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The Nature Of Sin In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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In Hawthorne’s novel , The Scarlet letter, the perception of the letter “A” changes as the Puritan society gradually accepts Hester within their community. Hawthorne is able to portray the nature of sin within the Puritian society by using Hester and Pearl to convey the meaning behind the letter A, a symbol that defies the root of evil. The scarlet letter therefore transitions throughout the course of Hawthorne’s novel as it first acts as a symbol of sin, however by the end of the novel, it signifies “able” and “angel” as the Puritian society finally accepts Hester.
When Hester enters the marketplace, she is initially only referred as her unnamed sin by the narrator which therefore indicates that sin displaces one's character within the …show more content…

The narrator illustrates such thought when admiring Pearl for the symbol she serves, “ But it was a remarkable attribute of this garb, and indeed of the child’s who appearance, that it irresistibly and inevitably reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to wear upon her bosom. It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!”( Hawthorne 96). Pearl is known to the community for her antics and alienous behaviour. Pearl ironically dresses up in red, symbolizing the archetypical fiery nature within her as she further embodies the scarlet letter. The Puritian community feels the importance of separating Pearl from Hester, as they believe that her sin would tempt Hester to do more scandalous things. Pearl is constantly compared to the letter throughout the novel as she illustrates both Hester’s and Dimmesdale’s passion. Later in the novel, readers are able to be aware that both Hester and her lover dimmesdale are unable to forget the sin that they both committed as Pearl drives them towards confession and acceptance. Pearl acts as a disruptor within the story as she embodies both of her parents’ sins. Her unique behaviour forms an idea that she realizes more what’s happening to Hester’s situation than people let out to

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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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Symbolism Within The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne created symbolism throughout The Scarlet Letter in order to develop the theme throughout Hester’s life. Hester is portrayed as a sheltered soul, shunned from society due to her adulterous acts. The red A and her daughter, Pearl, are symbols of Hester’s shame which she bares proudly despite society's harsh judgements. Hawthorne is able to use symbolism to develop themes, characters, and analogies in the Scarlet Letter.

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Pearl is the living embodiment of of the scarlet letter. Pearl constantly reminds Hester of her sins, without meaning to. Whenever she asks questions about Dimmesdale or about the scarlet letter, Hester is reminded of the things she did wrong. Pearl is very smart child, and she likes to ask questions and learn about things. If she sees something that confuses her, she will ask her mother about it.

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When Pearl looks at her mother’s reflection in a convex mirror, she claims to exclusively see the A: “the scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance. In truth, she seemed absolutely hidden behind it” (95). Hawthorne clearly illustrates how Pearl and the public choose to see Hester merely as her sin. Even numerous years later, Hawthorne suggest that the townspeople still cannot view Hester

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She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as "divine maternity" and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, a sign of shame, is shown as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece which

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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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This child is not meant to be a realistic character but rather a symbol of Hester’s sin, blessing and scarlet letter. Pearl is the scarlet letter, a blessing and curse, and the love and passion of a dangerous relationship. More than a child Pearl is a symbol of the love and passion between Hester and the minister. Pearl is a symbol that connect her parents forever even if they couldn’t be together. The narrator says, “God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonoured bosom, to connect her parent forever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven!”(86)

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In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses a variety of symbols to add a deeper understanding throughout the whole story. The symbol of a door helps the readers understand the relationship with the theme of the story, the sins and guilt of Dimmesdale and Hester, and how the Puritan society is strict and bound by punishment. Throughout the whole story, Hawthorne shows how the theme of guilt and sin is shown throughout the whole story of the the bad people of the puritan community. Dimmesdale and Hester cannot escape their own sin, but throughout the whole story, them keeping it in made them to feel guilty on the inside. For Hester it showed to the reader in chapter 5 “Her prison-door was thrown open, and

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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

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And what is the reaction of Hester Prynne? Will she forgive herself? With expected, she won’t since the alive letter around her – litter Pearl, who is sometimes a angel and sometimes a evil, whose and also, she was uninhabited and capricious: She was a live scarlet letter. However, she could puncture a fallacy with one remark.

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Pearl is a symbol of the scarlet letter. She was born due to adultery, which is the same reason as to why Hester wears the scarlet letter A. In chapter 7, Pearl is coincidentally put into a red tunic, “...arraying her in a crimson velvet tunic … and flourishes of gold-thread” (Hawthorne 92), which makes Hester realize that she is the human version of the scarlet letter. By Hester realizing this, it shows to the reader that Pearl can be a “sin” and a “blessing” all at the same time.

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne utilizes the scarlet letter as a symbol of punishment for Hester Prynne's sin and the ability of redemption. The scarlet "A" has many different meanings that can help and hinder the overall message. Firstly, the scarlet letter on Hester's garments symbolizes Hester's adultery and her sin in the Puritan Community, but she embroiders it with gold thread to show the possibility for beauty to emerge from her sin. She wears the letter constantly as punishment and a reminder for her sin. As the novel progresses, the letter turns Hester into an advocate for Puritan Society, because she becomes more involved in the community.

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What is redemption? Redemption is the act of being saved or freed from sin. This is an important part of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” Redemption was what the characters in the book were seeking, and was the reason for many of their actions. Because of the time period and the fact the people were Puritans, sins were not tolerated nor common, so when they happened they were a huge deal.

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