...Symbols in "The Scarlet Letter" A In “The Scarlet Letter,” symbols appear everywhere. Hawthorne uses several different concrete objects to represent something of deeper meaning. Among these symbols is the scarlet letter "A" itself. It is made of red cloth and beautifully embroidered. It is a literal symbol of the sin of adultery. The letter "A" appears in several places and several forms. It is the letter that appears on Hester's heart that she is condemned to wear for the remainder of her life. At Governor Bellingham's mansion it is magnified in the breastplate. It seems as though she is hidden behind it. On the night that Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, a huge letter A appears in the sky. Later, while in the forest, Pearl arranges a letter a on her heart that is made of eel grass. One of the most dramatic of the A's that appear in the book is the A that appears on Dimmesdale's chest. Not only does the "A" symbolize adultery, but it also has several other meanings to the different characters as well. To the community, it is simply a mark of punishment. To Hester, it is a mark of embarrassment and humiliation. To Dimmesdale, the scarlet letter is a reminder of his own guilt. To Pearl, the mark is a mysterious curiosity. To Chillingworth, the "A" is his chance to get revenge on Dimmesdale. Later, the letter symbolizes "Able" when Hester wins some respect from the townspeople. The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes...
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...Good vs. Evil Symbols In The Scarlet Letter, the story is created by the sin of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale while Roger Chillingworth seeks for revenge of the adulterer. These three main characters will be highlighted in this essay. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses the symbols of light and dark to depict good and evil among the characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Hawthorne explains both Hester’s light and dark sides with sunshine. It was stated that, “she made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped” (Hawthorne 51). Nathaniel Hawthorne is telling us she made the best out of the punishment she had to go through. Hester brought light to all the darkness that she dealt with. Hawthorne said that Hester coming out of the jail was “like a black shadow emerging into sunshine” (49). Hester looked like a shadow with the sin she had committed. People did not recognize Hester when she had come out of the prison. Hester is described by the author with sunshine for her dark and light sides....
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...The Scarlet Letter In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, A young woman named Hester Prynne in Boston is prosecuted for adultery. To symbolize her crime, she has an “A” imprinted on her bosom. As a result of her committing adultery, she and Reverend Dimmesdale (his identity is not identified until later in the book) have a child. She is a very curious child, and her name is Pearl. Roger Chillingworth, comes to see Hester on the scaffold and he doesn’t want his identity revealed either but it does get revealed in later chapters. In the Scarlet letter, the author uses different symbols, literary devices, and themes that help Nathaniel’s purpose of writing. Symbolism A symbol in the Scarlet Letter is literally the Scarlet Letter...
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...Symbols in the Scarlet Letter Colors can represent many things; for example it can represent the emotions someone is feeling or to describe something or to simply determine whether a food is going to be eaten. Another example would be a funeral; everyone knows that it’s appropriate to wear black because it’s a time to mourn and sorrow for a lost loved one, but if someone were to wear black to a wedding it would portray to be inappropriate because weddings are created to be a time full of joy and new beginnings. Colors are used in present day to represent things, yet they were just as useful hundreds of years ago, for instance; the 1600’s. In the 1600’s, the Puritan society represented a community that was gloomy and dark while also being full of strict rules and “perfect” people who did not sin. In The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he uses the main character, Hester Prynne, as a representation of the Puritan society by using symbolism in two ways: the scarlet letter itself and the forest. To begin with, Hester Prynne was accused of adultery while her husband was gone from Massachusetts, her home town. Because of this accusation, she was forced to pin a bright red scarlet letter on her chest. This scarlet letter stood out in front of people’s eyes whenever she was around. Now as a Puritan, it was forbidden to sin. They believed that sinners were working with the devil to finish any undone business he had left. It was a rule with the Puritans to have an...
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...from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter are no exception. These wrongdoings contribute to an overall theme of the novel. This theme is sin. There are many symbols in the novel that draw attention to this theme, such as color and the scarlet letter. There is more symbols that are present in the novel and have high importance, however these two stand out significantly. Through instances involving Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, color and the mark of the scarlet letter drive the theme of sin within the novel. Hester’s relationship with her scarlet letter is a distinct example of how the symbol of the...
