Color And Symbolism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

The Color of Symbolism
How can something as insignificant as color have such a large impact on the hidden intentions of an author? Often times ordinary aspects are overlooked while searching for the deeper meaning behind a story. However, color can often illustrate elements just as significant as literary devices. The use of color in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the personality of Pearl, the passion and sin behind the “A”, and the changing colors of plants shows the descent to evil.
Pearls come in an array of hues, black, pink, and white especially. Hester Prynne named her child after this beautiful gemstone, but did she name her this due to the child's beauty or due to the uniqueness she shares with the gem? Pearl is described as a “..lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion” (Hawthorne 61). Although she is young, she is not merely a child, but a symbol of both good and evil. Hester chose the name of her only child as she was “...of great price, -purchased

Hawthorne is precisely descriptive of the letter’s color, not only is it red, but it is “...scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread” (Hawthorne 41). Scarlet is a very deep and beautiful hue of red which embodies the depth threaded into the letter. This shade symbolizes not just the sin it was intended to symbolize, but the love and passion that forged Hester and Dimmesdale’s relationship, along with Hester’s compassion for her child. The gold thread mirrors the purity and righteousness in Hester’s heart. Furthermore, she is charitable and courteous as she “...bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself, and who not unfrequently insulted the hand that fed them” (Hawthorne 57). Even after Hester is publicly shamed, she still finds the compassion to give back what little she has to the less fortunate who continue to shame