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Symbols In The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet Letter Symbols can have many different meanings varying from a group of people to the sins an individual has committed. In many works of literature symbols are used to stand for something that’s deeper than the object or person itself. This is seen when Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbols as a way describing the atmosphere, events, and that are taking place in The Scarlet Letter. To begin with, the most distinct of the symbolism used in The Scarlet Letter is the letter A embroidered on Hester Prynne's bosom. Hester Prynne was forced by the magistrate to bear the letter A at all times Hawthorne describes it as, “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself”(Hawthorne 52). Clearly, the magistrate uses the …show more content…

Hester takes Pearl on a walk in the forest to resolve an internal conflict on whether or not she should inform Dimmesdale about Roger Chillingworth’s malicious intentions. Pearl and Hester have taken a seat next to a brook Hawthorne describes this situation has, “Pearl resembled the brook, inasmuch as the current of her life gushed from the wellspring as mysterious, and had flowed through the scenes shadowed as heavily with gloom”(Hawthorne 183). Clearly, the brook is a symbol for how pearl comes from a father that remains mysterious to the public. As a result, the father whose perceived to be Dimmesdale tortures himself because, the guilt he feels for concealing the truth about his paternity is causing him to feel extreme sorrow in silence. Many of the characters in The Scarlet Letter are experiencing some kind of conflict in their lives which are expressed through symbols. This gives the reader a deeper insight of the characters inner or external conflict. Symbols have been used to tell stories and describe scenarios as seen in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel

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Symbols and themes are usually what makes a reader understand and interpret the book they are reading because it gives the reader a perspective on what they are reading. Also how each detail connects and how a symbol shows a specific theme and then shows how it can affect each situation that is shown. In the book my Antonia by Willa Cather she leads each situation the main characters go through using specific symbol that lead to bad things that changes and molds the characters and their way of living and thinking. In my Antonia Jim lives in a farm a little wealthier than others around. Living by Jim and his grandparents and their workers lived a Bohemian family.

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524 Words | 3 Pages

It is made clear early in the novel that Pearl is the symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale's conscience. This symbol is the key to understanding the meaning of the brook. As chapter fourteen begins, we find Pearl playing in the brook while Chillingworth tells Hester how the townspeople wish to remove her scarlet letter.

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452 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the book The Scarlet Letter, there are many cases of symbolism. One of the most prominent ones is the scarlet A on Hesters chest. The A was a symbol for adultery. Pearl was a symbol of the sin that Hester committed. Pearl is also a symbol of the sun between Hester and whatever his face is.

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502 Words | 3 Pages

While reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is obvious that he uses a lot of symbolism throughout his writing to give the readers a deeper understanding of the Puritans and their views in these times. In this book, the community forces Hester Prynne to wear a scarlet letter on her chest to show her abashment for committing adultery and having a child, Pearl. However, Pearl is actually used as a symbol throughout this book to represent the physical embodiment of Hester’s sin, the repercussions of her breaking the law, and an unworldly being in the usual strict Puritan society. In the beginning of the book, Hawthorne uses Pearl as a way to constantly remind Hester of her sin and as a link between the secret relationship of Hester

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196 Words | 1 Pages

There are many cases in the novel that involve symbolism, which is oversed. These cases include the letter 'A,' Pearl, and the scaffold. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne used symbolism to show the importance of or the meaning of many things. It is demonstated

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762 Words | 4 Pages

Symbols often play large roles in connecting stories with readers. Writers use symbols to refer to larger ideas, meanings and feeling, allowing readers to think and further connect to the characters in the story. In Lawrence and Lee’s Inherit the Wind it is shown that a symbol is a concrete thing that represents something abstract, something completely different from itself to show an idea. In the book there are three big symbols, Drummond’s “Golden Dancer”, Darwin’s Origin of Species, and monkeys.

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731 Words | 3 Pages

On the outside, Pearl is this beautiful and happy little girl, but on the inside she represents the hostilely and violent part of the scarlet letter. The brook also divides Pearl and Hester, one side receiving the sunlight and the other does not. The imagery that is created with the brook, develops a central theme, which is, where there is happiness, there is also

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665 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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681 Words | 3 Pages

Anderson 1 “Color Symbolism in The Yellow Woman” by Lalicia Anderson Color Symbolism have always been evident in stories over the years. An example of symbolism is black used to represent evil, such as in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." Writers and poets use colors to create precise images of their characters, scenes and events. In literature it convey a deeper meaning to the words, it transforms the content into a more Compelling Literary device.

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940 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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499 Words | 2 Pages

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).

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744 Words | 3 Pages

It is quite obvious in Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter that Pearl, Hester Prynne 's daughter, plays a major role. Not only is she one of the main characters, but she is prevalent theme in the novel, as well. Pearl is not written like a regular character. Most of the other symbols in the story, such as the scarlet letter or the rose bush, lead back to Pearl. Pearl takes on many symbols and serves great purpose.

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509 Words | 3 Pages

In Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen, of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester recognizes her true hatred of Chillingworth just before she finds Pearl, playing at the beach, and creating a green letter A on her own chest out of seaweed. Later, Hester goes to hopefully “run into” Dimmesdale in the forest to reveal to him the truth about Chillingworth’s identity. Pearl comes along, and as they wait, she curiously asks her mother about the Black Man. When Pearl sees Dimmesdale’s figure appear in the distance, she asks whether the approaching person is in fact the Black Man himself, which Hester rejects. Pearl, however, ponders if Dimmesdale clutches his heart, as he does, because the Black Man has left his mark on him, similar to how the

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1208 Words | 5 Pages

Within the novel “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” it’s shown that the author uses symbolism through the setting of the book to make the novel more interesting and have a more significant or deeper meaning behind it. The author uses key symbols to let us readers know more than just what is on the lines in front of us. By using character’s names the author shows us the difference between how the character is personed versus how they actually act. The author also uses symbols through the setting like the weather or nature, like rivers, birds, and flowers to represent and sometimes even foreshadow

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959 Words | 4 Pages

With Hester changing her ways and helping the poor, the community changed, “They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 168). While the community originally viewed the “A” as a symbol of sin, they began to see it too as a symbol of being “Able” because all that Hester Prynne had overcome. The Scarlet Letter had many examples of symbolism, but none were more significant that the letter “A”

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