Symbolizing the Black Man
Different characters or important items can be used to depict separate moods or situations that go on in the story. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses the name, the Black Man, to represent the Devil in his evil and dark ways. Hawthorne explains in his novel, through Pearl, that the Black Man lives in the forest at the end of town. The Black Man would “ask people that meet him walking through the forest to sign their name in his book and would sign their name in their own blood and would have his mark on their chest” (Hawthorne 167). The Black Man is mentioned throughout the book, but mostly at the end.
The Black Man is represented as the Devil in the book. The Devil is a symbol of evil and hatred. He likes to take over our bodies and tempt us to sin and not follow God’s works. “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his Native Language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (New International Version, John 8:44). The Scarlet Letter introduces many other characteristics about the Black Man.
The Black Man is viewed as an evil presence that haunts the forest. He is in comparison to the Devil because they both tempt people that believe in a religion to sin and do their evil works. In other words,
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they make people believe that making the wrong choice is a good decision. Hawthorne also gives the Black Man a back story and how he is described. Nathaniel Hawthorne explains to the reader that the Black Man lives in the forest at the end of town. When people walking through the forest meet him, he asks them to sign their name in his book. “How this ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to everybody that meets him here among the trees” (Hawthorne 167). No one has ever seen him while they are walking through the forest. The only persons that were close to talking to the Black Man throughout the novel were Hester Prynne and Pearl at the end of the novel, They talk to Mistress Hibbens instead, “the old lady” (Hawthorne 216-217) . The Black Man only talks to people that meet him while they are walking through the forest. In conclusion, the Black Man symbolizes the dark and evil works of the father of lies, the Devil.
They are compared to each other in many similar ways. Nathaniel Hawthorne gave a lot of detail about him. Even though what the townspeople said was rather true about giving his symbol to whoever signs his book, the Black Man is still a vital, and evil, part of The Scarlet Letter.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, February 2003. Print.
NIV Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012.
Print.
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