hester’s “markings” both receive this branding due to rebellious acts on the society that they lived in, which for both When She Woke and The Scarlet Letter revolves heavily around religion. In both novels religion set strict regulations on society and the actions that could take place in that society. For Hannah, abortions were considered to be a sin and any woman who committed this act were dyed the color red and sent to prison where they sat alone and were watched by people of society and the researchers. In Hester’s case adultery was deemed one of the worst sins by the church, any person who committed adultery was forced to wear the red “A” to show that they had sinned. In both cases, those who committed these acts were shut out by society and left alone, also women were usually the ones who received the blame for the acts.

When talking about the consequences of the crimes women were usually the ones who were affected. For example both Arthur Dimmesdale and Aidan Dale (who were both ministers/reverends) never recieved consequences for the crime that they also committed, both Hannah and Hester were the ones who were forced to suffer through the punishment. I believe that this reveals a lot about the society in both of the novels. In both literary works it is the women who appear to suffer the most, they lose the most, and they are always the ones who take the blame even when there are others involved. In both societies the men carry the higher jobs, and they are affiliated greatly with the church, which in relation to the society is one of the most important roles to have. Overall, in both novels women are considered to be inferior to men while the men are considered to be superior and hold very powerful positions in society.

Now back to the question of whether When She Woke is a futuristic version of The Scarlet Letter. Personally, I believe that it is a futuristic version of the earlier work because of the many similarities that the novels have. There are too many similarities between the novels for When She Woke not to be based on the earlier work of The Scarlet Letter. If I were forced to choose between the two works, even though I believe they are both great, I would choose When She Woke because it is a more modern version with an interesting spin on the ideas that had already been developed in the other novel. Given the similarities, do you think When She Woke is a futuristic version of The Scarlet Letter?

Is When She Woke apporpriate for an AP class?

When She Woke is interesting, attention grabbing, and overall is a great read, yet is it a text of sufficient literary merit to be studied in an AP class? Personally, I believe that this is a book of literary merit and could be studied in AP classes. My opinion on When She Woke in terms of literary merit is in large part due to the devices that Hillary Jordan uses in order to develop the novel. As I talked about in my last blog, flashbacks and motifs are used greatly for developing the characters. The flashbacks in the novel reveal a lot about the characters and how they ended up in the situations they’re in. The color motif is greatly used through the color red, which is a representation of blood/murder in the novel and is used to present Hannah after she has had an abortion and committed a sin in the eyes of society. Jordan also used a great deal of imagery and description in order to paint clear images into the reader's mind. For example, “The void began to lighten, fading to a not quite black, fading to a deep, sooty gray, fading to a slate gray, fading to a cloud gray. A glowing pinpoint punctured the darkness. It pulsed -Hannah!-  and she saw a shining mote suspended there. It puzzled again -Hannah!- becoming brighter with each burst of incandescence. It seared her eyes, stabbed her ears, threatened her nonbeing. Hannah! The mote blazed like a sun, overwhelming, all-encompassing. She entered into it entered into her. She was the mote” (275) the entire quote above is used just to describe a simple dream that Hannah had. The word choice and imagery that Jordan uses in this passage really brings the dream to life, and it is not only in this passage that she uses such beautiful imagery but throughout the entire novel. All of the literary devices mentioned above provide opportunities for deeper analysis and different ways of interpretation, which I believe is a huge part in making a novel be considered AP merit. I believe this because, personally, I think to objective behind an AP class is to provide students with the opportunity to read literature to reveal the underlying mean of a novel, which is usually provided through the use of the student/readers analysis, interpretation and understanding of a novel.

Not only is When She Woke a work of sufficient literary merit, but it is also a novel that could be helpful for taking the AP exam. Personally, I believe this novel would be most helpful when it comes to the essay portion of the exam. This novel could provide great examples character development through Hannah’s character and how she develops throughout the novel. This novel could also provide a great example of the hero’s journey, which is the steps the “hero” of every novel goes through throughout their journey, for When She Woke I would focus on Hannah and the journey that she goes through. An interesting aspect of this novel that could help for the AP exam is the fact that When She Woke is a futuristic version of The Scarlet Letter. I personally think comparing Hannah and the main character of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, could provide very interesting examples in an essay and could develop on the idea of how many novels use similar characters, characteristics, and devices to develop a theme. When She Woke also could be helpful when completing the multiple-choice portion of the exam because in the novel a lot of analysis and interpretation must be accomplished in order to understand the meaning of the novel. The skill of interpretation and understanding is very important for the multiple choice questions because the questions on the excerpts usually go into great detail. Overall, I believe reading this novel could be very beneficial to helping someone with the AP exam.

Overall, I believe When She Woke is a novel of strong literary merit and would be a great help when taking the AP exam. Personally, I believe that the best part of the novel is that it is an easier read, it is very interesting, it is a page turner and yet it still possesses the qualities for it to be of literary merit and could be considered at the AP level. Although I have not finished the novel yet, I would recommend this novel and I am very eager to finish to discover Hannah’s full experience and journey.

How Hillary Jordan's Style Helps Develop the Characters.

