Symbolism In The Scaffold Letter

In Dimmesdale's first speech he uses accusatory appeals to further humiliate and set an example to the rest of the community. Dimmesdale publicly put Hester on the scaffold to make a example of her, to show the other citizens what would happen if they sin." If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation"( Hawthorne 57). This quote by Dimmesdale shows that Hester's earthily punishment, by Public humiliation, will be effective in her deliverance from sin. The whole reason for Hester's public punishment is to show her that she could not recover from the sin. The public punishment is more for Hester than for the community. Hester being put on blast at the scaffold insure that she believes she is forever going to be an outcast in society. In Dimmesdale's second speech his appeal changes from accusatory to remorseful. Dimmesdale's use of remorseful appeals in his second speech helps him say his confession. Dimmesdale's confession in the end has people feel bad for him because they saw how keeping the secret was hurting him. " ye, that have loved me!- ye, that have deemed me holy!- behold me here, the one sinner of the world!"( Hawthorne 208). This quote shows that the people of the community loved Dimmesdale and he knew that. So, for Dimmesdale to betray them the way he did, he felt bad. So he confessed publicly to help himself with the

Dimmesdale realizes that he must confess his sin and face whatever consequences may lie ahead of him, whether or not his confession is seven years past due. Before reaching the “well-remembered and weather-darkened scaffold,” where Hester Prynne had encountered the “world’s ignominious stare,” Arthur Dimmesdale cautiously comes to a pause (246). Only two people in the crowd, Roger Chillingworth (Hester’s husband) and Hester Prynne, understand why Dimmesdale halts before ascending up the scaffold. He will finally reveal his identity to the town and release the guilt that has built inside of him for seven years. As Hester and Pearl are about to accompany Dimmesdale up to the scaffold, Chillingworth “trusts himself through the crowd” – or, from Hawthorne’s description, “so dark, disturbed, and evil was his look,” Chillingworth “rose up out of some nether region to snatch back his victim from what he sought to do” (247). Ignoring Chillingworth’s effort to stop Dimmesdale, the three mount the scaffold and face the eager crowd. In one of Dimmesdale’s final speeches, he claims that Hester’s scarlet letter “is but the shadow of what he bears on his own breast” (250). The moment after Dimmesdale reveals his ‘scarlet letter’, he stood “with a flush of triumph in his face as one who had won a victory” (251). As Dimmesdale had wished, his remorse and internal pain is forgotten once he reveals his true identity, allowing his soul to experience its elapsed freedom.

In fact, the most significant change in Dimmesdale’s self perception is after he admits to his sin on the scaffold alongside Hester and Pearl. This was the product of a removed burden, a change that brought immense relief to the minister. The author obviously meant for this to be a positive change in him, because he, “ in the crisis of acutest pain, had won a victory.” (Hawthorne 210) The relief is so great, that Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold right

he muttered. “I must needs look deeper into it. A strange sympathy betwixt soul and body! Were it only for the art’s sake, I must search this matter to the bottom!”(142). Furthermore, in early May the minister happens to be at the scaffold, seeing Hester and Pearl, invites them to be with him.

Everyone sins. but not everyone learns from his or her sins, however, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne sins but overcomes this sin. She is forced to wear an “A” as punishment. Hester gains Confidence, redemption, and hope.

The settings in which Dimmesdale’s public and private lives are set are distinguished. The scaffold is considered the public setting in the novel; not only is this where Hester was humiliated in front of the community, but it is also where Dimmesdale makes his final plea for the townspeople takes place. Generally, the forest is where the private conversations occur; it is where Hester and Dimmesdale talked to each other in privacy for the first time since their affair and where their sinning happened.

In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we notice that action only happens in a few places, among which are the forest, the market place, the governor’s residence, and Dimmesdale’s house. Although all these locations are significant to the story, the most important symbol among them is certainly the scaffold in the market place, where the story begins and ends. The scaffold’s meaning changes throughout the story and has different values for different characters. It represents humiliation, then insight, and finally redemption for Hester and Dimmesdale, but for Chillingworth, it symbolizes birth of sin, growth of sin, and ultimately consummation by sin.

