Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
Symbolism in literature is the deepness and hidden meaning in a piece of
work. It is often used to represent a moral or religious belief or value.
Without symbolism literature is just a bunch of meaningless words on paper. The
most symbolic piece of work in American Literature is Nathaniel Hawthorne's The
Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne's use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter is one of
the most significant contributions to the rise of American Literature.
Much of Hawthorne's symbolism is very hard to find but several symbols are
also obvious. In the first chapter Hawthorne describes the prison as "the black
flower of civilized society". The prison represents the crime and punishment
that was incorporated in the early Puritan life. He also contrasts the prison
with the tombstone at the end of the novel by suggesting that crime and
punishment bring about the end of civilized life. In the same chapter he
describes the overgrown vegetation of weeds around the prison. The weeds
symbolize how corrupt civilization really is. He also points out a positive
symbol, the wild rose bush. This represents the blossoming of good out of the
darkness of all civilized life.
The most important symbol which is carried throughout the novel is
undoubtedly the scarlet letter A. It initially symbolizes the immoral act of
adultery but by the end of the novel the "A" has hidden much more meaning than
that. The "A" appears in many other places than on the chest of Hester Prynne.
It is seen on the armor breastplate at Governor Bellingham's mansion. At night
while Dimmesdale is standing on the scaffold he sees a bright red letter A in
the sky. While Pearl is playing near the bay shore she arranges some grass in
the form of an A on her own breast. But one of the most important A's is one
the spectators see burnt on Dimmesdale's chest.
The letter A also has a variety of meanings. Originally standing for the
sin of adultery it has a different meaning for each character. The Puritan
community considers the letter a mark of just punishment. Hester sees the
letter as a symbol of unjust humiliation.
I chose this word because the plot of the second chapter details the crime committed by Hester Prynne. Her “sin” of conceiving a child under adulterous affairs was an intolerable act in a Puritan society. Her child became a symbol of her sin but also a symbol of love. The scarlet letter “A” that was supposed to represent her shame became
The letter "A," worn on Hester's bodice, is a symbol of her adultery against Roger Chillingworth. This letter is meant to be worn in shame, and to make Hester feel unwanted. "Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment . . ." Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she chooses not to show it. She committed this sin in the heat of passion, and fully admits it because, though she is ashamed, she also received her greatest treasure, Pearl, out of it. She is a very strong woman to be able to hold up so well, against what she must face. Many would have fled Boston, and sought a place where no one knew of her great sin. Hester chose to stay though, which showed a lot of strength and integrity. Any woman with enough nerve to hold up against a town which despised her very existence, and to stay in a place where her daughter is referred to as a "devil child” is a very tough woman.
between Pearl and the “A”. She is the symbol of Hester’s sin but the tone
letter *A* embroidered on her chest. The A served as a symbol of her crime, was
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