Scarlet Letter : A Dark Gloom Hung

For example, the first thing she instinctively clutches to is the A fastened on Hester’s chest: “But that first object of which Pearl seemed to become aware was the scarlet letter on Hester's bosom” (Hawthorne). Here, Pearl’s aberration illustrates her deviation from normality. While Hester believes Pearl’s outlandish nature is God’s punishment for her sin, Hester also recognizes that Pearl is a gift from God, representing possible redemption. Pearl’s shift from endearing to demon-like behavior reinforces the idea that Pearl is Hester’s savior, yet also her tormentor. Pearl’s attachment to the A was further exemplified when she “imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother's” (Hawthorne). Despite society’s belief that Hester can only redeem herself through public shame, wearing the A, Pearl believes that the only escape from sin is in nature, as shown through her creation of a green A. Additionally, Pearl intentionally made the A to provoke her mother, wondering “if mother will ask me what it means,” characterizing Pearl as Hester’s tormentor (Hawthorne). Furthermore, while Pearl is physically attached to the A, she is also mentally, as shown through her constant questioning of Hester. “what does this scarlet letter mean?—and why dost thou wear it on thy bosom?—and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?” (Hawthorne). Pearl is

In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, the letter is understood as a label of punishment and sin being publicized. Hester Prynne bears the label of “A” signifining adulterer upon her chest. Because of this scorching red color label she becomes

In The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is more than a literary figure in a classic novel, she is known by some people to be one of the earliest American Hero’s. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester commits adultery and has a child that she must care for all alone. She is forced to wear a powerful, attention grabbing “Scarlet A” on her chest while she must try to make a living to support her and her child, Pearl. Even though she must face all the harsh judgment and stares she does not allow her sin to stop her from living a successful life. She looks past the Letter as a symbol of sin and turns it into a sign of approval. Hester

The very scarlet letter from which the novel’s name is derived from is a symbol of sinning; the scarlet letter represents how Puritan society views sinning as unforgivable and something for public speculation. Hester is punished by wearing hers out for the world to see. The letter is “so fantastically embroidered” that one townswoman argues that its intricacy and design defeat the entire purpose of wearing it. The scarlet letter serves as an

Also, Hawthorne juxtaposes motifs to reveal Hester’s point-of-view and understanding. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester forcefully wears the embroidered letter “A” with golden thread representing sin and adultery. Then, her daughter asks, “What does the letter mean, mother?” Her mother responds, “for the scarlet letter, I wear it for the sake of its gold-thread” (163). In this quote, Hester is hiding the real logic of why she is wearing the scarlet letter, because she understands Pearl is still a child, she would not be able to understand the hypocrisy of the society. Furthermore, the community forced her to wear it as a source of a punishment. However, this juxtaposition of wearing the item for the sake of its beauty, is a different idea contrasting the genuine reason of why she is wearing the scarlet letter. Additionally, another symbolism that Hawthorne juxtaposes is the meaning of the allegorical object in the novel. This object is the scarlet letter, which its meaning changed from the beginning to the end of the book. At first, the author represents the idea of the wickedness of the letter it has on Hester, “[that] transfigured [Hester] . . . [and it] illuminated upon her bosom” (51). Not only, the scarlet letter has a peculiar “effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (51). Thus, the author interprets the meaning of the scarlet letter

To begin, Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter “A” to reinforce the theme of Guilt. Hester Prynne, the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon her bosom because she has committed the sin of adultery. This leads Hester to feel guilty for the rest of her life. Hawthorne states, “... that scarlet letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 51). The quote shows how feeling guilt has made her much more distant from the rest of the townspeople. Hester experiences this agonizing guilt whenever she glances in a mirror, or down at her chest. Pearl is the result of Hester’s

The title of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter refers to the literal symbol of ignominy that Hester Prynne’s community forces her to wear as a reminder of her sin. Though the word “ignominy” is used in sympathetic passages that describe Hester Prynne’s disgrace as an adulteress and out-of-wedlock mother, its use at the same time reveals an extremely critical description of Hester’s community; Hawthorne finds that what is truly disgraceful is the way the community relishes and exploits the opportunity to punish one of its members.

