The Symbolic Nature of the Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter introduces themes within the story that recur in several settings and serve as metaphors for the underlying conflicts. The trouble in interpreting The Scarlet Letter is the fact that the story is packed full of symbolism that can be either overlooked, or misinterpreted. From the actual letter ‘A’, down to the use of colors, Hawthorne wrote his story with the intention of making the reader work harder and read deeper into the characters and actual meaning of the story.
As the book opens, the first scene the readers are introduced to is the bleak image of a throng of people surrounding a prison door. To create the mood of gloom and sadness Hawthorne uses words such as “sad colored” and “gray, steeple crowned hats,” to describe the clothing of the towns people. The prison stands for sin and an authority that does not condone the deviance from the Puritanical severity of law, and next to the prison door grows a wild rose bush. The single red rose that grows from it serves as a symbol of passion and the two combined, indicate that the prisoner has been incarcerated as a result of the sin from passion. Also, Ann Hutchinson, who disagreed with the severity of Puritanical teachings and was imprisoned, plays a small part when Hawthorne references her name by mentioning it was possible the beautiful rosebush sprang from her steps. This is an implication of the rigidness of Puritanical authoritarianism and ties the beliefs of the prisoner to those of Ann Hutchinson. The rosebush is also link to the forest and it is mentioned that the rosebush could be a remnant of the former wilderness which once covered the area. The forest surrounding the town is the only place in which Puritanical laws are not abided, and the fact that the wild rose bush and the forest are connected gives the audience the idea that the two were somehow combined. The rosebush symbolizes Hester Prynne and the fact that it is a remnant of the wilderness foreshadows much of Hester’s character and behavior. Last, the rose bush is in full bloom which indicates that Hester is in the prime of passion. The result of this passion is the birth of a child. The child can also be compared to the blossoms and serve as a “moral blossom”, making her a key player in the actual moral of the story.
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...he final scaffold scene, when Hester and Dimmesdale acknowledge publicly their sin—freeing them spiritually from their punishment, Hester and Pearl leave the colony for many years. Hester returns on her own accord and takes up again the scarlet letter. In doing so, Hester gains authority over her own life and the letter becomes more a symbol that equated her with a “destined prophetess” than a sinner: “The scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence too”(Hawthorne,1523).
The Scarlet Letter, containing some of the most important metaphors and symbols pertaining to human nature, does not grab the reader’s attention with high impact drama, but instead, with the narrator's uniquely penetrating descriptions of his characters' thoughts, feelings and relationships. The plot is constantly interrupted with Hawthorne’s own thoughts, or other’s points of view. It’s tragically, yet realistically romantic, because it delves deep into the human heart and explores the character’s dedication to religion, one’s self and to others.
Pearl is an example of the innocent result of sin. All the kids make fun of Pearl and they disclude her from everything. She never did anything wrong, but everyone treats her like she committed the sin also. Pearl acts out against the children that make fun of her and acts like a crazy child. She cannot control the sins that her parents committed.
Beginning with the very first words of The Scarlet Letter the reader is thrust into a bleak and unforgiving setting. “A thong of bearded men, in sad-colored garments,” that are said to be “intermixed with women,” come off as overpowering and all-encompassing; Hawthorne quickly and clearly establishes who will be holding the power in this story: the males (Hawthorne 45). And he goes even further with his use of imagery, painting an even more vivid picture in the reader’s mind. One imagines a sea of drab grays and browns, further reinforcing the unwelcoming feeling this atmosphere seems to inheren...
The characters Hawthorne develops are deep, unique, and difficult to genuinely understand. Young, tall, and beautiful Hester Prynne is the central protagonist of this story. Shamefully, strong-willed and independent Hester is the bearer of the scarlet letter. Burning with emotion, she longs for an escape from her mark, yet simultaneously, she refuses to seem defeated by society’s punishment. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale claims the secondary role in The Scarlet Letter; he is secretly Hester’s partner in adultery. Conflicted and grieved over his undisclosed act, he drives himself to physical and mental sickness. He fervently desires Hester, but should he risk his godly reputation by revealing the truth? Dimmesdale burns like Hester. Pearl, the child produced in Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin, is the third main character. She is fiery, passionate, perceiving, and strikingly symbolic; at one point in the novel she is referred to as “the scarlet letter endowed with life!” Inevitably, Pearl is consumed with questions about herself, her mother, and Dimmesdale. The reader follows Pearl as she discovers the truth. Altogether, Hawthorne’s use of intricately complex, conflicted ch...
The first theme expressed in The Scarlet Letter is that even well meaning deceptions and secrets can lead to destruction. Dimmesdale is a prime example of this; he meant well by concealing his secret relationship with Hester, however, keeping it bound up was deteriorating his health. Over the course of the book this fact is made to stand out by Dimmesdale’s changing appearance. Over the course of the novel Dimmesdale becomes more pale, and emaciated. Hester prevents herself from suffer the same fate. She is open about her sin but stays loyal to her lover by not telling who is the father of Pearl. Hester matures in the book; becomes a stronger character.
