Scarlet Letter Symbolism Essay

Throughout his literary endeavors, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to present a certain theme that pertains to human nature and life. In his works, The Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil", Hawthorne uses symbolism to present a common theme pertaining to religion; that though manifested sin will ostracize a person from society, un-confessed sin will destroy the soul.

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author presents three symbols that all reinforce the main idea of the novel. The main idea that reoccurred throughout the novel is that people don’t have to let their mistakes or circumstances determine who they are or what they become; it’s all in how one interprets life. Many symbols may seem as just an ordinary character or coincidental object to some readers, but the symbols have a deeper, underlying meaning. Although there are many symbols in this book, there are three that really help support the main idea: Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter, the meteor, and Hester’s daughter Pearl.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolsim is constantly present in the actual scarlet letter “A” as it is viewed as a symbol of sin and the gradally changes its meanign, guilt is also a mejore symbol, and Pearl’s role in this novel is symbolic as well. The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and crucial symbols. these devices of symbolism are best portayed in the novel, most noticably through the letter “A” best exemplifies the changes in the symbolic meaning throughout the novel.

However, when you examine them in greater depth it becomes apparent that there is more to them than there originally appeared to be. The first is that of the scarlet letter itself. The “A” was originally intended to show people that the person wearing it was a sinner who had committed adultery. However, as the novel develops it becomes more of a sign of heaven through the meaning of angel. This is first seen when an “A” appears in the sky shortly after the death of Governor Winthrop. It is at this time that the townspeople decide this is a sign that Governor Winthrop was a good Christian who has gone on to a better life. But the townspeople cannot help but realize that this is the same thing which the have made one of their own people, Hester, wear. Another symbol is found in what is one of Hester’s greatest skills. Her ability with a needle to sew and embroider better than anyone else has a lot more meaning than there appears to be. Hester uses sewing as her outlet when she is condemned by the townspeople, but it is through her seclusion and the sewing she does during her time alone that strengthens her faith in herself and God, much like Mary did after she first learned of her pregnancy. This faith proves very helpful to her in more trying times. Yet another symbol is made through the rosebush. The rose bush is a symbol of sin, and Pearl continues to claim

As with any piece, symbolism plays an important role in representing the main ideas of a novel. The plot in "The Scarlet Letter" revolves around three significant events that describe the development of the story. As both starting point and ending point of the novel, the scaffold scenes hold symbolic meaning.

The townspeople, in shock, sympathize Hester because the unknown adulterer exposes his secret. As Dimmesdale finishes his last words to his true love, he dies in Hester’s arms. Watching Hester lose the love of her life and Pearl lose her father allows others to sympathize them because once again they are left to fend for themselves. The shared feeling between the Puritan town

            Dimmesdale's instantaneous response to the sin is to lie.  He stands before Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how it would be in her and the father's best interest for her to reveal the father's name (67).  Though he never actually says that he is not the other parent, he implies it by talking of the father in third person (67).  Such as, "If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I

Also, the letter directly creates isolation of its bearer. The narrator speaks of the letter saying that it has "the effect of a spell, taking [Hester] out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself." (Hawthorne) Here, Hester first appears with the letter upon her, and the letter is describes as creating an encompassing zone of isolation around her. Fear is a stimulus of isolation, and the scarlet letter radiates both fear and isolation - therefore making it a powerful symbol of isolation.

Hester was also a symbol of peace. Towards the end of the book, she ends up turning into an adviser to some of the townspeople. Her kindness towards the town made most of them look at her from a different perspective. She would bring the homeless clothes that she made for them and they would criticize her afterwards. Children would call her names their parents would call her and women would give her the silent treatment or yell at her (Hathorne). That all changed towards the end. Instead of thinking of her letter as “adultery” it was now known as “able”.

The first representation of the ‘A’ was adulteress. When Hester Prynne slept with Reverend Dimmesdale, as a married woman, she became pregnant. The community thought her a widow, and knew that she could not be pregnant, unless she had committed adultery. The community decided on a punishment for her crimes, Hester was forced to wear the scarlet ‘A’ at all times as a reminder of the sin she had committed before God. In the puritan era sin was utterly unacceptable, and Hester had committed adultery, a sin punishable by death itself.

Although it seemed right then in that moment they did not stop to consider the consequences, or contain a rational reason for such infidelity. We all make mistakes. Unfortunately we can't turn back time to correct the our faults. “...would hereafter be a woman,- at her, who had been innocent, - as the figure, the body, the reality of sin.

Still not being able to commit his crime to public eats away at every fiber of Dimmesdale's being. On Election Day, he stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, the daughter between them, to finally denounce his sin of adultery with Hester. He admits his wrongdoing, and then he dies in Hester's arms, freed from the debilitating burden of his secret. Dimmesdale kept his sin inside till he is entirely destroyed and couldn't heal himself.

Dimmesdale longs to see Hester and Pearl, but as a repercussion of his sin, he can not publicly interact with them. Pearl recognizes and senses he his her father because she reaches for him at the Governor?s Hall. When

Symbols unlock the secrets of a story. Hawthorne, in The Scarlet Letter, uses many symbols to represent different things. Some symbols represent the same thing. The letter “A” has many meanings, each character has their own meanings, and even the different parts of nature are symbols. Also, apart from providing structure for the novel, each scaffold scene conveys something different. One could say, arguably, that nearly everything in The Scarlet Letter is a symbol for something else.

Hester Prynne, a character within The Scarlet Letter, is a prime example of Hawthorne's common transformation of individuals within his books. These mutations involve the qualities and attributes of her physical appearance, feminine emotions, and reputation among the townspeople. Throughout the novel, the mentioned elements of Hester's character develop and change several times, providing the reader with better understanding of the influence that the scarlet letter and other characters have on her.