How Does Hawthorne Use Symbols In The Scarlet Letter

How does Hawthorne use symbolism in The Scarlet Letter? In this essay I will be talking about what kind of symbolism he used in The Scarlet Letter and why he wrote this novel The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorneuses key symbols to represent themes in the book. The most influential symbol was the Scarlet Letter that Hester wears on her chest all the time. Light and darkness play a role in the symbolic nature of the background and scenery. Hawthorne’s setting in the Scarlet Letter are also symbolic and play a huge role by having the theme stick out. The most influential symbol was the Scarlet A. The letter A in The Scarlett Letter has various meanings and is the more popular symbol in the book. The letter A is a sign of adultery, penance, and penitence. Hester’s A on her bosom brings out that she is suffering and that she is lonely. Hester is hidden by the magnified symbol just as her life and

Similar to the characters, the context determines what role the light or darkness plays. The Scarlet Letter 's first chapter ends with an admonition to "relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow" with "some sweet moral blossom." These opposites are found throughout the novel and often set the tone and define which side of good and bad develop the characters. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest with a "gray expanse of cloud" and a narrow path hemmed in by the black and dense forest. The feelings of the lovers, weighed down by guilt, are reflected in the darkness of nature. Every so often, sunshine flickers on the setting. But Pearl reminds her mother that the sun will not shine on the sinful Hester; it does shine, however, when Hester passionately lets down her hair. The sun is the symbol of untroubled, guilt-free happiness, or perhaps the approval of God and nature. It also seems to be, at times, the light of truth and