Symbolism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

As you yell back and forth, it all falls together in your tempered mind, every little sign you decided to ignore by thinking to yourself “Oh, we can work it out, no big deal!” boy were you ever wrong, from the way he ignored you after coming home from work, to the rolling of his bloodshot eyes after stumbling through the front door at 4am after his “friends birthday celebration” every. Single. Saturday. You knew it would be a disaster from the start, but you trucked on, for the fun times you had, when his apologies seemed sincere, to your friends constantly envying you for being with such a seemingly “perfect guy” but every empty night ends with a lung emptying sigh. If you only had paid more attention to the little things, none of this would ever be happening; you are constantly in the dark with him, when all you want is the light. After a thorough reading of the Scarlet Letter, the reader can conclude that Nathaniel Hawthorne has an immense focus on symbolism, whether it's on a subconscious level like night and day, or in blatantly obvious ways, from the red letter "A", to pearl herself.
The subtle symbolism of light and dark means more than the broad explanation of happy and sad: “…from within there appeared, in the first place, like

a black shadow emerging into sunshine, the grim and gristly presence of the town-beadle, with a sword by his side, and his staff

of office in his hand”. This subtle representation of light and dark lays the foundation of much similar symbolization to come later in the book. In multiple instances darkness represents guilt, for example, when guilt ridden Reverend Dimsdale confesses to his atrocious sin under the darkness of nightfall, completely vulnerable, a gleaming comet slashes through the sky as a symbol for forgiveness/acceptance. In the opposite side of the spectrum, light portrays innocence, a great example of this would be when Pearl and Hester relax in the forest, beaming rays of light breaks through the leaves of the trees, and pearls dances in the sunlight so graciously while Hester griefs as she cannot harness the light, as darkness has overcome her.
However, most interestingly, the scarlet letter “A” exempts as “bright red” but stands for a symbol of her adultery and sin, it could be that the letter is depicted as bright red for the sole purpose of contrast and being the standout for foreshadowing so the reader can easily recognize the drastic change later in the book. The scarlet letter goes along described like this: "On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread, appeared the letter A. It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of a splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony". It also stands for the symbol of Hester’s burden, as when she removes it in the forest she removes the weight off of her conscience, as she feels like her true self when she isn’t represented as sinful woman, Pearl, however, does not see it in the same way, as when Hester removes the scarlet letter, Pearl feels overwhelmed by the sight of a new mother, a different one she has not seen yet,

getting angry and irrationally upset, though the reader may be caught distracted by the obvious scarlet letter meaning of “adultery” it slowly transforms into different independent strong meanings, as Hester grows more acceptant, and the town learns Hester’s true personality, and the scarlet letter symbolizes “able” by the end of the book.
Yet this blatant scarlet letter mustn’t be the main symbol for Hester’s burden, as the true scarlet letter, Pearl herself, proves to be the main symbol in the book. In the beginning of Pearls life she gets called a “demon child” for being brought into this harsh world through sin and regret, as the townspeople do not see her innocence. Pearl, being treated almost as an object and a burden on the town, cannot have a proper upbringing. Being fought for under the high powers, Pearl becomes Hester’s burden to be her true reminder of the shame and guilt that weighs heavily on her shoulders. The darkness that staples into Hester’s soul constantly glooms down upon Hester’s outlook, although Hester finds the true meaning of acceptance in Pearl’s emanation of innocence and happiness and it gave Hester a reason to keep moving: "Throughout all, however, there was a trait of passion, a certain depth of hue....The child could not be made amenable to rules....The mother's impassioned state had been the medium through which were transmitted to the unborn infant the rays of its moral life; and, however white and clear originally, they had taken the deep stains of crimson and gold, the fiery lustre, the black shadow, and the untempered light of the intervening substance. Above all, the warfare of Hester's spirit, at that epoch, was perpetuated in Pearl".

By the end of the read, it comes down to the little seemingly unnoticed depictions of symbolism that make The Scarlet Letter such a classic.

Nathaniel Hawthorne has an immense focus on symbolism and isn’t afraid to place it on nearly every page of The Scarlet Letter, through the darkness of guilt underneath the stellar night sky, to the shining of innocence portrayed through pearl, symbolism covers the pages beautifully, some may criticize the book for possessing too much symbolism, but there must be a main theme to every book, and The Scarlet Letter is no acceptance. Symbolism plays such a story driving part in The Scarlet Letter and yet portrayed subtly and obviously throughout, and without a doubt has seared the book into

infamy.