In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the protagonist, Hester Prynne, committed adultery in the eyes of the Puritan society that surrounds her. She is convicted and punished through public humiliation, and is forced to wear a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest, as a constant reminder of her sin. Her adulterous lover, the beloved Reverend Dimmesdale, remains unknown to the townsfolk for the duration of the novel, leaving Hester’s isolation and loneliness to intensify. Throughout the novel, each character struggles with questions of identity in terms of self and public perception. Thus, Hawthorne uses symbolism and allegory in naming and identifying the characters to provide an insight into each character's personality to the reader enhancing the story. …show more content…
The name Prynne is to be interpreted allegorically with her sin: “ ... sent his wife before him.. in some two years, or less, that have come of this learned gentleman, Master Prynne; and his young wife, look you, being left to her own misguidance” (55). Although her sin is known to the reader, the name Prynne is almost a direct reminder of the sin and punishment that Hester deals with in the center of the public eye. Additionally, her daughter Pearl is symbolic as she represents her mother’s integrity not to be defined by the scarlet letter nor allow the Puritan society to confine her. Her name is symbolic in that pearls have a luster or radiance about them and she is dressed in fabrics that reflect the radiance of her soul. Furthermore, her name is fitting as she is unique, rare like a pearl, yet temperamental as she doesn’t accept nor suffer any poor treatment received being the product of