Symbolism, Use Of Color, And Themes Of Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne was able to show the true intentions and feelings of characters and the relationships between characters. He did this because he wanted the readers to understand that the Puritan society was not as religious or great as it is sometimes portrayed as. Even though their intentions were right with wanting to start a new religious society in the New World, they had their faults. Hawthorne is able to address these through the use of ironies. For example, having the reverend that everyone looks up to and emulates, be suffering from committing a very sinful act. Also, having the townspeople contradict the meaning of the scarlet A, and see it as a positive thing after Hester has just endured the torture of isolation and banishment. Overall, Hawthorne is trying to express his personal views on the Puritan society through the use of

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.

The Puritan era in New England was inundated with an atmosphere of righteousness and judgment. This culture spurned those who strayed from its religious codes. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses multiple symbols to bring a deeper meaning to the society, his characters, and to adultery. One of the motifs used comes as the character Pearl, the daughter of the two adulterers. Pearl has multiple descriptions; physically, she is “a lovely and immortal flower,” yet also “an airy sprite . . . as if she were hovering in the air and might vanish” (80, 83). She has a “wild, desperate, defiant mood” and is often referred to as a “flower,” a “bird,” and an “elf” (82, 80, 98, 87). Hawthorne uses Pearl’s multi-layered personality

In the nineteenth century novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes different origins of allusions and archetypes to emphasize how individuals in order to encourage individuals to forgive sins and work towards redemption.

Throughout, “The Scarlet Letter,” Hawthorne is able to enhance the plot by intricately incorporating symbols which represent a deeper meaning. One of which, is the infamous, and ambiguous, scarlet letter that lays upon the bosom of Hester Prynne. In the beginning of the book, the audience is immediately introduced to the scarlet letter as a symbol of shame and adultery. The narrator describes the Puritan society as very judgemental and harsh. Comments like, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die,” creates this negative and unwelcoming atmosphere which surrounds Hester for a majority of the book. From then on, the Puritans constantly refer to the

The eighteenth-century author, Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was most famous for his writings The Scarlet Letter, “Young Goodman Brown,” “The Minister’s Black Veil” and an abundant array of other books and short stories. The stories that are mentioned contain a copious amount of symbolism throughout the entirety of each book. All the stories that he ever wrote have an underlying meaning and the symbolism was hidden within in the names, characters, places, and actions that happened in the books and helped the readers to have a greater understanding about the Puritan lifestyle and the Bible. The dictionary definition of symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. A few

Symbolism is a common approach used in writing, but it is not to be taken for its exact connotation. In literature, the symbol can be a person, item, circumstance, or action that has a more profound significance in the writing. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are four main symbols that the reader would notice. The symbols include, the colors red and black, the meteor, Pearl, and the scarlet letter itself. Hawthorne uses symbolism in the novel to communicate his message.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works “The Scarlet letter” and “The Minister's Black Veil” is some of his most famous works known to date. When it comes to two of his works, “The Scarlet letter and “The Minister's Black Veil” are in plain sight different in many ways when it comes to the plot and settings behind the stories. Yet at the same time, they are similar in literary techniques that are used throughout the story. In both stories, Nathaniel Hawthorne use symbolism that was shown multiple times throughout both of the works as they describe the flawed protagonists and secondary characters. Those symbolisms are often recognized as the black veil and the scarlet letter itself.

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul” (John Muir). In stories places hold deep emotional meanings for the characters. These places serve to show the reader what makes the character who he or she is and what is important to him or her. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many symbols, from objects to the characters in the story. These symbols are integral to helping give the reader a deeper look into the story. The Scarlet Letter, a story of love and sin, uses its symbols to give the reader a better understanding of the characters and events that take place. These symbols all hold important meanings; however, some of these meanings change depending on which

The Scarlet Letter as a Dynamic Symbol In the 17th century, Boston was home to a Puritan community whose ideals, values, and traditions were held in strict accordance to the teachings and laws of God. In order to maintain his or her public image, a Puritan man or woman would only dare to be seen or heard of doing religiously appropriate things. Those who failed to uphold the Puritan ideals were shamed, as is best shown by the enforcement of the “scarlet letter” upon Hester Prynne. However, as the story progresses, it can be questioned what the Puritans actually think of Hester and the Scarlet Letter, revealing to the reader the true nature of the Puritans. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter ‘A’ is a dynamic

In the Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he explored the distress of going against law and order in Puritan society. Hawthorne showed how the actions one does affects the rest of their life. This could be seen through one of the characters in this novel, Arthur Dimmesdale, a preacher, eaten away by his sin. Hawthorne shows how Dimmesdale is the one to go against Puritan ideals through the symbols in this novel, style and literary techniques.

The effects of sin are often worn on the outside, whether in behaviour, countenance, physical repercussions, or engraved letters. The Scarlet Letter channels Nathaniel Hawthorne’s opposition towards Puritan society into a widely acclaimed novel centered around wrongdoing and its consequences. Utilizing the romantic style of his era, Hawthorne expectedly weaves allegories and emotionally-driven characters into his writing. Additionally, he employs symbolism in elements of his story. For example, each of the As in the story, whether belonging to Dimmesdale, Hester, or represented in Pearl, illustrate separate outcomes of sin.

      Throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals character through the use of imagery and metaphor.

Every society and person in society has secrets. Everyone has another side to them that they do not show in the eyes of the public. Hawthorne uses the symbol of darkness to show throughout his literary works that everyone is sinful. Archetypally, darkness represents chaos, mystery, death, evil, fear. Darkness in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, shows the author's point of view on the Puritan society. Hawthorne’s use of archetypal symbolism of darkness to describe Puritans suggests Hawthorne’s view on Puritan society was anything but pure and that all societies should be less critical of their members.

In the world today, themes and symbolisms have played a major role in the development and presentation of past and present novels. These themes and symbolisms within a novel shape the overall story and often work hand in hand to convey its purpose and meaning. One such novel would include The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne; in this story, along with all his others, he has incorporated his three predominant, driving themes: sin, hypocrisy, and corruption. In The Scarlet Letter,