What Does The Scaffold Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet Letter comprises a story of secrets, sin, and shame in the strict Puritan culture. Hawthorne uses symbolism, like the scarlet letter, the scaffold, the town and the village, to portray specific themes of the story. The Scarlet letter symbolizes Hester and Dimmesdale’s shame. For Hester specifically it portrays her public shame and humiliation as a result of her sin, as shown in the quote ”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.” (Hawthorne 36) Furthermore, the Letter portrays how Dimmesdale and Hester bare their sins individually and the Scaffold shows the evolution of Hester and Dimmesdale’s shared sin. The Scaffold signifies …show more content…

Pearl, being a being a beautiful little girl, was described as an ‘imp of evil’. Her passionate nature and fiery attitude was said to be a sort of miracle punishment, Hester having a child but her child being odd. Hester named Pearl not for her beauty but for her “price”, “But she named the infant Pearl’ as being of great price-purchased with all she had- her mother’s only treasure!” (59) The bastard child was worth everything to her mother, though she ended up being a punishment to her mother. Pearl was purely a selfish, strong willed child in defiance to her …show more content…

Dimmesdale, the allegedly holy reverend, dooms himself as a result of his guilt for hiding being the father of Pearl. Doomed by his own choice, therefore, as Mr. Dimmesdale so evidently was, to eat his unsavoury morsel always at another’s board, and endure the life-long chill which must be his lot who seeks to warm himself only at another’s fireside, it truly seemed that this sagacious, experienced, benevolent old physician with his concord of paternal and reverential love for the young pastor, was the very man, of all mankind, to be constantly within reach of his voice. (128-129) Chillingworth’s want for revenge over Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin alludes to the cold nature of his name. He succumbs to his cold desire for revenge and eventually leads to the death of Dimmesdale. “But Old Roger Chillingworth too, had perceptions that were almost intuitive; and when the minister threw his startled eyes towards him, there the physician sat; his kind, watchful, sympathising, but never intrusive friend.” (87), this shows his cold, manipulative,

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