Amber Patti
Mr. Shevel
AP English 11
6 December 2017
Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter
In Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, there is a broad array of symbolism throughout the entire book. The purpose of using symbolism versus writing out the meaning making an extraordinarily boring and bland book is that it makes the reader have to think more and delve into the deeper meaning of things. Hawthorne also uses symbolism to convey a much deeper mental image of his words to the audience. He uses an vast array of colors, unique characters and grave sin to portray an deeper unconvoluted meaning to the audience; also, by using symbolism, Hawthorne manages to broaden the knowledge and imaginary context of The Scarlet Letter to allow people relate to the novel through the scarlet letter.
Symbolism is when an author uses a symbol or an object to relate it to another meaning other than its literal meaning. It is normally used
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One argument some may use is what the color red symbolizes. They argue that the scarlet color for the letter “A” that has to be bore on main character Hester’s chest is absolutely meaningless and is chosen to be that color because it is a color tone that would stand out upon most of the clothing they would wear, not matching any or fitting in with the style of clothing worn and is only meant to stand out like the Superman “S” on the chest of Superman. In rebuttal to this argument the author Hawthorne would not have named the title of the book “The Scarlet Letter” if the scarlet “A” bore on Hester’s chest were meant to be a meaningless symbol only to stand out upon the typical clothing worn by women at the time. Hawthorne also meant to include meaning to the color of the letter, which is scarlet, by how he verbosely uses it in conjunction with only the letter worn for on Hester’s chest and not anywhere else in the
Symbolism plays a very important part in Scarlet Letter because it helps to identify characters and the main ideas of the story. It can help a reader to visualize and understand the meaning of the story better when there are symbols to help explain the meaning of something. Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne, Pearl, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale as symbols all throughout the book. They are the main characters of the story and they all overcome some difficulties in the end. They all have important roles in the book.
Throughout his literary endeavors, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to present a certain theme that pertains to human nature and life. In his works, The Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil", Hawthorne uses symbolism to present a common theme pertaining to religion; that though manifested sin will ostracize a person from society, un-confessed sin will destroy the soul.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism several times in the book, The Scarlet Letter. Some examples of this are when they talk of the scaffold, the brook, the forest, and the sunshine. The one that I will discuss is the sunshine. Hawthorne uses sunshine in the novel to symbolize purity and hope several times throughout the book. In one scene of the book, Pearl requests that Hester grab some sunshine and give it to her to play with. Hester then replies, "No, my little Pearl! Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee." (p.104) Hester has no sunshine to give Pearl because she has committed adultery and is not pure. Another example is when Hester and Pearl are taking a walk through the forest when a dark cloud came over the sky and Pearl said, "Mother," said little Pearl, "the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom." Pearl says this just innocently playing around, not having a clue of exactly how right she is. She says that the sun fears the "A" and avoids the impurity of it at all costs, even disappearing from the sky. Later in that walk, Hawthorne again shows how the sun refuses to be around Hester and her sin. Hester tells Pearl to run off and catch the sun and so she sets off at a great pace and, in her innocence, she seemingly catches it and stands right in the midst of it. Hester comes over and attempts to come over bask in the sunshine and Pearl says, while shaking her head, "It will go now." Hester replies, "See! Now I can stretch out my hand and grasp some of it," but "As she attempted to do so, the sunshine vanished." This shows how the sun, being pure, adorned the Pearl in her innocence, while it shunned Hester for her impurity. Hawthorne shows the symbol of sunshine best in the chapter appropriately titled, "A Flood of Sunshine." In this particular scene, Dimmesdale and Hester are discussing what Dimmesdale will do about the current situation with their relationship. Dimmesdale announces that he will leave the community, and he must do it alone. In the heat of the moment Hester declares that he will not have to go alone, and she takes off her bonnet and throws down the
“Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used by the author to represent abstract ideas or concepts.” Symbolism in literature is the depth and hidden meaning in any piece of work. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a powerful and evocative novel laced with symbolism. The most obvious is the symbol of the scarlet letter itself, representing Hester’s sin of adultery. Hawthorne’s other symbols are less obvious and are very often obscured in the novel.