He believes it stands for adulteress while other people think it stands for angel since the governor just passed away (161).  This scene also shows how Hester is managing her new situation.  When Dimmesdale tells her to come up the scaffold and asks her where she has b! een, she replies that she has been measuring the robe that the governor is to be buried in (158).  This statement implies that Hester's reputation as a talented seamstress has spread.  Ironically, her first well known piece of work was the scarlet letter that she wore on her chest.  As a result, she owes her own success to her infamy.  Besides growing older, Pearl's most significant change is in her perceptibility (158).  In this scene, she constantly asks Dimmesdale if he will be joining Hester and herself on the scaffold tomorrow at noon and accuses him of not being true (162).  Neither Hester nor Dimmesdale ever told Pearl who her father was, but she figures it out by the way he always holds his hand over his heart (159).  Chillingworth's derangement is evident in this scene also.  His contempt for Dimmesdale is so acute that he risks his cover when he gives him a look so vivid as to remain painted on the darkness after the bright meteor that just passed, vanishes (161).

The idea of those who have sinned can be cruelly punished is one that that is both emitted in the Scarlet Letter and The Crucible. Both literary works share similar ideas, but also have quite a few differences. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the writer, utilizes symbolism for the scarlet letter, to be a symbol of Hester’s shame. The embroidered “A” on Hester’s bosom symbolizes the sin of adultery which she had committed. Not only was the sign of embarrasment used but also the scaffold had great importance in the Scarlet Letter. The scaffold was used as place of humiliation and guilt, where the criminal was put in a place to be viewed and judged by the whole town, ultimately, being judged by God. In addition, Pearl, Hester’s daughter was a constant reminder of the sin Hester had done. The town viewed Pearl as the devil’s offspring, due to the fact that she was born out of sin and not real love. In all, symbolism helps readers see the character’s emotions and realize that symbols form a person.

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.

Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale link hands. Now the scaffold symbolizes a place of unity for the three; no one is around as they connect as mother, father, and child. The scaffold acts as a place of safety for the family where they are free from judgement. The last scaffold scene takes place at the end of the book where Dimmesdale is found atop of the scaffold once again. He is

Dimmesdale whips himself to punish himself for his sins, and as his sin grew inside of him and festered there, he became very ill, he started getting very sick, holding his heart even more than usual. Chillingworth one night after Dimmesdale had fallen asleep, sneaks into Dimmesdale’s room, rips open his shirt, and right over his heart, is the Black Man’s mark, the scarlet letter ‘A’. Dimmesdale becomes even more sick as time goes on, Hester and Dimmesdale plan to leave to go to England, but before that happens, Dimmesdale gives his final sermon, which was phenomenal, and as they are leaving the church, Dimmesdale gets onto the scaffold, asks Hester and Pearl to join him “He turned towards the scaffold, and stretched forth his arms. ‘Hester,’ said he, ‘come hither! Come, my little Pearl!’” (Hawthorne 376), as he declares that he is the father and that he loves them. Pearl grants him the kiss he has been wanting/needing from her, and right after, Dimmesdale collapses on the scaffold and dies. Dimmesdale is buried in a tomb and when Hester dies, she is then placed basically beside him, sharing a headstone to mark their love.

The scaffold shows how the punishment imposed on us by others may not be as destructive as the guilt we impose on ourselves. When Hester was standing on the scaffold she is not thinking about being punished. She is having flashbacks to earlier times and feeling guilty for what she had done. The scaffold is a platform used for redemption and a symbol of the harsh Puritan code.

He climbs onto the scaffold and pretends to confess, but there is no one out at this time at night. Hester and Pearl pass Dimmesdale on the scaffold while they were on their way home. Dimmesdale calls out to them and they join him, standing in the darkness. Dimmesdale has begun the road to confession by acknowledging Hester and Pearl and by acting out confession. Now he feels guiltier than ever. He tortures himself by whipping and self-inflicting the letter A on his chest. As a result, Dimmesdale preaches some of the best sermons of his life and becomes more involved with the church and its people. His morality has strengthened even more because he has a large amount of guilt that can be heard in his voice, and he wants salvation.

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the three scaffold scenes are very symbolic. They are the most dramatic, structural events in the novel. These are strategically placed at the beginning, middle, and end driving the plot of the tale. The first scaffold scene is the opening scene, Hester with her baby in her arms stands on the scaffold with the whole town standing below her, mocking her.