The Scarlet Letter

I wonder how this novel would have turned out if the gender roles were switched. What would happen if Hester were a male. Number 1, I highly doubt if the male version of Hester would have been scrutinized in front of the whole Puritan community. As a matter of fact, I doubt if there would be any punishment to consider. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a feminist genius. His idea of the A to label Hester as an adulterer, makes Hester a very important character throughout the community. In my opinion this scarlet letter makes Hester important. She is an important, because she is a noble strong hearted heroine who stands tall by her daughter Pearl and the sin that she has committed.