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Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
Critically analyse The scarlet Letter
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
Critically analyse The scarlet Letter
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Scarlet Letter, A, is a work of art and is embroidered onto fancy and beautiful cloth. Although the letter A is a symbol of sin, why did Hester work so hard on it when it represents something as sinful as
Hawthorne uses many forms of rhetoric to portray his characters, but relies heavily on pathos in the instance of Hester Prynne. She’s a member of an inherently misogynistic society, and because she’s a woman, her every act is scrutinized. As punishment for her act of adultery, Hester is ordered to adorn her chest with a permanent scarlet letter. Although the audience is well aware of the atrocity of the sin she’s committed, Hawthorne’s writing sparks a feeling of empathy within the reader. Throughout the novel, the reader is exposed to several clear uses of pathos.
She illustrates this in her beautification of the scarlet letter (Hawthorne 44). Hester’s creation of the opulent letter is unnecessary, disconnecting her from the Puritan belief of simplicity. Furthermore, Hester expresses her indulgence in her creation of gratuitous baby clothing. These creations are so lavish that they would “raise a public tumult” (Hawthorne 203) in the Puritan community, since they value modesty. The abhorrence of extravagance is displayed in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.
Hester has to wear a letter A on her chest for her punishment of adultery. In The Scarlet Letter, the meaning and significance of the letter A is altered as the novel goes on. Hester, the townspeople, and Pearl all have views of the letter that change. Through their views of the letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author, reveals what his view on the letter is. Hester’s view of
Within the recent events of the overturning of Roe V Wade the opinions on abortion have been at the forefront of political conversations. Especially among the people who are pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life believes that an unborn fetus is a life and killing it is killing a person, meanwhile pro-choice is the belief that someone who is carrying the fetus has the right to choose whether they keep it or not. The article “3 Compelling Reasons I am Pro-life” by Tim Counts on the website erlc is about the reasoning behind this man’s point of view. The article uses three points religion, science, and “human flourishing and love”.
The letter gave Hester a new power to sympathize with and be charitable to others. Townspeople even began to interpret the letter very differently from its original meaning. They began to believe that the symbol no longer meant adultery, however, its new significance was to mean “Able” (111). Her selfless acts of kindness attracted the attention of the community as she did needlework for the poor in her spare time. The community did not know the true reason of why Hester did this, but the act caused her true character and natural instinct to be generous to be reflected.
Yet when walking through the town’s streets, Hester never raised her head to receive the people’s greetings. If they approached her, she would only lay her finger on the scarlet letter and pass on silently. While this may have been pride, the public saw it as humility (3). Thus, they were inclined to perceive their former victim more kindly than she wished for, or perhaps, than she deserved. The rulers and the wise and learned men of the community took longer to acknowledge Hester’s good qualities.
Although the community originally knew Hester as a disgrace, the town’s opinion of her changed over time as she began to do work for the poor and needy. After this shift in the town’s view of Hester, “many people refused to interpret the scarlet [letter] by its original signification” (111). Instead of Hester’s scarlet letter serving as a reminder of her scandalous sin, her peers “ had begun to look upon the scarlet letter as a token . . . of [Hester’s] many good deeds” (111). She became known for her charity and generosity, which caused the civilians to overlook her sinful behavior.
The exploration of societal pressures. Life can be separated into two equal parts totally independent from one another. The inner self, being the innermost thoughts and feelings of the individual, and the outer self, how the individual decides to conduct itself around the others in society. Often times one of these parts takes control of the other, suppressing its partner. The suppression is often not of equal frequency because of the obligation humans feel to be liked and to fit in causes the outermost self to be given the most thought and worry.
She receives three punishments from the townspeople, who claim they will free her from her sin. The community orders Hester to go to jail, wear a scarlet letter on her chest, and stand on the town scaffold for hours. Hester wears her scarlet letter proudly on her chest, and endures much suffering because of her public ridicule. Hester is “kept by no restrictive clause of her condemnation within the limits of the Puritan settlement” after she was released from prison, but she chooses to stay (Hawthorne 71). Later, Hester’s child, Pearl, symbolizes the Puritan view of Hester.
The book “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a complex novel that has underlying themes of sin and the responsibility for sin. The novel takes place in a Puritanical society, but two people, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, fornicate with each other, even though Hester is married to someone else. Only Hester is punished, so Dimmesdale keeps his guilt inside, not revealing it to anyone. Hester’s husband, Chillingworth, then proceeds to ruin Hester’s partner in crime, corrupting his soul and being the ultimate cause for his death. Hester, on the other hand, leads a relatively happy life after she had repented for her sin.
The appearance of the Hester’s scarlet letter that she always wears is described as, Fine red cloth surrounded with elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. it was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy,… (Hawthorne
For Hester, the letter later “meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 146). To be compared to a biblical reference, especially a positive one, is a huge compliment for Hester in the Puritan time period. This view on Hester is a complete 180 degree spin from what the town previously thought of her. Sadly, Dimmesdale’s character also had to change. After giving his final sermon, “with a convulsive motion, [Dimmesdale] tore away the ministerial band from before his breast” (Hawthorne 228).
Even though the Puritans may have designated the letter as a representation of sin, Hester’s renewed sense of pride does not want society to define the A for her. Rather Hester wants to define it herself and by doing so she develops responsibility and power over her own actions. Because Hester has the power to change who she is, she also has the power to change what the Scarlet Letter represents. By letting the letter be “embroidered with gold thread” readers are able to see how for Hester sin is not something to be fearful of; furthermore, it allows one to see how Hester has developed into an independent individual who accepts who she is and the situation she is presented with. Hester’s lover unfortunately
Receiving the scarlet letter changed every aspect of Hester’s life. Especially at the start of the story, the letter symbolized the solitude and great suffering Hester faced just because of a letter placed on her bosom. The “A” also depicted how no one viewed Hester the same way as before her peccant actions. “…she saw that, owing to the peculiar effect of this convex mirror, the scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance” (Hawthorne 109). The pejorative community Hester lived in never saw Hester as the beautiful, young woman she was, but now, as a horrible fiend.