How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Walking In The Scarlet Letter

Within The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes “walking” as a symbol to fulfill multiple narrative purposes--as such, walking is significant in The Scarlet Letter, and Hawthorne relies on it to fully explain his characters, events, and settings. Initially, in Chapter 2, Hawthorne uses walking as a means to establish Hester Prynne’s character and her relationship with the Puritan community. The beadle escorting Hester out of the prison has his hand on her shoulder, and he leads her out, until she repels him, and “step[s] into the open air as if by her own free will,” (40). The beadle, symbolizing the Puritan community’s harsh rules, has control over Hester, but evidently, it is not strong enough to truly restrain her. Hawthorne’s description

of Hester’s walking in this event displays her strong will and dignified character in the beginning of the novel.

The aforementioned scenario parallels the pretense of a power transition later in the novel, when Hester seems to no longer be entirely within the iron grip of the Puritan community--she retains her strong will, and she is able to cast off the scarlet letter and mentally move beyond its immediate influence. However, Hester does not gain any power when she decides to take the symbol off her chest, since Pearl’s violent anger and blatant refusal to walk towards her mom (122) symbolizes the hold the community still has upon Hester--through the scarlet letter, and thus, through Pearl. Moreover, Hawthorne employs walking to again emphasize the continuing power of the Puritan community in Chapter 22, with the purposeful use of intense words to describe the parade. The ordeal is described as being “slow and stately,” as well as “[having] a brilliancy of effect which no modern display can aspire to equal,” (136). In

addition, Hawthorne repeatedly applies the descriptors “procession” and “march” to the ceremony, instead of some other, weaker words. The movement of the Puritan superiors also highlights the hypocrisy of the community--a group that emphasizes the eradication of most earthly pleasures is seen marching around, celebrating with heroic music, which is precisely the activities the Puritans intended to leave in the Old World. Then, Hawthorne revisits the procession as a means to foreshadow the unfortunate fate that awaits Hester and Dimmesdale at the end of the book. The nearing of the community officials--the same men who imprisoned Hester and branded her as a heinous criminal--mirrors the arrival of Hester and Dimmesdale’s impending fate. In Chapter 22, Hawthorne writes that the ”heavy foot-step of their approaching Fate might be heard, nearer, nearer, nearer!” (138).
However, Hawthorne employs walking to explain more than just Hester’s character and the Puritan community’s power.

Particularly, Reverend Dimmesdale’s walking is an important symbol for Hawthorne’s text. On the walk to the forest meeting with Hester, Dimmesdale’s gait is described as “listless...as if he saw no reason for taking one step further,” (Chapter 16, 111). Since Dimmesdale is struggling with his passion and his guilt, this lifeless walk symbolizes the Reverend’s loss of faith, as his internal conflict dominates his every waking moment and he becomes increasingly distraught and powerless. Later, after the conversation with Hester, Dimmesdale is reinvigorated, and filled with a sense of power. Chapter 20 is named The Minister in a Maze, and therefore, evidently symbolizes Dimmesdale’s spiritual journey. In religion, labyrinths often represent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, or the “path to Jerusalem.” Consequently, Puritans refer to the New World, specifically Boston, as New Jerusalem. Also, Christianity references mazes multiple times again--Stations of the Cross are a sequence of pictures following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. These stations are intended to assist Christians in making a spiritual pilgrimage, as the Reverend does in his journey from the forest to the town. Beforehand, Dimmesdale was lethargic, and lacking in faith. Dimmesdale is emboldened after his talk with Hester, which “lent him unaccustomed physical energy,” (125). Therefore, the minister’s

walk through the unruly, obstacle-ridden forest symbolizes an internally challenging religious expedition that Hester lent him the power and faith to endure, as he walks to the Holy Land.
Ultimately, for Hawthorne, it is essential to exploit walking in order to imbue his story with strong symbolism. While walking is just a basic task, it also lends Hawthorne a critical medium for communicating pertinent details about various situations, characters, and places. Without walking, and its symbolism, the novel would lack deeper meaning as well as important details necessary to transform the story into an expertly written piece of literature.