Light In Scarlet Letter

Hester’s true physiognomy is overtaken by the branding of her sinful actions through the scarlet letter, as society attempts to place guilt upon her. Hester does not want to accept such guilt placed by society, but is unafraid to face it when it is the cost she must pay for her love. She is initially shown in the public stands with, “dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam; and a face [with] a marked brow and deep black eyes... ”(Hawthorne 37). Her hair “throwing off the sunshine” highlights the idea that even a strong force of energy like the sun is unable to directly touch Hester because her beauty is so much brighter.

This fact is demonstrated as she casts off her letter and her stigma in society, as in the wilderness no judgment is held against her, and thus, she is more pure and noble. Dimmesdale is able to cast aside societal standards as well, showing affection for Hester in the forest: “‘Do I feel joy again?’ cried he, wondering at himself. ‘Methought the germ of it was dead in me! Oh, Hester, thou art my better angel! I seem to have flung myself— sick, sin-stained, and sorrow-blackened—down upon these forest leaves, and to have risen up all made anew”. Dimmesdale is no longer being held in guilt by those surrounding him and isn’t being slowly driven to insanity hourly by Chillingworth. The Puritan society, with such high respect for the reverend, showed to how high of a standard he had to conform to. Remaining in the Puritan lifestyle caused him to become ill by the day, as his guilt crept up slowly but powerfully upon him, and Chillingworth, a symbol for his guilt, slowly tortures Dimmesdale morally. The forest sets the reverend free from his guilt and sin, absolving and rebirthing him such that he can feel joy once again, a noble man again, plagued by no illness, and feels once again sane and real, lest he return to society and back to the

Hester is a character portrayed in both the light and the dark as she walks out of prison. She is free of sin, but is reminded everyday by the letter she wears. Hester struggled with the Puritan’s intolerance to Pearl and her. Hester “like a black shadow emerging out into the sunshine like she was free of sin” depicts the contrast between light and dark. (Hawthorne 49). When she walked into the sunshine she felt like something was lifted off of her chest. As a seamstress she had “sewn on her chest in bright red…an A” (Hawthorne 50). This mark symbolized the acceptance of her sin.

Darkness reminds us of the core associations of the Scarlet letter in terms guilt and sin, which are related to Hester. Next to each other, Hester and Pearl are heavily juxtaposed. Pearl personifies the sunshine when she says it "does not love" Hester. This implies that nature itself has been biased against Hester because of the scarlet letter.

The forest provides a place of comfort for Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale while also providing a place of secrecy for those doing evil things in the work of the devil. The forest is a place of secrecy, freedom, and sin. The laws of the forest are a stark contrast to those of the puritan society. There is no one around to see what one does in the forest.

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul” (John Muir). In stories places hold deep emotional meanings for the characters. These places serve to show the reader what makes the character who he or she is and what is important to him or her. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many symbols, from objects to the characters in the story. These symbols are integral to helping give the reader a deeper look into the story. The Scarlet Letter, a story of love and sin, uses its symbols to give the reader a better understanding of the characters and events that take place. These symbols all hold important meanings; however, some of these meanings change depending on which

In the book The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne commits the sin of adultery, but she has been forgiven and redeemed in the eyes of god for her sin through various means. While Hester was in the wood with Dimmesdale there were many signs that god had forgave Hester for her sin. When Pearl walks into the sunlight it plays with her signifying that she is pure and without sin. The sun in this scenario represents God. Since Pearl acts as Hester's’ conscious in this book, God is showing that Hester has been forgiven.

Throughout the story Hester demonstrates the thoughts of the forest being a place of sin. When one thinks of a forest, they see danger and darkness. These characteristics are also associated with sin and rebellion against the Puritanical laws.

The author uses light as a symbol of good or evil. In the Puritan community, it may be believed that light will shine on those who have not sinned. The others not in the light are certainly sinners and should not have beauty. A true example of showing that Hester no longer remains in the sin-free light is, “Her prison door was thrown open and she came forth into the sunshine, which, falling on all alike, seemed, to her sick and morbid heart, as if meant for no other purpose than to reveal the scarlet letter on her

In “The Scarlet Letter”, Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Hester would always meet in the forest, the forest is a symbol of freedom and it doesn’t judge anyone, like the Puritans of the town do. Pearl is often seen playing with the bushes, this quote “the great black-forest-stern as it showed itself to those who brought the guilt and troubles of the

Many authors use different natural elements to portray the meaning of novels. Light, for example, can be referred to joy and upbringing, while shadow symbolizes dark and mysterious. Authors may also refer to good and evil or life and death. Various natural elements demonstrate how an author reflects the novel meanings. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, demonstrates the natural element of light and shadow through Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Hester through Pearl’s name and intelligence, Dimmesdale’s sin and hope, and Hester’s sin and scarlet letter.

“We've all got both light and dark inside of us, what matters is the part we choose to act on, that's who we really are.” –Sirius Black. Black’s quote can be applied to most of the situations presented to the characters in Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlett Letter. Many secrets remain held within that truly reveal who the characters are. Nevertheless, there are scenarios in the story that show more than one side to the character. In the book, and just like in many other scenarios, there are two sides to each character, a light side and a darker side. Light and dark imagery, alluding to the larger conflict between good and evil, is present throughout

Because the sun hides from Hester, her ignominy is amplified and demonstrates that she is not the greatest version of herself. “All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine,” (199). When the scarlet letter is thrown away the sun comes back along with the Hester that was first introduced, the beauty and poise that she once had was

"Those who before had known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped" (39).  Hester, who is being openly condemned for her sins, Hawthorne describes ironically.  To the Puritans, Hester should be dim and obscure, surrounded by darkness and evil.  However, Hawthorne instead describes her shining beauty and the godliness she makes out of her sin and shame by exposing it to the public.  The Puritans condemn Hester for her sin and look towards her as evil, yet she is exposing her sin to the sunshine, to the public, something that Hawthorne praises in the novel.  "A blessing on the righteous Colony of the Massachusetts, where iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine!  Come along, Madame Hester, and show your scarlet letter in the market-place!" (40).  The Puritans feel that they are hurting Hester Prynne by exposing her sin, yet it is only making her stronger and making her grow.

Hawthorne adds to The Scarlet Letter is when he explains the prison as “the black flower of civilized society” (2). By this Hawthorne means that the prison is a place of evil and a place that conceals the truth, in the event that Hester is being held there with the truth about her adulterous act. Hawthorne also describes Pearl’s eyes as having “another face, in the small black mirror”, instead of holding her mother’s “own miniature portrait” (48). This explains that Pearl’s eyes were empty and filled with sin as she came into life as a result of Hester’s scarlet letter. Another example of how Hawthorne uses the color black, as symbolism, is when Chillingworth states: “Even in the graveyard here at hand, they are new to me. I found them growing on a grave, which bore no tombstone, nor other memorial of the dead man, save these ugly remembrance. They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and with he had done better to confess during his lifetime” (83). This takes place when Roger Chillingworth brings Arthur Dimmesdale herbs with dark, flabby leaves. By this quote, Hawthorne implies that the herbs that Chillingworth had collected had no meaning but to signify evil that had been growing out of the grave, the remains that were left from the dead man who had been buried there. Another major part of The Scarlet Letter also comes from the symbolism of the color black