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Symbolism in ‘The Scarlet Letter’
By: Vanita TadhaDepartment of English (Bhav. Uni.)
Nathaniel HawthorneBorn : July 4, 1804
Salem, Massachusetts, United States
Died : May 19, 1864 (aged 59)Plymouth, New Hampshire, United States
Language : EnglishNotable works : The House of the Seven
Gables, Twice-Told Tales, The Scarlet Letter
Symbolism in ‘The Scarlet Letter’
The Scarlet Letter : Hester's shame
Pearl : sort of living version
Meteor : traces out an “A” in the night sky
Gray : concealment and secrets
Letter ‘A’ : sin of adultery
scaffold : corroboration of personal sin
The Scarlet Letter
The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester.
The letter’s meaning shifts as time passes.Hester as an adulterer, the “A” eventually comes to
stand for “Able.” Finally, it becomes indeterminate: the Native Americans who come to watch the Election Day pageant think it marks her as a person of importance and status.
Like Pearl, the letter functions as a physical reminder of Hester’s affair with Dimmesdale. But, compared with a human child, the letter seems insignificant, and thus helps to point out the ultimate meaninglessness of the community’s system of judgment and punishment..
The child has been sent from God, or at least from nature, but the letter is merely a human contrivance. Additionally, the instability of the letter’s apparent meaning calls into question society’s ability to use symbols for ideological reinforcement.
A symbol becomes a focal point for critical analysis and debate
"A" is the literal symbol of the sin of adultery.
The letter A then appears in many different forms throughout the novel.
The gold-embroidered A on Hester Prynne's fascinates Pearl Prynne.
And finally, the letter is revealed on Dimmsdale's chest in front of the whole village.
Letter 'A'
The A also takes on many meanings. It has the original meaning as well as different meanings to various characters.
To Hester, the A means humiliation. The A to Dimmesdale is a reminder of his own
contrition. To Pearl, the A is peculiarity and Roger
Chillingworth sees the A as a journey for retaliation.
The A can also stand for "Angel" and "Able". Angel, for it appears in the sky after Governor Winthrop's death.
Able, for Hester has won the respect of the Puritans even if she has sinned terribly.
As Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl in Chapter 12, a meteor traces out an “A” in the night sky.
To Dimmesdale, the meteor implies that he should wear a mark of shame just as Hester does.
The meteor is interpreted differently by the rest of the community, which thinks that it stands for “Angel” and marks Governor Winthrop’s entry into heaven.
“Angel” is an awkward reading of the symbol. The Puritans commonly looked to symbols to confirm divine sentiments.
The incident with the meteor obviously highlights and exemplifies two different uses of symbols: Puritan and literary.
The Meteor
The scaffold is mentioned numerously throughout the novel for a substantial reason.
The scaffold is not only a symbol of Puritan code but becomes a symbol for a corroboration of personal sin.
It is the place where Dimmesdale knows he must go for requital, the only place he can escape from Chillingworth's diminutive leash.
Scaffold
Pearl is a complex character, her primary function within the novel is as a symbol.
She is a sort of living version of her mother’s scarlet letter. She is the physical consequence of sexual sin and the indicator of a transgression. Yet, even as a reminder of Hester’s “sin,” Pearl is more than a mere punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing.
She represents not only “sin” but also the vital spirit and passion that engendered that sin.
Pearl’s existence gives her mother reason to live, bolstering her spirits when she is tempted to give up. It is only after Dimmesdale is revealed to be Pearl’s father that Pearl can become fully “human.”
she functions in a symbolic capacity as the reminder of an unsolved mystery.
Pearl
The forest is a very symbolic place.
It can be interpreted in three different ways.
The first mode is as an evil place where souls are signed away to the devil.
The forest is a place where darkness and gloom conquers.
Finding a path to guide you through this forest is what Hester has been trying to find over her years.
The forest also is symbolic for it is a place where Pearl can run and play and Hester can let her hair down without society frowning upon them.
Forest
The entire atmosphere is gray.
The skies and clothing of the people of the town are always dark.
This darkness symbolizes concealment and secrets.
Darkness usually always represents a world of evil.
The brightness of the day, however, is the symbol of exposure, where everything is seen.
Gray.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is generally considered to be the first American symbolic novel. A symbol is something which is used to represent something broader in meaning.
The Scarlet Letter it self is the central symbol. It changes meanings for the characters in the novel as Hester’s character changes, the A becomes pathway to redemption for some characters as well. Watch the many ways Hawthorne uses the scarlet A as a symbol.
The Scarlet Letter is a book filled with symbolism. Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is an amazingly written book for its
time with just the right amount of powerful symbolism.
Conclusion
The Scarlet Letter is a book filled with symbolism.
Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is an amazingly written book for its time with just the right amount of powerful symbolism.
