The Role of Color in The Scarlet Letter

Throughout history, colors have been used to symbolize different meanings based on associations with culture, history, politics, and religion. In The Scarlet Letter, the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism through colors such as red, black and white in the form of sunlight, to represent emotions and ideologies of Hester and the people around her.

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the color red significantly throughout The Scarlet Letter to show its importance of symbolism in the emotions of sin and passion that it represents. The first example in The Scarlet Letter is the red rose that is growing by the prison door (2), which represents Hester’s pride and passion. This rose is growing in a place that is not very fitting, which is identical to Hester’s passion in that she does not fit into the Puritan society. Another example of how red is used to symbolize Hester’s passion occurs later when there is sunlight passing through a red window in the governor’s house, which in turn spreads red light throughout the room. This represents Hester’s passion as it spreads throughout the Puritan society. Also in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the color red to symbolize Hester’s sin, which is continually being shown by the scarlet letter “A”. Hester’s sin through the scarlet letter is something that she has to continually deal with and that she can’t escape. Hester’s daughter Pearl, who is the product of Hester’s sin, is often seen to be dressed in red clothes and is also called names like “ Ruby”, “Red Rose”, and “Coral” by her mother (61). The symbolism of the color red in The Scarlet Letter is portrayed as the most important of all, as it is what the entire novel is based upon through the scarlet letter that Hester is forced to wear.

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... sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now, see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me; for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” (138). Both examples displayed by Hawthorne effectively show how the color white as well as sunshine symbolize purity in The Scarlet Letter.

Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the colors red, black and white, also in the form of sunshine to symbolize sin, passion, evil, secrets, and purity to add to the overall representation of The Scarlet Letter in it’s entirety. By Hawthorne’s use of these colors and the symbolism they are representative of, The Scarlet Letter shows historical, cultural and religious evidence, which adds to the overall authenticity of the novel.