“Adulterer” to “Able” Symbolism in literature is used to represent an idea through the use of an object. However, in some instances, it is up to a character (or more precisely, the author) to decide what they want that object to represent. One may say that the character has the decision to choose their own fate; the character’s mindset and actions essentially determines the course of the story. The character has the ability to change something as significant as the symbolism in the story. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, main character Hester Prynne was disgraced and condemned for having a child with a man other than her husband. In the beginning of the novel, Hawthorne uses the letter “A” to symbolize shame; Hester was forced to wear the letter on her chest for the rest of her life to label her as an adulterer. Hawthorne also uses this symbol to reveal Puritan beliefs and ideas. In the novel’s Puritan society, any woman who committed adultery was viewed as a criminal, as demonstrated by Hester. …show more content…
Hester’s artistic embroidery on the letter could be interpreted as her rebellion against its intentional meaning. The embroidery causes the witnesses of Hester’s public humiliation to look in awe and wonder of the letter’s beauty, “But the point which drew all eyes… was that scarlet letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom (46).” Despite the onlookers’ judgement against Hester’s actions, they admit to her skill in embroidery. Hawthorne uses the letter’s embroidery to represent Hester’s rejection of the Puritan society’s views of her. It can also be viewed as Hester’s dignity, inner strength, and defiance of social norms. I believe that Hawthorne wanted to write about a strong female character to represent women in a strict, Puritan
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us," stated Oliver Wendell Holmes. This eventually proves to be especially true for Hester Prynne, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne, a fair young maiden whose husband had disappeared two years prior to the opening of the novel, has an affair with the pastor of her Puritan church, resulting in the birth of her child Pearl. Because of this act of adultery, Hester Prynne is branded by the scarlet letter "A," which she is forced to forever wear upon her attire. The plot thickens as Hester's former husband returns to New England and becomes
In the Puritan society, the Scarlet Letter represents the Puritan’s view on the "sin of adultery" that Hester has committed in her life. However, Hawthorne shows throughout the novel that the Scarlet Letter evolved to be a potent symbol of Hester’s identity. The scarlet letter "A" again was originate to represents adultery, however it also represents rebellion against the puritan culture. Hester's attachment to the scarlet letter isolates her from the puritan’s society but it allows her to have freedom on her beliefs and actions as quote “She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom” (Hawthorne). Later when she believes her relationship with the town minister, Dimmesdale is pure base on her 'free will’; she separates her 'free will' against the Puritan definition of 'sin'. As a result, it is a symbol of Hester's pride and burden. Because of this, Hester was forced to carry the scarlet letter of which she later accept the letter and the identity that it has placed upon her as quote, “She had wandered, without rule or guidance, into a moral wilderness... Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods... The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers—stern and wild ones—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss” (Hawthorne). Overall, her sin teaches her a lesson while obstructs her at the same
Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter is a unique character. She shows a lot of strength. Hawthorne creates a Puritan Society who isolates Hester, which made her a character of her own uniqueness. Hester is a woman of strength, compassion, and honesty.
They made her wear the letter “A” which stood for adultery. Hester whole life has changed just because she committed a sin. In the novel it says, “Throughout them all, giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman's frailty and sinful passion. Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin. And over her grave, the infamy that she must carry thither would be her only monument” (Hawthorne 3).
