Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

Analysis of labeling theory in the novel The Scarlet Letter

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Hamidreza Daneshnari 1
Abolfazl Sherafati 2
Mahdi Niku Siar 2
1 Assistant Professor, Criminal Law and Criminology Department, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
2 MA Student of Criminal Law and Criminology. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.
10.22034/jclc.2025.485921.2060
Abstract
In interactional criminology, labeling refers to the process in which individuals or groups are given labels or identities by others that can affect their behavior, self-concept, and social interactions. Accordingly, in the process of labeling, derogatory attributes are attributed to criminals by official social control officials and informal social groups, which affects their self-image. Considering the importance of labeling theory in criminology studies, this research tries to analyze the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne with Foucault's discourse analysis method and focusing on labeling theory. The main purpose of this study is to investigate how social and cultural discourses influence human identity and relationships through the labeling process. According to the findings of this research, labeling, as one of the key tools of ruling discourses, plays an essential role in shaping people's identity and destiny. The characters of "The Scarlet Letter" face social labels in a unique way, and as a result, they express different reactions that show the complexity and diversity of human behavior against dominant discourses. At the same time, discourses of power and knowledge in the form of social and cultural institutions reproduce norms and labels and impose them on society. Finally, social labels through duality of knowledge/power and identity formation process, on the one hand, cause social isolation, alienation and humiliation of criminals and on the other hand, through influencing orders, they cause the formation of criminal identity in criminals.
Keywords
Labeling Theory
Stigma
Self-Concept
Super- Ego
Knowledge/Power
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Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Volume 13, Issue 25
August 2025
Pages 355-393