Nancy Mace, South Carolina U.S. Rep came strutting into the halls of Congress dressed as a familiar yet odd character Tuesday night. Mace paid homage to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter; she wore a white t-shirt with a large red “A” drawn in the middle. But why would such an important figure dressed in such garb?
Earlier this week the U.S. House voted in favor of removing the Republican speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House in early 2023, after serving as a house republican leader. McCarthy was ousted after relying on democratic votes to get a short-term spending deal passed and narrowly averted a government shutdown. He was accused of making a side deal and the far right house made an effort to remove him for corruption. This event was historic as the first outing of a speaker of the house.
Mace was 1 of the 8 Republicans to vote with the Democrats to remove McCarthy as the speaker. Despite coming from the GOP Mace stands behind her decision ultimately resulting in her proud display of the letter “A”. Mace seems to be a target of criticism both for her gender and her odd support of a democratic movement. Mace claims in a quick interview, “This is my signal to others that I don’t answer to anybody up here,” she continued by stating, “I only answer to the people back home. And I don’t care what you throw at me. I don’t care what the establishment throws at me”. Nancy Mace made a statement with her “A” giving a nod to Hester Prynne, The Scarlett Letter's main Character, as a strong independent woman, whose spirit she wishes to embody herself.
But as many know, the Scarlet Letter does not stand for able, but rather something much different. Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter wears “A” on her bosom as a means of punishment for adultery and the conception of a child with another man while being married. The townspeople place this letter on Hester to shame her and cause her repentance, but Hester doesn't get pushed around, standing her ground and remaining prideful she accepts the letter and its meaning. But maybe Nancy Mace didn't think that far ahead? Rather than wearing the letter with a sense of pride or independence Mace practically calls herself an adultress, in front of the whole country.
Mace had the right intention. Showing that she won't take disrespect or be forced into regretting her decision. But she could have taken different steps. In the novel, Hester wears the Letter but doesn't let it control her, and I think that's what Mace was going for but she made a mistake in referencing the letter or placing the emblem on herself.
Mace has faced extreme backlash for her controversial outfit. Not only as she made herself out to be an adultress but rather because many claim that she wore the letter once more for attention. Mace is known to make statements with her outfits but has this one gone too far? In response to the criticism she replies stating that, “I turn down more interviews than I actually do. And I don’t need to be performative” and that she will always “do the right thing, no matter what.”
But is wearing the bright letter “A” the right thing? Maybe a controversial thing with the right intentions but the wrong message.
- Abbey Tidwell
6 comments:
I agree that Mace has made a grave misinterpretation of the scarlet letter. The scarlet letter explicitly stands for adultery in the book and is meant as a badge of punishment and ridicule despite any of Hester Prynne’s reinterpretations of the letter. For Mace to wear the letter as a sign of not letting anyone make her regret her actions exhibits a clear misunderstanding of The Scarlet Letter and implies that she did not even read (or reread) the book before making this decision. Despite Mace claiming that she doesn’t need to be “performative,” wearing the scarlet letter seems more performative than a genuine stand against those who doubt her involvement with the Democratic party. Mace’s lack of understanding of what the letter represents has resulted in her public ridicule online instead of emphasizing her refusal to back down.
https://www.thewrap.com/seth-meyers-nancy-mace-scarlet-letter-stood-for-a-hole-joke/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nancy-mace-scarlet-letter_n_652650ade4b09f4b8d42498a
https://www.thewrap.com/seth-meyers-nancy-mace-scarlet-letter-stood-for-a-hole-joke/
While I do see Mace's perspective of wanting to represent and embody the characteristics of Hester Prynne being a strong independent woman, doing so by wearing the letter A I think was a wrong choice. The letter A itself is not a representation of Pryne's bold characteristics, according to the book it actually is quite the opposite. Hester defies what the letter represents and Mace wearing the letter is a misinterpretation of the book on Mace's part.