Pearls have always held a great price to mankind, but no pearl had ever been earned at as high a cost to a person as in Hester Prynne, a powerful Heroine in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Her daughter Pearl, born into a Puritan prison in more ways than one, is an enigmatic character serving entirely as a vehicle for symbolism. From her introduction as an infant on her mother’s scaffold of shame to the stormy peak of the story, Pearl is an empathetic and intelligent child. Throughout the story she absorbs the hidden emotions of her mother and magnifies them for all to see. Pearl is the essence of literary symbolism. She is, at times, a vehicle for Hawthorne to express the inconsistent and translucent qualities of Hester and Dimmesdale’s unlawful bond, and at other times, a forceful reminder of her mother’s sin. Pearl Prynne is her mother’s most precious possession and her only reason to live, but Pearl also serves as a priceless treasure purchased with Hester’s life. Pearl’s strange beauty and deeply enigmatic qualities make her the most powerful symbol Hawthorne has ever created. The product of Hester’s sin and agony, Pearl, was a painfully constant reminder of her mother’s violation of the Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Hester herself felt that Pearl was given to her not only as a blessing but a punishment worse than death or ignominy. She is tormented by her daughter’s childish teasing and endless questioning about the scarlet letter and its relation to Minister Dimmesdale.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne has introduced a character that has been judged harshly. Because, she has been misinformed of her husband’s death; therefore, she was greave and had sought comfort resulting in a baby from the lover whom gave her comfort. When her secret had been discovered she was isolated for committing a treacherous crime of adultery, as one of her punishments she was forced to wear an A on her chest. The novel presents a structure of a society, using symbolism and diction to give underline meaning to the themes, portraying religious tendencies ruled by the philosophy of good and evil.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Scarlet Letter”. American Literature: Volume One. Ed. William E. Cain. New York: Pearson, 2004. 809-813. Print
Although some critics may say Hester understood her sin, her love for Pearl and Dimmesdale keep her from this. Hester takes Pearl with her to the Governor’s mansion to demand she keep guardianship of Pearl, “the mother herself...lavishing many hours of morbid ingenuity, to create an analogy between the object of her affection, and the emblem of her guilt and torture” (Hawthorne 59). Hester has dressed Pearl up in scarlet as an act of rebellion out of pride. Hester has pride in Pearl and for this reason is blindsided to her sin. Though her reason for staying in the Puritan community over leaving was suffering punishment and repentance, this act of defyment is contradictory showing she is simply proud of Pearl and does not care for repentance. After Hester makes the decision with Dimmesdale to leave their community, Hester casts away her scarlet letter, Pearl brings Hester
Even with the hateful comments and the negative attitude towards her daughter and herself, Hester believes that she can raise Pearl right, and to be a good mother even with the scarlet letter on her bosom. Hester`s confidence in herself, not giving up, and to keep pushing forward when times are tough keep her from drowning in despair, self-pity, guilt, and depression. For example, Hester defends her rights of motherhood to keep Pearl, and to have the confidence to speak such a way to the ministers and Governor Bellingham. Hester says, “God gave her into my keeping, repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. I will not give her up! —And here, by sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes” (Hawthorne, 103). The quote explains how even with the scarlet letter on her chest, Hester has her own identity and will defend Pearl for anything. Hester`s true identity and the way society views her are entirely different, because she is described as a sinful hussy who does not know how to raise a child, when in reality, Hester would give her own life for
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolsim is constantly present in the actual scarlet letter “A” as it is viewed as a symbol of sin and the gradally changes its meanign, guilt is also a mejore symbol, and Pearl’s role in this novel is symbolic as well. The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and crucial symbols. these devices of symbolism are best portayed in the novel, most noticably through the letter “A” best exemplifies the changes in the symbolic meaning throughout the novel.
Several factors can cause a character to change himself or herself as an individual. It can range from the present set of affairs of the surrounding environment to the person’s own conscience. Such alterations can be detected in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter. Local reverend of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Arthur Dimmesdale was admired by, in essence, everyone. He had undergone particular experiences that ultimately led to his release, physically and spiritually.
Through the divergent views of Hester, the villagers, Pearl, and Hawthorne, one can see that the symbolism of the scarlet letter cannot be limited to one idea. Much like the story itself, the scarlet letter is layered in meaning and dependent on which character’s view it is seen through. Penance, shame, truth, and fortitude are all themes that hide behind the Scarlet “A”, each one a forewarning lesson, a universal message to not try to hide one’s sins in fear, but to accept oneself in one’s faults, learn to move on, and
“The Tell-Tale-Heart” is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s greatest fictional short stories. It is known for its repulsive and insane homicide; a very wild and thrilling tale. Likewise, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well-known novel, The Scarlet Letter, is famous for its directness on sexual conflict. Both writings possess similarities with regards to modified characters, connected symbolism, and significant midpoints. Due to these comparisons, it is quite certain that Hawthorne found inspiration in writing The Scarlet Letter after reading “The Tell Tale-Heart”.
The jail was rusted, had iron spikes, and was decaying. The only sign of life this jail had was a wild red rose bush growing outside the door. When the prison door opened, she stood fully revolving to the town people and pulled the child close to her chest and began to walk out. The narrator gives in detail the vision the people of Boston saw as they looked at Hester, “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an 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 the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore” (51). The scarlet letter made Hester one of her own kind and separated her from the entire town.
The Scarlet Letter is a fictional novel that begins with an introductory passage titled ‘The Custom-House’. This passage gives a historical background of the novel and conveys the narrator’s purpose for writing about the legend of Hester Prynne even though the narrator envisions his ancestors criticizing him and calling him a “degenerate” because his career was not “glorifying God”, which is very typical of the strict, moralistic Puritans. Also, although Hawthorne is a Romantic writer, he incorporates properties of Realism into his novel by not idealizing the characters and by representing them in a more authentic manner. He does this by using very formal dialogue common to the harsh Puritan society of the seventeenth century and reflecting their ideals through this dialogue. The Puritans held somewhat similar views as the Transcendentalists in that they believed in the unity of God and the world and saw signs and symbols in human events, such as when the citizens related the meteo...