What Does The Rosebush Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne an American author was born in Salem Massachusetts in 1804. One of his most famous books The Scarlet Letter takes place in puritan Boston in the 17th century. In this story a woman named Hester Prynne, has committed adultery the towns minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. Since she has committed adultery she is forced to wear an “A” on her bosom for the rest of her life as punishment for this sin. Nature is a major theme in this story. In this story nature plays so much of a role it is almost like it is another character in the story. Nature plays a critical role in The Scarlet Letter, it creates a reoccurring theme foreshadows future actions in the story. It also reflects the actions of some characters and the changes in their

beliefs and behavior. One of the most reoccurring motifs was the rosebush.

Right outside the prison doors there is a wild rosebush; this is the first and last thing every prisoner that walks through the prison doors sees.

To the criminal who enters the prison, it is a "fragrant and fragile" reminder that beauty still exists for the "condemned criminal as he comes forth to his doom," the sight of the delicate bush is a reminder of nature's sympathy for him. The rosebush symbolizes hope for the criminals. The rosebush is a symbol for all that is good but it is in front of the “ugly edifice black flower of civilized society”. In many ways the rosebush symbolizes Hester Prynne, the beautiful rose has thorns. Hester’s ‘thorn’ is that she committed adultery. The wild rose is also one of the most beautiful plants that can grow in a cold nasty climate, much like Hester can still withhold her beauty whilst wearing the scarlet “A”. Hawthorne continues his theme of the rosebush throughout the story. In chapter 8 Pearl is called a “red rose” and when she is asked where she is made from she says she wasn’t made, rather she was plucked from the wild rosebush that grew outside of the prison. This shows that Pearl understands that she was created from a sin, because the prison also represents

sin.
Pearl, who is a child of nature that represents the pureness and honesty similar to that of human nature, this scene she shows that by saying, “Mother… the sunshine does not love you.

It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.” The scarlet letter pushes Hester into a darkness of sorrow and guilt for what she has done. The sunshine (which represents the good in nature) does not shine on Hester because she isn’t standing in the light, but it has a deeper meaning of it not shining on her. It does not shine on her because she is and outcast for the sin she has done. When Hester, Pearl and Dimmesdale all meet, they do it in the forest. This is because the town is where law and religion rule all whereas the forest is where emotion and passion reign. It, as a natural force and human nature, serves to provide an environment of

privacy.

Hawthorne also uses nature to express characteristics of a character. Like in chapter 2 it is used to positively represent Hester when she is described as “In a moment… she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed… The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam.” Nature can also be used to negatively represent someone, like the women spectators who defamed Hester were represented as disgusting “What do we talk of marks and brands, whether on the bodice of the gown, or the flesh of her forehead?” cried another female the ugliest as well as the most pitiless of these self-constituted judges. “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die.”