The Effective Use of Symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

A second symbol that supports the main idea is the meteor. As The Scarlet Letter progresses, the readers find out that Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is the man who committed adultery with Hester. Because he has not admitted to his fault, Dimmesdale has been plagued with a sickness where he is constantly grabbing at

As the novel progresses the meaning of the symbolism of the letter “A” starts ti blossom into a new meaning. Toward the climax of the novel Hester Prynne’s appearance is altered to where she is no longer viewed as a sinner. The meaning on the symbol changes from of the devil to a some what vague symbol, as if it has lost its initial connotation. Society now views her a symbol that differs whom she really is, she is viewed as a strong woman through all the torment that is put in a unfortunate situation. At this point Hester has already learned how to dealt with the burden of the scarlet letter. Withstanding the pressures of society boiling down waiting patiently for Hester Prynne to crack, she does not, she grows into a stronger woman. A woman that has gone through hell and back and continues to thrive in her society even under the circumstances she lives in. The scarlet letter “A” meaning has changed, “ hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility” (Hawthorne 147). Slowly Hester’s hard feelings toward the letter, and to the situation itself, begins to diminish. However, it is

The very scarlet letter from which the novel’s name is derived from is a symbol of sinning; the scarlet letter represents how Puritan society views sinning as unforgivable and something for public speculation. Hester is punished by wearing hers out for the world to see. The letter is “so fantastically embroidered” that one townswoman argues that its intricacy and design defeat the entire purpose of wearing it. The scarlet letter serves as an

Also, Hawthorne juxtaposes motifs to reveal Hester’s point-of-view and understanding. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester forcefully wears the embroidered letter “A” with golden thread representing sin and adultery. Then, her daughter asks, “What does the letter mean, mother?” Her mother responds, “for the scarlet letter, I wear it for the sake of its gold-thread” (163). In this quote, Hester is hiding the real logic of why she is wearing the scarlet letter, because she understands Pearl is still a child, she would not be able to understand the hypocrisy of the society. Furthermore, the community forced her to wear it as a source of a punishment. However, this juxtaposition of wearing the item for the sake of its beauty, is a different idea contrasting the genuine reason of why she is wearing the scarlet letter. Additionally, another symbolism that Hawthorne juxtaposes is the meaning of the allegorical object in the novel. This object is the scarlet letter, which its meaning changed from the beginning to the end of the book. At first, the author represents the idea of the wickedness of the letter it has on Hester, “[that] transfigured [Hester] . . . [and it] illuminated upon her bosom” (51). Not only, the scarlet letter has a peculiar “effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (51). Thus, the author interprets the meaning of the scarlet letter

The letter explicitly symbolizes Hester’s sin of adultery. It is her living punishment as she lives within the puritan community to remind her and everyone else that she has committed this sin. However, Hester does not let the identity of an adulterer dictate her life. She works hard to provide for herself and pearl and eventually the symbol of the scarlet letter turns into a symbol of Hester being able and somewhat of an angel. She becomes the symbol in a way, even years and years afterwards when she would be able to take it off she continues to wear the veil.

In the beginning of the novel, the scarlet letter is seen as a symbol of Hester great sin of adultery and the child she has thence bared. Hester has always seen the scarlet letter as a shameful symbol of her sins she has made. Yet Pearl, Hester’s daughter, matures only knowing her mother with the scarlet letter and loving her for it. Pearl grows to love the A so much that she her self tries to duplicate it, “As the last touch to her mermaid’s garb, Pearl took some eelgrass, and imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother’s A letter- the letter A- but freshly green, instead of scarlet” (Hawthorne 155). The scarlet letter has become a significant symbol in Pearl’s life and she cannot bare the thought of not having it. This deep attachment to the A leads Pearl to desiring one for herself. In one instance she had a fit about it by, “Stamping

The scarlet letter is a cloth in the form of the letter “A,” which represents that Hester Prynne has committed adultery which is a sin for puritans. When Hester was younger she was married to Roger Chillingsworth and was sent to America. Meanwhile, being a young woman alone in America, she was involved in an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale, and because of this affair she gave birth to a daughter named Pearl. The antagonist of the novel was Roger Chillingsworth because he did not want the humiliation of being with a disloyal and fake wife. Hester's husband left her staying alone for a really long time.