The author of When She Woke, Hillary Jordan, uses several different literary techniques throughout her novel to develop characters and the reader’s opinions of those characters. The use of flashbacks greatly develops Hannah’s characters along with Reverend Aidan Dale’s character by revealing different events that occurred leading up to Hannah’s stay at The Chrome. Also, the use of motifs is a literary device that greatly develops Hannah’s character.

As this novel progresses, Hannah’s character and story are revealed through several flashbacks that she has while staying in the Chrome. The flashbacks tell the stories of how she ended up in the Chrome and the relationships she has with several of the other characters. For example, we learn about her relationship with her sister. Hannah and Becca may have a rocky relationship, but Becca was one of the few she was able to open up to and after Hannah’s scandal her sister disowns her. However, through a flashback, the readers learn that their relationship became rocky because of her sister’s marriage to Cole, who was a traditionalist and whose views contradict with many of Hannah's. When Cole and Rebecca got married is es explained that “Hannah had no one with whom she could share her inner life” (48). This flashback helps the reader better understand Hannah and causes us to sympathize with her for we see she has lost connections with many people.

A flashback that helps develop Reverend Dale’s character is when he confesses his feelings for Hannah. Reverend Dale says to Hannah “I love you, but I can never leave Alyssa [his wife]. I can't bring that kind of shame on her. Do you understand? You and I will never be able to love each other openly… You deserve that, with someone, a husband, a family.” (63). This reveals a lot about Reverend Dale’s character, up to this point I personally viewed his as a coward who had no feelings for Hannah, however, my opinion on him is not as strong anymore. I still feel as if he is a coward for leaving Hannah to deal with the pregnancy on her own, however, the fact that he actually loved Hannah shows that she was not just some girl to him. I understand more so now than before why he has her do this on her own, he is protecting his image as a Revered and sparing his wife's dignity. To go along with the knowledge revealed in the flashback, the readers also get knowledge is current times that Reverend Dale helps Hannah get a spot at Straight Path Center, which is similar to a halfway house. The fact that Reverend Dale sets up a place for Hannah to go once she is released from Chrome shows he truly does care about her.

The use of the motif of color, mostly the use of red, also helps develop Hannah's character.The color red has many different meanings and representations behind it. Red oftentimes symbolizes blood which for the case of When She Woke, is a very accurate piece of symbolism because Hannah is turned red because of the abortion that she has which in the society she lives in is considered murder. The mention of the color red occurs at least 2/3 times per section, often times it is a transition from the past to the present and it never has a positive connotation. For example, "I am red now. It was her first thought of the day, every day, surfacing after a few seconds of fogged, blessed ignorance and sweeping through her like a wave, breaking in her breasts with a soundless roar." (52), this quote is used to transition Hannah out of a flashback into present time in her cell. The use of this motif is also very important because the color red is now what Hannah identifies herself as and it is also how society now sees her. Hannah is now viewed only by the color of her skin and is judged and treated differently for it. The color motif is essential in the novel especially when it comes to Hannah's character.

The use of these literary devices is a huge part of Hillary Jordan's writing style. She uses these devices to not only help develop the different characters but to also develop the viewpoint that readers have on each of the characters. These literary devices help shape the work, personally I think that the use of the flashbacks adds a lot of interesting insight into Hannah's story and it what makes the novel more interesting. In my opinion, the novel is as great as it is because of Jordan's use of these literary devices.

Becoming a Red

“When she woke, she was red. Not flushed, not sunburned, but the solid, declarative red of a stop sign” (3). This is how the main character, Hannah Payne, is first introduced. Hannah is raised in a strict and church devoted family who believes against adultery, murder and the idea that “[one] shall not covet with [their] neighbors husband” (24). Her family believes in God and that he should not be questioned, however, Hannah is full of questions and begins to act against her church’s and her family’s beliefs.

The major event that which develops the story and Hannah’s character is her scandal with Reverend Aidan Dale. Reverend Dale is not only a Reverend but he is a married man, Hannah and Reverend Dale have sexual relations with one another which break the beliefs of the church. A problem does not arise from this scandal until Hannah becomes pregnant and decides to abort the child, which again is against her church's beliefs and is considered illegal. Hannah is caught, tried, and is sent to the Chrome ward which is a punishment facility that broadcasts the actions of the prisoners for all to see. While placed in the Chrome ward, Hannah is turned red which is meant to symbolize the murder of the unborn child. Due to her sentence and the rules that she broke, Hannah is disowned by her mother who says “ I don’t know you. I have one daughter, and her name is Rebecca.” (25), Rebecca is Hannah’s sister who has been viewed as the perfect child her entire life. Given the disownment from her family and the isolation she is placed in at the Chrome ward, Hannah is alone.

So far in the novel, I am not a big fan of Reverend Dale, the fact that he is able to get away with impregnating Hannah with no consequence does not seem fair to me, he is the one who is married and cheated on his wife. Reverend Dale, as of now is a character I am not too fond of. As for Hannah pain, I feel a sort of sympathy for her, although she may have broken the rules and the beliefs of the church she had good intentions for doing so. Also through the thoughts of Hannah, we see that she feels guilty, embarrassed and regretful towards the way that everything went down. She was raised by beliefs she never fully accepted as her own and she as never truly able to be her true self because she was being constricted by her family's beliefs. I am very excited to see how Hannah develops as the novel goes along and I am interested to see the relationships and connects she is going to create as the novel progresses.