Brigham Young once said, “ True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what is right.” In “The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne his protagonist, Hester Prynne, achieves independence when she rebelled against society and committed adultery, the act of having sex with an individual who is not their spouse. During this time Puritans believed all of life’s answers are in the bible. However, Hester committed a sin which resulted in society shaming her by placing a scarlet letter “A” upon her chest. In the novel “ The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the letter “A” is a symbol for adultery, ability, angel, and Pearl’s living persona of the scarlet letter.

In the book The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and severely punished. Hester is sentenced to wear the scarlet letter 'A' on her clothes at all times. The letter “A” is a symbol that is meant to identify Hester as a sinner and an adulteress in her community. She is seen as a negative example for others not to follow. Hester is also sentenced to spend an unidentified period of time in jail; furthermore, she must also stand on the scaffold for hours in the middle of the town. Everyone sees Hester in her most vulnerable and embarrassed state. However, she handles it with dignity and grace.

The punishment for this day and age for adultery was very serious. Hester had to go to jail and then got an “A” to wear on her chest for life to make sure that everyone was aware of the sin she committed. Pearl is a constant reminder to Hester of the serious sin that she committed and how it will affect her life forever. When the book, The Scarlet Letter introduces Hester it says the following, “ the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast….as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (Hawthorne 76). Hester, her whole life was seen as a sinner and with that came Pearl as the result. One day while walking in the forest, “ Mother, said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . . . It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet” (Hawthorne 180). This show Pearl making the connection of her sin and how the townspeople and everything surrounding them acts when they see the letter. Pearl symbolizes adultery because, she is a scarlet letter in the flesh and she is living proof of Hester's and Dimmesdale's

The scarlet letter represents Pearl's emotional attachment to Hester. For instance, Pearl is as deeply affectionate to the

The Scarlet Letter when the protagonist Hester Prynne cheats on her husband, Roger Chillingworth, with a man later revealed to be Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister in town. She gets a scarlet “A” embroidered on her likeness, and there are multiple innate symbols to the letter in the novel, which will be discussed further on. Hawthorne chooses to use such natural

The garment is said to be, “fantastically embroidered and illuminat(ing)” (48) as well as spell-binding. Providing a picture of an immaculate letter ‘A’ its purpose becomes less clear or believable. The audience is not alone in needing a reminder of the connection between the sin and the lovely piece as the townspeople agree that no matter how pretty the symbol was, still Prynne would feel it “in her heart” (49), the encouragement following a proposal to replace it with a bland scrap of flannel. The significance of the scarlet letter is again eclipsed by its grand style in chapter fourteen, Hester and the Physician. While exploring the seashore, Hester’s daughter, Pearl takes it upon herself to craft her own letter ‘A’ to wear on her chest, since she was so impressed with her mother’s.

‘The Scarlet letter’ is meant to be a symbol of shame for Hester, and instead it becomes a symbol of identity. As Hester’s character develops the Letter ‘matures” along side her . As it ages, it shifts from meaning “Adulterer” to stand for “ Able”.. Hester bonds to the letter as much as she bonds to little Pearl, by choosing to keep them both. She could have given Pearl to the minister and she could have fled New England and left the letter far behind her and moved on with her life, instead she chooses to embrace her punishments. The letter is almost insignificant beside Pearl as a symbol of the sinful act commited by Hester, and helps to point out the meaninglessness of the community’s system of judgment and punishment. The ineffectiveness of this course of action is reinforced in chapter seven “...and the bond-servant, perhaps judging from the decision of her air and the glittering symbol in her bosom, that she was a great lady in the land, offered no opposition.”

The scarlet letter could also be looked as a quality of Hester's character. This quality defined the views of the townspeople regarding Hester, and in time also changed in meaning. It was at the beginning of the book that the letter embroidered on her bosom only stood for adultery, and the common consensus of the people, in respects to Hester's actions, was "this woman has shamed us all and ought to die" (50). In time, and through the actions of Hester Prynne, the letter 'A' upon her chest was understood to be something different, and "many people refused to interpret the