Consider this, throughout all manifestations of human culture colors are given different symbolic meanings. Red, is one example of this, and is often used to represent the extremes of human emotion. Red is the color of anger, love, passion, determination, and even adventure. In The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses red to personify Hester. Some examples include the scarlet letter Hester wears, the rose bush, and even Pearl’s extravagant, crimson dress. It’s no wonder Hawthorne specifically intertwined red symbols so closely with Hester Prynne’s life, because by doing so, he allowed readers to better see her true character and her innermost feelings. This then makes it easier to understand her motivation to love Dimmesdale and Pearl, continue surviving, and secretly wish to be free.
On the surface it may appear that the Scarlet Letter is
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When Hester emerges from the prison, one of the first things the crowd criticizes is the stunning, red letter Hester now wears. The passage reads, “But the point which drew all eyes…was that Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom” (51).Now let’s parallel the phrase, “Made with love,” to the Scarlet Letter symbolizing Hester’s love. Hester made the letter with her own hands, and in doing so she used key symbols. Rather than making a plain letter that wouldn’t draw attention, Hester specifically uses the vibrant color red, and also takes great care to make the scarlet letter beautiful. Another piece of evidence that supports this idea appears later in the story when the townsfolk begin thinking of the letter differently. “The letter was the