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes imagery to convey that Dimmesdale can represent Puritan Society rather than the round character that can be seen on the surface level. This is seen through the imagery and symbolism of hypocrisy, Dimmesdale as a Christ figure, and the scarlet letter.
The Symbolic Use of Nature in The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic The Scarlet Letter, nature plays a very important and symbolic role. Hawthorne uses nature to convey the mood of a scene, to describe characters, and to link the natural elements with human nature. Many of the passages that have to do with nature accomplish more than one of these ideas. All throughout the book, nature is incorporated into the story line.
A symbol is an object used to stand for something else. Symbolism has a hidden meaning lying within it; these meanings unite to form a more detailed theme. Symbolism is widely used in The Scarlet Letter to help the reader better understand the deep meanings Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays throughout his novel. He shows that sin, known or unknown to the community, isolates a person from their community and from God. Hawthorne also shows this by symbols in nature around the town, natural symbols in the heavens, and nature in the forest.
Hawthorne assures that symbolism is prevalent throughout The Scarlet Letter. The novel is filled with countless symbols; however, the most central symbols are Pearl, the scaffold, and the scarlet letter. Each symbol changes significance throughout stages of the novel. Whereas most of the objects started out as a punishment, or a negative symbol, they ultimately improve, providing hope and inspiration for all sinners.
Symbolism is using a character or object to represent an idea. Hawthorne displayed much of it in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. He displays it in his characters and objects in the novel. He even symbolizes the book by calling it, “A tale of human frailty and sorrow.” Other displays of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter, are like, the rosebush, the scaffold, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Symbolism can sometimes be hard to understand, or difficult to figure out what a character or object is symbolizing.
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
Symbolism plays an important role in the Scarlet Letter. The scarlet "A" is used to represent sin and anguish along with happiness. The "A" has different meanings to people other than what was originally intended. The scaffold is used as a place of repentance and judgment by God. Pearl is another major symbol used as a reminder of the scarlet letter.
Hawthorne was a talented and skilled writer, who was greatly influenced by the the community in which he lived. Instead of giving in to society dashing his hopes of becoming a successful writer, he wrote about Hester to express himself and explain his conflicts with the crooked, oppressive society and beliefs of the time. He discusses the problems in a way that every reader can relate to and sympathize with the characters. He skillfully transforms a symbol of shame and sin into a symbol of maternity and nurturance. The Scarlet Letter is truly a symbol of believing in people's capabilities. It is a symbol of resistance to society if all it causes people to do is reject their identities and who they really are.
Throughout the novel, the Scarlet Letter it is evident that the scarlet letter’s meaning morphed into different things. Starting off as a pure symbol of adultery and deemed solely for punishment the scarlet letter later stood for abel and although meant to punish Hester it actually benefited her as a person. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s decision to change the red letter’s meaning in the story helps drive the plot and add depth and complexity to the tale. From adultery and sin to strength and ableness the scarlet letters meaning is the driving force in this
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, “The Scarlet Letter”, his use of symbolism, infantile, diction, and misleading details characterize Arthur Dimmesdale and his relationship with Hester Prynne. Hawthorne uses symbolism to reveal the characterization of Arthur Dimmesdale. In chapter three, it says “ (Dimmesdale) with his hand upon his heart”. This gesture can be used to symbolize an illness. In Puritan society, illness was thought to be caused by committing a sin. When Dimmesdale shows himself with his hand over his heart, it represents a deeper illness that has manifested itself inside him. However, he can’t relieve himself from his illness or most likely guilt because he has yet to confess and repent for his sin. This deep guilt manifests itself on Dimmesdale
The Scarlet Letter is a blend of realism, symbolism, and allegory. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses historical settings for this fictional novel and even gives historical background information for the inspiration of the story of Hester Prynne in the introduction of The Scarlet Letter, ‘The Custom-House’. The psychological exploration of the characters and the author’s use of realistic dialogue only add to the realism of the novel. The most obvious symbol of the novel is the actual scarlet letter ‘A’ that Hester wears on her chest every day, but Hawthorne also uses Hester’s daughter Pearl and their surroundings as symbols as well. Allegory is present as well in The Scarlet Letter and is created through the character types of several characters in the novel.