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Three Scaffold In The Scarlet Letter

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In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals the thematic purpose of the novel as Hester and Dimmesdale take two separate paths throughout the novel, Hester having admitted her guilt and taking the blame, while Dimmesdale tries to remain the pure reverend the town sees him as. Although the theme is present the entirety of the novel, the theme of guilt and blame, and how admitting blame can set you free or hiding the blame can breed guilt and drive you insane. is most prevalent in the three scaffold scenes. In the first scene, Hester is seen on the scaffold, being observed by a crowd of the townspeople. Although she is surrounded by people, she is isolated by society. It is clear from the beginning that Hester is different, not only from the public shame that sets her apart …show more content…

In contrast to Hester, whose “beauty shone out,” the women of the town are “grim” and “iron-visaged,” which could be considered the ideal (46,47). Every aspect of who Hester is makes her stand out; to the more conservative of the puritans, she is seen in a negative light, while others look upon her in awe. This isolation and differentiation is brought forth by the blame that is placed upon her. Although she was not the only one who committed the sin, she is the only one who is known, and the only one who can take the blame and feel the guilt. In a way, this allows her to live with “sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts” and allows her to be free (72). Meanwhile, the people of the town carry the hidden guilt of their own shames, which they cannot bare to admit, much in the same way Dimmesdale cannot. The entire time that Hester is standing upon that scaffold, Dimmesdale sits in the balcony, placing himself above Hester both in a physical sense and in a more figurative sense in his position of power as the reverend of the town. Despite the fact that he can hide his

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The scaffolds in The Scarlet Letter symbolize the shame and sin the person who is standing upon it holds. The scaffolds also show Hester’s path to a normal life. During the first scaffold scene, she holds Pearl over the scarlet letter and is ashamed of it. In the second scaffold scene, she starts to accept the letter, and by the last scaffold scene she has totally accepted the letter. The scaffold scenes change each time as she gets closer to salvation, but one thing that always stays the same is that Hester, Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, and Pearl are always present.

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One of the best signs of symbolism is repetition shown throughout the story. The scaffold reappears within The Scarlet Letter three times within the writing; in the beginning, midway through the writing, and towards the end. In each scenario where Hester is reunited with the scaffold, Hawthorne uses distinct similarities and differences that help enhance the meaning. Through Hawthorne’s word choice, one can clearly see the bountiful embarrassment brought by Hester being shamed on the scaffold; "a penalty, which in our days, would refer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule, might then be interested with almost as strong a dignity as the punishment of death itself" (Hawthorne 44). The scaffold directly symbolizes emotion such as persecution and confession.

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