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Romanticism In The Scarlet Letter

690 Words3 Pages

Liam Leabman
Mrs. Merrell
Period Two
October 1st, 2015
Scarlet Letter Essay

Though Nathaniel Hawthorne may have been seen as someone who stayed towards the darker side of things, Scarlet Letter can actually be seen as a romantic novel. Even though the book may seem quite the opposite of a romantic novel there are a profuse amount of symbols and characters that give evidence to the novel that it is romantic. Through out this book a big theme seems to have to do with nature, and in romance there seems to also be a lot of ties to nature. Like, in the first chapter of the book when it mentions the rosebush that was outside of the prison, “On one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this …show more content…

Hawthorne puts the rosebush there to symbolize the beauty in the darkest of places. The rosebush is a reminder of Hester and how even though it is put in a bad spot it’s beauty cannot be taken away. It can also be seen as a symbol of Hester because it stand alone away from everyone else like Hester being shunned by the puritan society. Hester is also a romantic symbol by the way she doesn’t comply to the way of the puritans and rises above them. Hester evens embraces her A on her chest and turned it into a symbol of her good will. Another romantic natural symbol would be the forest. The forrest was seen by the puritans as a evil place where witch craft and satanic rituals were going on. Yet, Hester meets Dimmesdale in the woods because she knows that the puritans …show more content…

Tying this to the characters in this novel good would be Hester and evil would be represented by Chillingworth. Throughout the novel he plays the antagonist. He is angry that Hester had committed the act of adultery and uses this as coal to burn the fire inside him to find out whom the father of Pearl is. Yet, this being a romantic novel good always over comes evil. Hester overcame Chillingworth. She embraced her situation and continued living her life. Pearl was seen by the puritans as an “Evil” or “Unholy” child, but the truth is she is actually a symbol of romanticism. The puritans don’t exactly see it this way, but pearl is the act of love. Her appearance is romantic. "gorgeous robes which might have extinguished a paler loveliness". (##, Hawthorne). She wheres exquisite and beautiful robes and even her presence is beautiful and innocent. Innocent in the way when she ask Dimmesdale to stand with them not understanding his political situation. She’s like a baby cupid following around Hester as a symbol of the love between her and

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