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...The Scarlet Letter Study Guide Published in 1850, The Scarlet Letter is considered Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous novel--and the first quintessentially American novel in style, theme, and language. Set in seventeenth-century Puritan Massachusetts, the novel centers around the travails of Hester Prynne, who gives birth to a daughter Pearl after an adulterous affair. Hawthorne's novel is concerned with the effects of the affair rather than the affair itself, using Hester's public shaming as a springboard to explore the lingering taboos of Puritan New England in contemporary society. The Scarlet Letter was an immediate success for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the United States was still a relatively new society, less than one hundred years old at the time of the novel’s publication. Indeed, still tied to Britain in its cultural formation, Hawthorne's novel offered a uniquely American style, language, set of characters, and--most importantly--a uniquely American central dilemma. Besides entertainment, then, Hawthorne's novel had the possibility of goading change, since it addressed a topic that was still relatively controversial, even taboo. Certainly Puritan values had eased somewhat by 1850, but not enough to make the novel completely welcome. It was to some degree a career-threatening decision to center his novel around an adulterous affair (but compare the plot of Fielding's Tom Jones). But Hawthorne was not concerned with a prurient affair here, though the novel’s...
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...The Scarlet Letter Essay In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne effectively conveys his message through his continual use of powerful symbolism throughout the novel. Hawthorne uses copious symbols throughout the book that represent a broader meaning, such as the scarlet letter and the meteor. For example, Pearl’s name is allegorical of her character and the price her mother paid. An actual pearl is not completely white. This demonstrates how Pearl is not entirely pure and has a tendency to be an “elfish” child. Pearl is also correlated to the rose bush near the prison. Hawthorne states, “The child finally announced that she had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses” (Hawthorne 90). She relates to this because although Pearl is beautiful, she can have her “thorns.” In the novel, Hawthorne states, “But she named the infant “Pearl,” as being of great price,--purchased with all she had,--her mother’s only treasure” (Hawthorne 73). This...
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...“The Scarlet Letter” by Hawthorne was a very symbolic read. There was very many things in the book that called to have meaning somethings like the meteor, the scarlet letter, the forest, the black man and the prison door and even pearl were all things that had reason and meaning. Somethings more meaning than others but all are very important to the story without one it wouldn’t be just quite right. Hawthorne used a lot of symbols to show what scenes and events during the story meant. The most important symbol in the book is Hester's living version of the scarlet letter pearl. Pearl is a symbol in many ways the biggest way is being a living version of the scarlet letter for hester. Mainly pearl is there to be a symbol to remind hester of what...
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...The Character of Pearl Pearl is a major character in the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Even though she is a young child through most of the book, she plays a very important role. Pearl asks many different questions throughout the text that make the adult characters even question themselves. She is more perceptive and more honest than anyone in the rest of the book. Without Pearl, “The Scarlet Letter” would not be as successful as it is. Pearl is supposed to be an average child, but she is also there to help us realize things we might not have seen on our own, and to symbolize sin and guilt. When we first meet Pearl, most of us realized that there was definitely something special about this little girl. She has a special insight into things in the book that I would have never noticed without Pearl. Hawthorne uses Pearl in a special way to reveal that Dimmesdale has something to do with the scarlet letter. Pearl is not used to being around a lot of people, so when she accepted Dimmesdale so openly it helped the readers realize who he truly was. It says “Pearl, that wild and unpredictable little elf, crept over to him. She took his hand in both of hers and laid her cheek against it.” (92) This is a kindness that most little girls would only share with a family member, such as their father. There is also other information that Pearl gives to reveal to us that she knows who her father truly is. When Hester and Pearl come across Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale on the...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and important symbols. This device of symbolism is portrayed well in the novel, especially through the scarlet letter "A". The "A" is the best example because of the changes in the meaning throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the scarlet letter "A" is viewed as a symbol of sin. The middle of the novel is a transition period, where the scarlet letter "A" is viewed differently. In the commencement of the novel, the letter is taken as a label of punishment and sin. Hester Prynne bears the label of the letter upon her chest. She stands as a label of an outcast in front of society. She is wearing this symbol to burden her with punishment throughout her life. She stands on a plank where her punishment is given, "'Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone'"(59). Society places its blames upon this woman. It is because of this one letter that Hester's life is changed. The letter's meaning in Puritan society banishes her from her normal life. The Puritans view this letter as a symbol of the devil. The letter also put Hester through torture: "Of an impulse and passionate nature. She had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely wreaking itself in every variety of insult but there was a quality so much more terrible in the...