I disagree with Amit that Mace misinterpreted the scarlet letter. While her execution was not perfect and her intentions may have been performative, she was more trying to make a statement about being wrongfully ridiculed and hoping to rise above the backlash like Hester Prynne did with her punishment of the scarlet letter. People accusing her of being an adulteress because of the A is a bit foolish as that is obviously not what she is implying. In reality, the scarlet letter was most likely a well-known reference she could relate to enough to draw attention and get her stance out to voters which it seems to have done so far.
Nancy Mace's decision to wear the scarlet letter "A" on her T-shirt was to demonstrate her independence in response to her controversial vote. However, I think her actions appeared inappropriate. The letter "A" originally symbolized shame due to adultery, as referenced in "The Scarlet Letter." Wearing a T-shirt with this symbol seemed to emphasize humiliation rather than convey a clear message. Over time, the letter's meaning transformed into "able," symbolizing capability and strength. Ultimately, the definition of this symbol became unclear and open to debate. While Mace's intention was to do what she believed was right, she should not disregard public reaction, as people might misinterpret her as labeling herself as an "adulterer," which wasn't her original message. There are likely other ways to effectively express her voice and beliefs, such as having a well-prepared speech to explain her decisions and advocate for policies, rather than making a rushed and irrational decision. I think this incident made the appropriateness of using symbols more debatable.
I agree with Olivia in that the letter worn, while at face value seems a bit ridiculous because of the reasons why Hester is forced to wear it, was more of a symbolic interpretation in Mace's view. Whether or not I agree with Mace's choice to oust Speaker McCarthy (I don't), I think it was appropriate for her to wear it simply to prove her intention (as she clearly stated) that she didn't want to be ashamed or be a pariah for her actions. She was making a public statement- don't they (politicians) all? At some point, the nuances of a certain idea can be ruled dilatory- she got her overwhelming, main point across- and I think that it is pretty clear she didn't mean she was committing adultery or whatever else Hester wears it for.
On a more general note, speaking from a citizen's perspective I think that it is pretty ridiculous that she (and others) from her own party voted against the Speaker. Politics is about compromise and the wellbeing of the nation, this seems more like a child's fight. Not only this, I find it hypocritical (or at least amusing) that those who call themselves the "far-right" (relative to the political spectrum in American politics) and are vehemently against the left (or at least liberals in Congress) would rather vote with the left than compromise with their own side. Bipartisanship has been in such a decline and this is yet another example of it.
On a bit of a tangent, I find it ironic that there is so much talk of trying to bridge unity and find compromise in our government- and yet there is so much blatant divide and outwards slander that gets put into the media. For instance, the official "Democrats" social media (Instagram, Tiktok) and respectively the "GOP" social media put out an overwhelming amount of anti- the other posts that it is hard not to feed into it. Gen-Z targeted Tiktoks go on and on about the inability to keep a Speaker in the house, the uber-right, etc; in the era where our generation gets extremely influenced by the Internet, the lack of a proper understanding/ sourcing and the negative influence from these party platform puts polarization in our era to an extreme. It is perfectly acceptable to disagree with others' views and actions- but when we are at the point of time where we continuously only attack others rather than solve the root issue, it gets the nation nowhere.
The reason why it was inappropriate for Nancy Mace to associate herself with a persecuted character is that the right wing victim complex is dangerous. MAGA has sold itself as the victims of Democratic election cheating and overbearing government and it's just ridiculous for them to constantly play the victim card on the basis of the majority refusing to bend the knee to their dreams of dictatorship. The big lie is called the big lie because it sets up a (phony) crime against the nation that can only be righted by abandoning the rule of law and using violence to establish and maintain rule by the party that deserved to rule all along. One of the keys to the historical success of fascism has been the politics of victimhood, and you can see it in Russian propaganda, Hamas, and the rise of super right wing parties in Israeli politics, all of whom think of themselves as historical victims (and perhaps are) and use that as an excuse for seeking power and victory (and perhaps vengeance) over the group(s) they blame for the historical crimes committed against their people.
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