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The Symbolism Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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“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

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