Light And Dark In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter explores the parallel between light and dark in many ways. In 17th century New England, Hester Prynne, the protagonist, is imprisoned for adultery, resulting in a child. Consequently, she’s forced to wear an embroidered red A on her chest for the rest of her life. Throughout the following years, Hester realizes that the scarlet letter isn’t as terrible a punishment as it seemed. During the novel, the parallel between light and dark is shown in its relation to the characters' personalities, the natural world around them, and the characters' emotions. Light and dark are utilized in the first section of the novel to demonstrate the personalities of the characters. This parallel is first shown when

In this part of the novel, Minister Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth move in together so that Chillingworth can watch over the minister’s health. Dimmesdale’s room is pictured with a large window to allow in plenty of sunlight, and also large curtains to cover up the light and darken the room(108). This depiction of light and dark is important because Dimmesdale is a very important figure in the religious town so he’s to have lots of light and attention on him at all times. But, there also has to be darkness because he’s to constantly hide the part of him that has sinned and committed adultery with Hester. By describing Dimmesdale’s room like this, the reader can infer that even though the minister is a very holy and important person, he also has some dark things to hide from everyone. One day, Dimmesdale goes into Chillingworth’s study where he’s inspecting a dark weed. He says that he found it “growing on a grave”(111) and the plant was growing “out of his heart”(112). Dimmesdale becomes defensive when Chillingworth starts to question the dead man’s morality. This is symbolic of the dark weeds growing in Dimmesdale’s own heart. He’s said before that he’d carry his secret affair with Hester to the grave, never letting anyone know. This interaction has allowed Dimmesdale to realize that even if he does this, people may still find out about his crime.

She’s young and isn’t yet aware of the evil and darkness that’s present in the world around her. When on her way to talk with Dimmesdale after his discussion with her mother, Pearl is expressed as being cloaked in bright sunlight(181). Pearl is a small girl that hasn’t truly had the chance to make decisions for herself, and therefore hasn’t committed any evil or sinful acts. Because of this, she’s always narrated as being light and full of happiness and innocence. Pearl is also a very happy child which adds to the symbolism of her light description. In parts where she’s playing and having fun, she’s always followed by bright rays of light from the sun or the stars. While this is often true, in some circumstances, Pearl can be portrayed as dark and evil. After becoming upset over her mother’s missing letter, she glances down at her reflection in a small puddle. In this puddle, the reader is told about the “shadowy wrath of Pearl’s image”(183). This just goes to show that even though she’s mostly happy and bright, there’s a dark side to Pearl and it can come out when she’s the angriest. At this moment, she’s confused and isn’t used to seeing Hester without the bold scarlet letter on her chest. This brings out strong emotions in Pearl, which allows the reader to see the other side of Pearl that isn't often shown. The darkness described in her eyes demonstrates the true emotions she’s experiencing