The Scarlet Letter- An Analysis Of Symbolism

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is by and large considered to be the first American symbolic novel. A symbol is something which is used to stand for something broader in significance.

The most obvious symbol in the novel is the existent vermilionмwhich both the unfavorable judgment and I agree upon. This is the actual symbol of the wickedness of criminal conversation. The missive A so appears in many different signifiers throughout the novel. The gold-embroidered A on Hester Prynne’s fascinates Pearl Prynne. It is magnified in the armour chest home base at Governor Bellingham’s sign of the zodiac which is so utmost that it seems to conceal and cover Hester. On the dark of Arthur Dimmesdale vigil, he sees a ruddy Angstrom in the sky. And eventually, the missive is revealed on Dimmsdale’s thorax in forepart of the whole small town.

The A besides takes on many significances.

It has the original significance every bit good as different significances to assorted characters. To Hester, the A means humiliation. The A to Dimmesdale is a reminder of his ain attrition. To Pearl, the A is distinctive feature and Roger Chillingworth sees the A as a journey for revenge. Other so adultery, the A can besides stand for “Angel” and “Able”. Angel, for it appears in the sky after Governor Winthrop’s decease. Able, for Hester has won the regard of the Puritans even if she has sinned awfully.

Hawthorne uses the prison edifice to depict offense and penalty in contrast with the gravestone at the terminal of the novel. This statement suggests the offense and penalty will finally take to the decease of the criminal.

One positive symbol is the rosebush outside the prison. I feel it represents a sweet individual hidden in the incasements of a dark prison, a true diamond in the rough.

The symbol for Puritanism, harmonizing to one critic, is when Hawthorne uses the beadle. I can see how the Puritans are compared to minor parish functionaries in the Church of England by the manner the society follows their lead. The Puritan kids are taught to contemn Hester for her criminal conversation. In the Puritan regulation this is an severe wickedness, so they dominate the judicial side of her penalty. The Puritan universe and the natural universe are besides contrasted continuously throughout the novel.

The remainder of the symbolism is showed through the scene and the characters. The scene influences the overall temper of the book, while the characters write the novel and do it what it is.

The full ambiance is grey. The skies and vesture of the people of the town are ever dark. This darkness symbolizes con

cealment and secrets. Darkness normally ever represents a universe of immorality. The brightness of the twenty-four hours, nevertheless, is the symbol of exposure, where everything is seen.

As colour is brought in, felicity is added. The Sun is bright with joy and has a life free of guilt. Pearl, as she runs in the wood, obtains and absorbs this sunlight. The Sun is incapable of touching Hester because of her indiscretion on her chest.

The scaffold is mentioned numerously throughout the novel for a significant ground. The scaffold is non merely a symbol of Puritan codification but becomes a symbol for a documentation of personal wickedness. It is the topographic point where Dimmesdale knows he must travel for retribution, the lone topographic point he can get away from Chillingworth & # 8217 ; s bantam tether.

The wood is a really symbolic topographic point. It can be interpreted in three different ways. The first manner is as an evil topographic point where psyche are signed off to the Satan. In add-on, the wood is a topographic point where darkness and somberness conquers. Finding a way to steer you through this wood is what Hester has been seeking to happen over her old ages. The wood besides is symbolic for it is a topographic point where Pearl can run and play and Hester can allow her hair down without society glowering upon them.

The creek is a symbol in several ways. It is an unknown beginning and travels through obscureness. The creek babbles to Pearl giving a history of wretchedness. The creek so becomes a boundary of two universes when Pearl will non traverse it. The natural universe which is the side Pearl is on while the other side is the Puritan eyeball.

Character symbolism is a typical manifestation of Hawthorne & # 8217 ; s symbolism. The Church, State, and Witchcraft of the Puritan universe are represented by Reverend Mr. Wilson, Governor Billingham, and Mistress Hibbins which were, later, all associated with the scaffold, a Puritan wickedness base. Pearl & # 8217 ; s call itself is symbolic because it is the allusion of great monetary value. In this instance, that monetary value is Hester & # 8217 ; s repute and her standing in the community. Pearl is besides a self-contained symbol. The consequence of her parent & # 8217 ; s wickedness is shown in her frequently imprudent remarks and unchecked behaviour.

Each character in the fresh suffers from a wickedness which they try to oppress and deplore with goodness from their ain bosom.

The Scarlet Letter is a book filled with symbolism. I feel the symbolism helps to associate a state of affairs to a place the reader knows about. The critic which I based this on feels that there is voluminous histories of symbolism, even excessively much. I must differ with this. Hawthorne & # 8217 ; s The Scarlet Letter is an surprisingly written book for its clip with merely the right sum of powerful symbolism.