With a “tall…figure of perfect elegance…and dark and abundant hair,” Hester has but one fault about her: the “scarlet letter…upon her bosom” (Hawthorne 44). Destined to wear the letter A on her chest for the rest of her natural life, Hester recognizes that this is not only her punishment, but also a reminder to every one of her adulterous actions. With the act of adultery being Hester’s only known sin, thus far, the reader is left wondering just how deeply it will affect her. Coming with a larger price than she could have ever imagined, Hester’s sin essentially makes her an outcast and “in all her intercourse with society…there [is] nothing that [makes] her feel as if she belong[s]” (Hawthorne 67). After her sinful act is brought into the open, Hester is isolated within her own realm, with only her young daughter to accompany her. This sense of isolation builds a metaphorical barrier between the people of Hester’s community and herself, despite her attempts to integrate back into their sphere. Following seven long years of this lifestyle, it seems that Hester finally is accepted by her community, and shockingly enough, “many people refuse to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification [, and instead,] they sa[y] that it
The scarlet “A” on Hester’s breast is a symbol for everyone it is a symbol to be worn no matter how the townspeople felt about her or how many good things she did for the town, sadly, the people will revert to their “human nature to tell the very worst of itself, when embodied in the person of another, would constrain them to whisper the black scandal of bygone years.” (Hawthorne, 112) and the letter remains a public condemnation. The scarlet letter will always have an ambiguous meaning for the townspeople but as the end of the book nears the A resembles other things such as “Able”. The meaning flipped yet Hester never forgot its intent and she took her understanding to her grave. Hawthorne describes the way the letter affected Hester
The first symbolism in the novel is how the letter “A” represents adultery. Julian Hawthorne stated, “it burns upon its wearer's breast, it casts a lurid glow along her pathway, it isolates her among mankind,” The letter “A” became part of Hester. It made her have her own glow and made her an outcast from society due to her independence and rebellious mindset. Hawthorne symbolizes the letter to represent Hester Prynne’s sin throughout the book. She,“ turned her eyes downward at the scarlet, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real,” (Hawthorne,5). Hester Prynne’s sin has brought her shame because the puritans believed that humanity should live life by the bible. Additionally, in the bible it is a sin for humans to have
B. Thesis: Through a series of symbols, Hawthorne depicts the structure of Puritan society and how people’s harsh judgements shape the identities of several characters. II. Main points: A. Symbolism of the letter "A" “Thus the young and
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne has been caught in a scandalous relationship outside of the confines of marriage resulting in an illegitimate child. Prynne is found out and forced to wear a scarlet “A” upon her chest so all may behold her lechery. Instead of blanching at her misfortune, Prynne uses the punishment as self-promotion for her amazing stitch work. The intricacy of the letter upon her
Can a peice of fabric really change who you are and define you as a person? Nathaniel Hawthorne challenges us with this question in his novel The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter to depict sin and adultery commited by Hester Prynne. Hawthorne creates the symbolism of the letter "A" to have different meanings. As the novel unfolds, the meanings of the letter "A" on Hester Prynne's bosom changes, from adultery to able to angel.
Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” that stands for adultery on her chest as a form of punishment for cheating on her husband and becoming pregnant. Hester has a negative physical and mental effect because of wearing the letter. “The effect of the symbol...was powerful and peculiar”(Hawthorne 115) Hawthorne describes that “It was a sad transformation...that her rich and luxuriant hair had either been cut off, or was so completely hidden by a cap, that not a shining lock of it ever once gushed into the sunshine” and that “...there seemed to be no longer anything in Hester's face for Love to dwell upon; nothing in
Nathaniel Hawthorne highlights the habitual societal conflict of surfacing gender equality ideology throughout The Scarlet Letter. The typical female role in society during the mid-seventeenth century was to be a caretaker. Hester Prynne’s sentence for breaking this stereotype through adultery is to wear a large, red letter A on her chest. Hawthorne uses Hester’s character to add characteristics of early feminism. For example, Hester not only takes on the so called male and female role put in place by society at some point throughout the story, but she also challenges societal views of women. To fully understand the situation women were going through, you must be familiar with the historical context. The story takes place in a Puritan
In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, the letter is understood as a label of punishment and sin being publicized. Hester Prynne bears the label of “A” signifining adulterer upon her chest. Because of this scorching red color label she becomes
The scarlet letter could also be looked as a quality of Hester's character. This quality defined the views of the townspeople regarding Hester, and in time also changed in meaning. It was at the beginning of the book that the letter embroidered on her bosom only stood for adultery, and the common consensus of the people, in respects to Hester's actions, was "this woman has shamed us all and ought to die" (50). In time, and through the actions of Hester Prynne, the letter 'A' upon her chest was understood to be something different, and "many people refused to interpret the
Prynne’s character drastically changes when she takes off the letter, "She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom" (182). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter gives a glance of the Puritan life in the 1600s. The suspenseful drama of adulteress Hester Prynne tells the heavy weight of shame in the Puritan society. Hawthorne intertwines powerful symbolism throughout the entire story allowing the reader to understand the deeper meaning of shame that Prynne endures. As punishment for adultery, the community forces her to wear a scarlet A for life. The townspeople shame her along with her baby Pearl. No matter what, Prynne refuses to name the father of the baby. During this time, her actual husband, Roger Chillingworth, makes an appearance in town after being gone for years. Once he learns about the situation, Chillingworth set out on his quest for revenge to find Prynne’s lover. Hester Prynne has several conflicts, and as these are resolved, her character is revealed.