Prologue
The story behind the title
The blog's title, Letters to Scarlet, is an allegory from the book "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. If you haven’t heard of the book here is a quick synopsis. If you have, skip ahead!
A woman named Hester was publicly victimized for a sexual relationship with a man who was not her husband, which resulted in the birth of a child. Her husband had been missing for several months, leaving Hester with the belief that he was deceased. People gossiped about her, threw things at her, and called her names. She was emotionally and physically tormented, marked with the scarlet letter A on her chest symbolizing her sin, of “Adultery”.
. . .
Although "The Scarlet Letter" was set in the year 1642, many women still struggle with a letter of their own, known as Labels. Labels are dehumanizing, convincing us that we are less-than and producing feelings of guilt, shame, and low self-esteem.
As humans we have this spoken ability to sow these hurtful labels into each other and ourselves, much like the scarlet letter sown onto Hester's chest. In order to deal with these hurtful labels we must replace them. We must remember who we are and whose we are.
The hope is that the letters will produce seeds of faith, hope, and courage to end the hurtful epidemic of labels that infiltrates our livelihood as women. Scarlet could be you, me, or anyone that can relate to the letters.
The mission is to bring healing and make someone feel less alone, less ashamed, and more motivated to be authentic.
*The content or information found on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.