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Theme of hidden sin in Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Symbols in the Scarlet letter
Symbolism in scarlet letter
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Hawthorne uses symbolism to help demonstrate guilt throughout the book. One of the biggest symbols in the story was the scarlet letter “A” in which Hester was sentenced to wear after she committed
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.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel that focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hawthorne revolves the theme around the four main characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth., and Pearl. Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ after committing adultery against her husband Roger Chillingworth, with the minister Arthur Dimmesdale. As a result an odd child is born.
Temptation, the root of all sin, is derived when morality is overshadowed by evil. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter, guilt and absolution are portrayed through the three main characters; Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Throughout the entirety of novel, these characters commit sin that contradict with and inflict infamy upon their religion. As a result of falling captive to the arousement of adultery, Hester was publicly humiliated and was forced to bear the letter “A” upon her chest to symbolize the immorality of partaking in the events. Roger Chillingworth is conveyed as a delightful, considerate, and law abiding citizen; however, he is the complete contradictory.
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.
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne pinpoints various effects of sin on individuals within a strict, Puritan society. To shed a negative light on Puritan attitudes toward sin and lack of forgiveness, Hawthorne paints vivid pictures of freedom and imprisonment, relief and regret, through the juxtaposition of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, and the characterization of the two lovers. Hester undergoes major character growth through her years bearing the scarlet “A,” "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom," introduced in the narrator’s shifting viewpoint of the young mother. The Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale on the other hand, shoulders his guilt, in spite of the physical manifestation of his inner turmoil in his
All men have sin on their conscience; however, sin without diffusion by mercy can grow and become a dangerous destructive entity. Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasizes this in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne seems to be a normal Puritan citizen until the discovery of her affair with an unknown man. As penance for her crime she has to wear a Scarlet Letter ‘A’ on her bosom for the rest of her life. This Scarlet Letter reveals other more than just her sin to Hester; it reveals the secret sins of others.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a multitude of imagery and symbolism to serve as metaphors for different themes in his novel The Scarlet Letter. The theme sin versus guilt, appears often throughout the novel. It is often accompanied by the symbol of the scarlet letter, serving as a constant reminder of the guilt each of the main characters carry, as a result of the sins they have committed. Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale each carry the burden of living a tainted life, being that they have all committed a sin. Hester and Dimmesdale both committed the ultimate sin of adultery.
The Scarlet Letter and Sins In the past, adultery was, as it is today, considered a sin. Harsh punishment always applies to women under this circumstance. If a priest, in this case Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a role model of society commits sin of this nature, harsher punishment awaits him. There were many different forms of punishment for sinners; they would publicly humiliate, ruin reputations, exclude them from the community (treat them as if they were outcasts).
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.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism to present a specific theme is his works. He tends to show the concept of sin the most, particularly that confessed sin will bring the confessor judgement and ridicule, while secret sin will destroy the soul. In The Scarlet Letter, both Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale have a great sin conflicting them. Hester’s sin was confessed and she was publicly shamed, Dimmesdale kept his a secret and his health declined as a result.
This is illustrated when the narrator says, “Man had marked this woman’s sin by a scarlet letter, which had such a potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her save it were sinful like” (Hawthorne 81). This is because the word potent and disastrous means having great power and causing damage. The people didn’t have any sympathy for Hester for her sin. She was supposed to be put to death. In addition, the narrator says, “most of the spectators testified to having seen, on the breast of the minister, a Scarlet Letter the very semblance of that worn by Hester Prynne imprinted in the flesh” (Hawthorne 230).
There are various examples of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter, but one of them wraps the whole story together: the meaning of the scarlet letter A. In this passage, Hester Prynne wears an embroidered letter A on her bosom as punishment. At first the A stood for “adulterer”, but the townspeople later gained respect for her and said “Such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to do and to sympathize-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original significance. They said it meant ‘Able’” (Hawthorne 107).
Monis Abdoul Mrs Brooky English III (H) Period 1B 10/5/2016 Let's face it, everyone has committed what are generally considered sins in today’s society either of big or small magnitude. One major sin has been sufficient to completely change the life of a person. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story that shows multifaceted bits of the harsh Puritan way of life. Focused first on a “sin” committed by Hester Prynne and her mysterious significant other before the story ever starts, the novel’s subtle elements demonstrate how the sin causes the transformation of the lives of certain characters in the book due to people’s interpretation of the sin.
Hawthorne described three things in The Scarlet Letter. Sin, guilt, and redemption. Hawthorne uses people to symbolize them. Hester Prynne was one. Hawthorne allows the reader to get a better understanding by using biblical references.
