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Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
The symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
The symbolic meaning of 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.
In the beginning of the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces the main character Hester Prynne, a young, beautiful member of a Puritan society being punished for her sin of love, not lust. The opening chapters introduce the reader to gossips who deem her original punishment, death, too harsh and contrary to Puritan beliefs that unborn babies should be given a chance at life. Instead, Hester and her child are to be alienated and shunned. In addition she is to wear the letter ‘A’ (which stands for ‘adultery’) on her chest which will forever display her as a symbol of shame for her sin. Though a very resilient figure who soon overcomes this pain, Hester’s isolation takes a negative toll on her life.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman, commits adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale. As a form of punishment, the judge forces Hester to wear a scarlet letter to signify her wrongdoing. The purpose of the scarlet letter is to correct Hester’s conduct. With the symbol of the scarlet letter, Hester’s Puritan community publicly judges and ridicules her. Today, judges sometimes still use public shaming as a form of punishment.
Society has had a long history of belittling both people and their individuality, and also not allowing people to reach their full potential. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne is constantly talking about society in a negative way. Hawthorne himself is a transcendentalist who views society as a terrible institution and a way to stop people from reaching their true potential. Hawthorne's view of both puritan society and society during his time plays into his view and characterization of Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne is a fictional character who committed a sin and was publicly shamed and shunned from society because of it.
“It straggled onward into the mystery of the primeval forest.” ( Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter 86 ) Claiming the forest as a vast location of mysteries; illustrating its endless symbolism among the town’s people, Nathaniel Hawthorne starts off by portraying the forest as a place of temptation towards sin in Young Goodman Brown. As the reader transition from Young Goodman Brown to the The Scarlet Letter the original symbol of the forest is substituted with the thought of happiness. It’s shown to become the only place where Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale can be with each other without the thought of being punished by Puritan laws.
The book The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne has symbolism all throughout it. People and objects are symbolic of events and thoughts. Throughout the book, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale to signify philosophies that are evident during this time period. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against their ways, committing adultery. For this sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life.
The ability for a person to transcend from stereotypes and labels comes from the support from others. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne a respected woman and seamstress hiding in the shadows of society, is soon throw in the spot light when she is publically convicted as an adulterer. This crime comes with a loaded punishment; she is sentenced to a life of shame where she must a wear a scarlet “A” on her chest, in order to publically humiliate her and provide an example of what not to grow up to be. The story begins by introducing Hester and her beloved daughter Pearl, and how they cope with the new labels of an adulterer and a daughter of an illegitimate marriage. Overtime, Hester rises above this life of misery she has to deal with, and learns to cope with it by showing pride into who she really is and her ability to withstand this scrutiny of the judgmental peering eyes of society.
Hawthorne uses symbolism throughout the Scarlet letter to display the sin and indecency people see Hester as. The detail represents ,the deep beauty Hester has inside although most people do not see her as a beutiful women. The deep red is a representation of adultery which shows her being an oncast from society. The symbol of the letter “A” is repetitive throughout the novel and grows with Hester and overcomes this with time as people start to see her as a person again and not just a adulterer. Hester acknowledges her sin in her puritan faith but swears to secrecy on the father of Pearl.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne exemplifies the changing nature of the Scarlet letter A, insinuating that symbols derive meaning from society. The signification of the scarlet letter depended on society’s opinion of the letter. At the beginning of the book, Hester is marked with a scarlet letter for committing adultery. Society shunned her for committing such a grave sin.
“The perfect killer has no friends, only targets.” In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” the villagers participate in an annual lottery that occurs every year. This story is an example of a “twist of fate.” Everyone in the village has to participate in the stoning of whoever is the lucky winner that is drawn. No matter your age or relation to the victim, it was expected of you to participate in this outraged act!
One symbol that Hawthorne implements to communicate this burden throughout the novel is the scarlet letter that Hester wears upon her chest. The scarlet letter "A”, which symbolizes Hester's adultery, is meant to be a symbol of shame, but it latter becomes part of Hester's identity. ”Hawthorne informs us that the scarlet letter has "the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself “(Bloom 2). Bloom states that Hester is a separate person as a result of her sin and the letter which represents it. The scarlet letter is a burden that Hester has to carry everyday and the symbol which secluded her from the society.
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
The Scarlet Letter shows a world of discrimination and judgement not unlike the world we live in today, just with different symbols of shame. Hester Prynne had to wear a large scarlet letter on her chest to show that she was an adulteress while Dimmesdale hid his symbol beneath his clothing. In today’s society, there are symbols that can be hidden and there are symbols that simply cannot be hidden. The symbol that I chose to compare Hester’s scarlet letter to was the symbol of the LGBTQIA community.
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the characterization of Hester Prynne, through his use of rhetorical strategies, in order to make a statement on his negative view of Puritan society. By establishing the transformation of Hester’s character as she deals with the guilt and public shame forced upon her for her sin, he depicts her being corrupted by Puritan society, demonstrating his pessimistic view of them. He successfully contrasts Hester with the other Puritan women along with her changed character when dealing with shame, in order to display the detrimental effects her public shame has on her. He continues by analyzing the letter as a direct symbol of Puritanism and describing the grave effect it, being society,
Exploring Sin, Society, and Redemption in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece, "The Scarlet Letter," is a captivating novel that delves into the themes of sin, society, and redemption. Set in 17th-century Puritan New England, the story follows Hester Prynne, a woman condemned for adultery, as she grapples with the consequences of her transgression. Through Hawthorne's masterful storytelling and keen social critique, the novel invites readers to examine the complexities of sin, the oppressive nature of societal judgment, and the potential for redemption. One of the most prominent symbols in the novel is the scarlet letter "A" that Hester is forced to wear as a mark of her sin. The letter not only
Families have many different ways they could be defined. I would describe my family as being blended. My brother has a different father than me, and he is still considered family. This aspect is important in my concept of family because even if I do not talk to them everyday, I still have this connection where they will support the decisions that I want to make even if it is not an opinion that everyone agrees with. On the contrary, there is definitely diversity by having a blended family, especially since they have been a part of most of my life.