How Does Hester Prynne Use Symbols In The Scarlet Letter

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In the world of literature, symbolism is defined as a figure of speech where actions of characters, objects or events having a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story, rather than its literal meaning. During the colonial times, there lived a woman, Hester Prynne, whose life is portrayed the book The Scarlet Letter. This novel is a masterwork in the literature world, where symbolism, romance and history were put together. The centralized idea the author used to evoke to the reader is use of symbolism. Symbolism was used in this novel by the author to express the genuine intentions of the characters. One of major reiterated object mentioned in this novel was the scarlet letter A on Hester Prynne’s breast. Besides the literal meaning of this symbol, stood a figurative meaning in Hester’s life. Hester was forced to wear this sign as a …show more content…

Unlike Hester, Arthur decided to hide the truth and factual reasons of that sign, but emotionally torturing himself, hence torturing him emotionally. At this point Arthur Dimmesdale is in full of pain and he believes that is from his hear being “cold and dead…have had plenty of penance- but no repentance.” (Hawthorne, 304) Arthur believes that the inflating pain is from the scarlet letter on his, a pain that increased gradually over time, a pain that killed him, all from the guilt of what happen seven years ago. Finally, right before he died, he proclaimed “I stand upon a spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman… Lo the scarlet letter Hester wears! Ye shall all shuddered at it! … But there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sins and infamy ye have not shuddered!” (Hawthorne, 402) This is one of major points of the story where the climax of the plot and the true hidden overall meaning of the scarlet letter is

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