The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne contains abundant symbolism, which is used to unify the novel and add deeper meaning. Although the actual "A" is the most obvious symbol, there are several others which have great importance as well.
The most important symbol in the novel is the scarlet letter, which affects each character in a different way. The characters who are affected by the letter are Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, Pearl, and Hester Prynne (Schneider). The scarlet letter is a sign by which the colonial authority seeks to fix the crime of adultery and the criminal, Hester Prynne. The "A" both indicates, yet hinders the Puritan community's authority over Hester's identity. As the novel progresses, the letter changes meaning from adultery to ability, in the eyes of the people around her. Through the scarlet letter, Hester become a sympathetic heroine, and the Puritan society becomes not only bigoted and joyless, but essentially evil. (Bloom 13-14, 97, 100).
The person that is affected most by the scarlet letter is Hester Prynne, for many very obvious reasons. It is a large part of her daily life, and each of her actions is watched very closely by the community. Because of her public shame and constant ridicule, Hester becomes an outcast to society. Her love for Arthur Dimmesdale, their minister, and the creation of Pearl, her daughter, has forced her to live in seclusion. The only times she even comes into the city is to sell her very well-crafted clothing. This in turn causes the Puritan view of her letter "A" to change from adultery to ability. (Hawthorne; Schneider).
Arthur Dimmesdale is as much responsible for the creation of the scarlet letter as Hester. Their illicit love has had a different effect him because he failed to admit to his adulterous actions. His inability to release his guilt has given him an emotional, spiritual, and physical burden, which he ultimately cannot overcome.
Punishment has always revolved around the same ideas, to discipline an individual, and to set an example for the rest of society, discouraging them from following in a convict's footprints. Either way, the end result is to set a criminal apart from the rest of society. Today we publicize the effe...
Morales 8 Alex Morales Melinda Shingler Honor English 20 October 2014 A Tremendous Sinner "Never support two weaknesses at the same time. It's your combination sinners - your lecherous liars and your miserly drunkards - who dishonor the vices and bring them into bad repute." ― Thornton Wilder...
She goes on to say that if her sentence to wear the scarlet letter was over, the letter would disappear naturally. ... Although the scarlet letter may not be the sentence of God, it does help Pearl redeem her soul. ... Dimmesdale says, "Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! ... I agree with the statements that Wagenknecht made about The Scarlet Letter. He says that the scarlet letter was not the punishment of God, but of the Puritan citizens; that Chillingworth and the Puritans that punished Hester stole one of the duties of God; and that by wearing t...
The Scarlet Letter To the naked eye, the story of The Scarlet Letter appears to just be a well-written love story within a puritan society full of unexpected flips and turns. Upon closer examination, The Scarlet Letter is really filled with obsession, guilt, and morals. ... Hawthorne's ultimate theme in The Scarlet Letter is vengeance amongst all of mankind. ... The breathtaking letter had now become a part of her. ... Pearl was just a smaller version of the scarlet letter. ...
The Scarlet Letter can be considered a satire of Puritan beliefs because the book is full of angry people who mock and ridicule the unfortunate one who bears the letter "A" on her chest. ... The Scarlet Letter could have been written to show others of Puritan ways and beliefs but one who reads this would go on believing the people led their lives in a completely different way. ... Such people were punished in such ways as the scarlet letter, or in The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials. ... In conclusion, The Scarlet Letter is a satire because, although it does prove the characteristic...
In Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses the theme sin and concealment. ... They sentenced her to wear the scarlet letter and to stand on the scaffold in front of everyone. ... As Hester has the scarlet letter on her bosom, Dimmesdale's holds his heart like a scarlet letter burns in secret there. ... Dimmesdale sees the "A" in the sky and he interprets it as standing for adultery (the scarlet letter.) ... This is how Nathanial Hawthorne connected the theme of The Scarlet Letter. ...
In the novel, The scarlet letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne arrives at colony where she is accused of adultery due to a love affair with minister Dimmesdale. ... She is sentenced to wear a scarlet letter, which symbolizes her sin. ... Hester proves her courage when the chance to flee her sentence and remove the scarlet letter, is presented to her . If she would reveal her daughter's father, all shame would be removed, but decides to see the letter as a moment of the past. ... Unlike Dimmesdale, Hester is able to accept her sin by wearing the Scarlet Letter....
The Metamorphosis of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many characters that transform; one of them is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. ... He also clutches his chest a lot in away that reminds Pearl of her mother, Hester's scarlet letter "A" By this point in time Hester Prynne's husband has found out about Dimmesdale's secret and has been tormenting Dimmesdale with it. ... In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Dimmesdale makes many changes - especially at the scaffold scenes. ...