When Hester has the scarlet letter on there is a darkness that is constantly following her. When Hester decides to go into the forest with Dimmesdale and Pearl she sees a sort of evil in Pearl that causes the same darkness to return. When Pearl is standing on the other side of the brook Hawthorne writes, “As if there were a withering spell in the sad letter, her beauty, the warmth and richness of her womanhood, departed, like fading sunshine; and a gray shadow seemed to fall across her” (184). Throughout the novel the Pearl is used as a symbol to represent the evil sin that Hester has committed. Because she carries this symbol around with her, it is a constant reminder of her evil and causes her to feel constant guilt.

The the “A” serves as a warning against engaging in immoral conduct. The scarlet letter’s personification appears through the characters. The scarlet letter symbolizes adultery at the beginning of the novel. Hawthorne’s description ,”in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold” (Hawthorne 60), establishes the importance of this emblem.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is littered with symbolism, the most apt example being the scarlet letter itself, which dons several different meanings throughout the novel. The letter is first recognized as a symbol of Hester Prynne’s act of adultery, yet further along in the story, it becomes better known as a symbol for the woman’s strength, skill, and ability. At any point in the novel, the scarlet letter can be identified as a symbol of the love affair between Hester and Dimmesdale. Along with these three instances of the scarlet letter’s symbolism, there are countless more within the text, making it an extremely worthy point of analysis within the book.

In the story “The Scarlet Letter”, (Nathaniel Hawthorne) the symbol of the letter A means adultery, to ability, to angel, and finally to the living persona of Pearl. Hester started sinning when it came to adultery and ended up having a kid a a different man named Roger Chillingworth. Later on while being imprisoned, Hester wrote the scarlet letter to try to turn her personal sin in to a positive situation. Along through all this she did it with her daughter Pearl in which was not a ordinary child.

‘The Scarlet letter’ is meant to be a symbol of shame for Hester, and instead it becomes a symbol of identity. As Hester’s character develops the Letter ‘matures” along side her . As it ages, it shifts from meaning “Adulterer” to stand for “ Able”.. Hester bonds to the letter as much as she bonds to little Pearl, by choosing to keep them both. She could have given Pearl to the minister and she could have fled New England and left the letter far behind her and moved on with her life, instead she chooses to embrace her punishments. The letter is almost insignificant beside Pearl as a symbol of the sinful act commited by Hester, and helps to point out the meaninglessness of the community’s system of judgment and punishment. The ineffectiveness of this course of action is reinforced in chapter seven “...and the bond-servant, perhaps judging from the decision of her air and the glittering symbol in her bosom, that she was a great lady in the land, offered no opposition.”

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.

In the book, “The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many symbols can be found. Hawthorne uses symbols such as the scarlet letter itself, which could represent things like determination, hard work, and a punishment. Another symbol he uses is the forest and the wilderness, which represents Hester and Pearl’s freedom from society as they explore the forest. The last symbol that seemed to have significance to me was Hester’s daughter, Pearl; she represents Hester’s passion and Hester’s act of sin. Overall, Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter, the forest, and Pearl, to express symbols throughout her story.

“The symbol has the capacity to convey impressions, but the importance of the social context is prominent in interpreting this impression.” (Carrez). Hester committed adultery and had to wear the letter “A” as her punishment. Having her obey the punishment, she takes it into her own hands and uses the ability to make the best of it. By giving to those who are in need and those we don't desire if she is still cares and helps them out, by that she is considered an angel. The living persona of Pearl is her being the sin that caused many issues to Hester but is still a blessings to her. In the book the,Scarlet Letter,by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the ¨A¨ symbolizes adultery, ability, angel,and the living persona of the letter.