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...Things are not always what they seem. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter uses the central idea of duality to exemplify this. A key symbol of duality Hawthorne presents in The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne's embodiment of her sin: the beautifully embroidered scarlet letter. Forcibly placed upon Hester's bosom, the letter punishes her for committing adultery with the town reverend, Arthur Dimmesdale. The badge also intends to outcast her and her daughter, Pearl, from the Puritan society of Boston. Although the "A" originally acted as Hester's punishment, the interpretation of the scarlet letter varies for Dimmesdale and Pearl to juxtapose Hester's unwavering perspective. Besides Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale has the biggest personal...
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...The Scarlet Letter Essay Not everyone agrees with someone’s actions. Sometimes people reject the public’s view of them by using mockery or other behaviors. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is viewed by the community as a horrible sinner since she committed adultery. The Puritans believe that when one commits a horrid crime they are to be punished publicly. Hester embroiders her scarlet letter (a mark she wears on her bosom to symbolize her sin) with gold thread before she is to present it to the townspeople. The exquisite decoration that Hester embroiders on the scarlet letter indicates her rejection of the community’s view of her sin. Puritans show public shame on a scaffold. Where the sinner stands to reveal in the towns square, where the town can view them and persecute them of their wrong. The gossips spread the news and rumors of the sinner and their actions. The gossips are the heart of the community’s view of others. One of the female spectators of Hester’s public prosecution exclaims that the decoration on the scarlet letter is a “laugh in the face of our godly magistrates”. Hester does not agree with the opinions of the townspeople and gossips. She feels that if she takes attention off herself and puts it on the scarlet letter, the letter will stand for her sin and not Hester herself. Taking the symbol of her sin off herself and making the letter hold the symbol of her sin, putting the focus on the letter. Hester is a beautiful women...
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...Hon Eng 10 The Scarlet Letter Authors use literary devices such as foreshadowing, imagery, and symbolism to add depth to their stories. Foreshadowing is the use of phrases and words to hint at something that will occur in the future. In using imagery, authors use words and phrases to create mental pictures in the reader’s mind. Symbolism is the use of objects, gestures, and traits to represent entirely different from the literal sense. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorn utilizes symbolism to represent multiple layers of meanings throughout the novel. These symbols have more significant meanings than the mundane and express ideas and beliefs at a much deeper level. A symbol that is present throughout the novel is the scaffold. In construction, scaffolds are used to provide support. These scaffolds motivate and enable those standing on them to stay on task and purpose. In Hawthorne’s novel, the scaffold is the location where truth is to be supported and moved forward. It is the place where truth comes forth and is examined. Those who stand on the scaffold are forced to face the truth and evaluate what is in their hearts. The first time, the scaffold represents Hester’s shame in having a Pearl from an adulteress affair. The second time, Hester and Pearl join Dimesdale on the scaffold in his futile attempt in admitting his involvement with Hester. The last time the scaffold is mentioned in the novel, Dimesdale, openly admits the secret that he is Pearls father in the light...
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...humiliated, or feeling guilty for an action that you did, or completing a conquest for oneself? Well, the scaffold scenes are some of the most important scenes that occur in The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These scenes provide insight as to how much of a significant factor the scaffold was in Puritan society. In puritan society, the scaffold was used as a symbol for one’s sin. In The Scarlet Letter, there are three different scenes that occur at the scaffold at different times during the book. All of the book's main characters are present in each of these scenes; Hester Prynne, Pearl, Arthur Dimmesdale, as well as Roger Chillingworth. Along with these characters being present, so is the novel's primary symbol, the scarlet letter. In The Scarlet Letter, even though the scarlet letter was the main symbol, the scaffold portrays...
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...in The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter is a hardworking symbol, it represents: adultery, sin, hard work, skill, charity, righteousness, sacredness, and, of course, grace. At first, there is no doubt that it symbolizes the sin of adultery, and Hester wears it as punishment. From the very beginning, she is not willing to let it dictate the terms of her punishment. “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter 'A.' It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of a splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony” (Cain 630). By embroidering the "A" so finely, Hester takes control of her own punishment. She acknowledges her punishment and owns up to it. The letter showcases her talent and artistry, skills that allow her to make a living as a single parent in Puritan Boston. These qualities of strength and independence set her apart, as does her love of beauty, since we meet the Puritans as a crowd of "bearded men, in sad-colored garments and grey steeple-crowned hats” (Cain 626). As Hester Prynne builds a new life, her hard work and charity end up altering the letter's meaning. Some people even "refused to interpret the scarlet A by its...
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