Natural Goodness In Scarlet Letter

In The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to express the relationship between nature, Pearl, and natural goodness as well as the correlation between Hester Prynne, sin, and moral goodness. In “Three Orders: Natural, Moral, and Symbolic” by Hyatt Howe Waggoner, the types of goodness, moral and natural, are examined, and can be further used to indicate associations between two of the main characters, Pearl and Hester, and the two categories of virtues. Hawthorne implies that there is a clear connection between Pearl and the rosebush that grows by the prison door. The author writes that she possesses a natural beauty, “…such was the splendor of Pearl’s own proper beauty, shining through the gorgeous robes which might

The Puritans believe that Hester is a sinner because she committed adultery, but it can be argued whether this is true based on what the symbol of the scarlet badge is supposed to mean. Hawthorne tells the reader that the scarlet “A” is a punishment given to Hester by her community, but the color red and its association with natural beauty tells the reader otherwise. “Even the badge of her shame, the token of her ‘guilty’ love, is thus associated with her natural beauty” (Waggoner 318). The correlation between the color red and love, for which the sin was committed, can mean that the sin was not truly a wicked act, and therefore Hester is not representative of moral evil. Hester represents instead a moral goodness. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Hester changes; “…Hester’s rise takes her from low on the line of moral value, a ‘scarlet woman’ guilty of a sin black in the eyes of the Puritans, to a position not too remote from Mr. Wilson’s, as she becomes a sister of mercy and the light of the sickroom” (Waggoner 319). When Hester was first brought out of the prison and publicly humiliated by the scarlet letter, it was clear that the “A” meant “Adulterer”. But, as Hester accepts this as a part of her identity, the “A” begins to mean “Able”. Therefore, Hester makes a moral transformation, and in the end comes to symbolize moral goodness. Despite coming to terms with her wrongdoing, however, Hester will continue to carry both Pearl and her sin throughout the rest of her life. Her past truly never escapes her, as it can be seen in the Conclusion. The words, “On a field, sable, the letter A, gules”, are written on Hester’s tombstone, a permanent reminder of her sin (Hawthorne