Scarlet Letter Symbolism

English Protestants created a large group of people in the 16th and 17th centuries called the Puritans. These people advocated strict religious discipline along with a strong beliefs and worshipping. The Scarlet Letter reflected on Puritan Society in several ways, from religion to discipline and punishment. Religion seemed to control everyone, the reverend was the person that everyone looked up to, and the community, as a whole, believed in fate and destiny. Puritan relationships were very restricted, therefore making adultery a terrible sin in the eyes of the community. In the 17th century, Boston was extremely strict and the laws were strongly enforced, making Hester’s sin a great

The rose bush is directly stated by Hawthorne that it might represent a sweet moral blossom. It can also be shown as “To

“I was already missing before the night I left, just me and my shadows and all of my regrets. Who am I? Who am I when I don’t know myself?” Pearl is used as symbolism throughout the entire story. Pearl is the physical representation of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin.

Pearl envelopes an enigmatic representation about herself, additionally she adds a completely new definition of development for the town and even her mother, Hester Prynn. Pearl is mysterious, not a great amount has been discovered or learned about her from the village. Pearl is beginning to be introduced to the world due to her reveal to Reverend Dimmesdale, John Wilson, and (Mr. Bellingham?). After encountering Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale and his accompanying men begin to see that Pearl may be just fine in Hester’s hands. They surrender their enmity towards Hester’s sins and begin to give her the benefit of the doubt. Pearl brings upon a revelation that she is Hester’s counterpiece, the Ying to her Yang. Even though Hester is able to make the worst of things seem of absolute beauty and significance, Pearl is a child without

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Pearl's character not to be a daughter but to be a symbol that manifests Hester's guilt from her sin of adultery. When Pearl is first introduced, she is only a few months old, but already, she seems to have an understanding of her mother’s sin. As Hester holds Pearl to her chest, where the letter is, Pearl winks at the sun as if letting it know that she understands that her God-given duty is to never let her mother forget her sin. It is almost like she is saying ‘do not worry I’ll take care of it’. After all, the most obvious symbol of Hester’s sin, is the offspring it created.

In The Scarlet Letter, sin and guilt represent the theme of morality throughout the entire novel. The scarlet letter “A” is the main representation of the protagonist assumed moral ineptitude. Yet there is a certain amount of vagueness that occurs at her initial appearance that leaves the reader a bit confused. Nathanial Hawthorne produces a marvelous piece of ambiguity that allows the reader to question their own idea of how morality is defined. While he works the theme of morality into all of the characters in the novel, the three main characters Hester Prynne, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale are the main focus if the idea of morality in the novel.

Throughout this novel, Author Nathaniel Hawthorne used Pearl as different symbols. Pearl was a symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin, the innocent reminder of that sin, and balance. He shows her being these symbols often throughout the book. Though, as the book goes on you can notice Pearl start to grow and evolve into the different symbols. Some of her original symbolism stays with her, however, she goes through stages as she ages. She was put through many things she couldn’t understand and endured pain because of her surroundings. When Hester is being screamed at to tell everyone who Pearl’s father, Hawthorne says Pearl, “pierced the air with its wailings and screams.”(Hawthorne 78). Just like her aging, her symbolism

Puritans may have tried to give themselves the appearance of a perfect society, but it was really just as corrupt and full of sinners as any society today. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Crucible by Arthur Miller and “To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet, there is evidence for this. In Puritan literature, although they try to hide it, sin is very common, in that Puritans do the opposite of what they preach, but still harshly punish those who sin.

Hester Prynne becomes the victim of the hypocrisy of the townspeople, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. When Puritan settlers came to America, it was typical that a church in the center of the town be built first because it provided purpose and direction in their lives

In the book, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Pearl as a symbol of the scarlet letter

The Scarlet Letter takes place at the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 17th century, this is where the Puritans settled after leaving the New World because they wanted to “purify” the Church of England. The Puritans were a sect of Protestant Christians influenced by Calvinism, the idealized that salvation is predestined. They believed that religious behavior was a result of salvation, so with the Puritan communities so invested in purity sins were punished harshly and removed. Hawthorne sets the scene of the first chapter with a dark and gloomy effect, the dark nature of the prison established in the “vicinity of Cornhill”, by early settlers. The prison describe as an “ugly edifice” and “black flower of civilized society” with weeds growing in front of the shadowy structure where groups of Puritans dressed in there normal boring clothes have gathered. A rose bush stands beside the weeds, it foreshadows that brightness may be found along the track, or it eases the darkening close.

Pearl: Pearl is the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl is a protagonist in the story, for she serves as a living reminder of Hester’s sin. She is a round and complex character, for she is intuitive, and she is also very dynamic. She is very observant, for when Hester asks why she wears the A, Pearl replies, “‘Truly do I… It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart!” (167). Pearl is also more of a symbol than a character, for she symbolizes many to different characters. To Hester, Pearl is a constant reminder of the sin she’s committed. To Dimmesdale, Pearl is his conscious, for when he tries to warm up to her, she denies him: “The minister… hoping that a kiss might prove a talisman to admit him into the child’s

Symbolism is the use of an object, character, or event to represent something else. Nathaniel Hawthorne, without a doubt, uses symbolism throughout the course of the novel, The Scarlet Letter. The novel takes place in a Puritan community in present-day Boston. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Pearl are the main characters. They all have major roles and without them, the novel would not be the same. Hester Prynne; married to Roger Chillingworth, had a baby named Pearl out of wedlock with a man named Dimmesdale. Because Hester was married, herself and Dimmesdale have now committed adultery and that is the main cause of a lot of the major events that take place in the novel.

Symbolism has many different meanings, and the Scarlet ‘A’ in “The Scarlet Letter” has many different meanings as well. Hester Prynne is the main character who is forced to wear the scarlet letter as remembrance for the crime and the sin that she has committed. This letter completely ruined her reputation in her community. How could a small piece of fabric do so much harm? This letter was a representation of something much greater than the letter ‘A’. This letter was originally made to stand for adulteress, as physical reminder of her sins. The vibrant scarlet red is meant to shame Hester, to make her feel sorry for her mistakes. Most importantly it was a symbol for change and an emblem of identity. In short, the scarlet letter meant much more than a letter of shame, it was simply a piece of fabric with meaning that could easily change.

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.