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Symbols In The Scarlet Letter

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Scarlet Letter Symbolic Theme Essay The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written amidst the 1800’s. Hawthorne was a famous American author during that time frame. He is a relative to a judge from the Salem Witch Trials, which was his Great-Great Grandfather John Hathorne. Hathorne was the only judge who did not express atonement for his crimes, which led people to dislike all the Hathorne’s. This sparked Nathaniel Hawthorne's interest in the Puritan times, which resulted in the Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne delineates Puritan standards religiously and culturally in an outstanding way. He was also an Anti-Transcendentalist which means that he believed that all humans were evil. In his novel, the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbols of the scarlet letter, Reverend Dimmesdale, and burrs to add onto the overall theme of guilt. First off, Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter to contribute to the theme of Guilt. The scarlet letter is forced upon the bosom of Hester, who is the protagonist of this novel. Hester had a child after her husband was known to be missing. She was accused of Adultery, and the scarlet colored letter was put on her as a token of shame to cast a shadow on her eternally. Hawthorne explains, “In a moment however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would poorly serve to hide another” (Hawthorne 50). This quote shows that the scarlet letter is a profound symbol of guilt, it could not have been hidden with

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