Essay on Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter

Throughout the course of the novel, Hester Prynne transforms from a sinful adulteress to a capable woman. Hester Prynne is a dynamic character in The Scarlet Letter. In the beginning of the novel, as punishment for her act of adultery, Hester wears an embroidered scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest. The scarlet A represents her sin and her status as an outcast in society as stated in the novel, “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of humankind” (74-75).

What is the significance of the scarlet letter A which is embroidered on Hester’s gown?

In the book The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and severely punished. Hester is sentenced to wear the scarlet letter 'A' on her clothes at all times. The letter “A” is a symbol that is meant to identify Hester as a sinner and an adulteress in her community. She is seen as a negative example for others not to follow. Hester is also sentenced to spend an unidentified period of time in jail; furthermore, she must also stand on the scaffold for hours in the middle of the town. Everyone sees Hester in her most vulnerable and embarrassed state. However, she handles it with dignity and grace.

There would be times where children would attempt to catch a glimpse of the letter. Once they got their peek, they would "scamper off with contagious fear" (75) as if the scarlet letter burned like fire. Hester has a great talent in needle-work, which may have saved her from dying from loneliness because she doesn’t have "a friend on earth who dared to show himself" (75). Hester seems to be one of the best seamstress in all of Boston. However, her scarlet letter revokes her from being able to embroider a wedding vale for any bride. The white vale that a bride wears symbolized purity and Hester’s hands are not pure. Her sin has alienated her from being able to seam for any

There are many forms of symbolism found in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne, the author uses his many forms of symbolism to project a lesson or moral created throughout the story. Even each of the main characters has a different moral representation. Guilt, repentance, purity, and strength each are shown through the eyes of a different character. Pear, Hester Prynne, Chillingworth, and Reverend Dimmesdale are main characters that are used to show that you should “Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!”(Hawthorne286)

In the beginning of the novel, Hester refuses to let her sin define her, which her subtle, beautiful, yet defiant nature displays. With all eyes on her as she walks out of the jail, the townspeople notice “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A” (Hawthorne 46). This embroidered A serves as a punishment of her sin and is supposed to be a disgraceful, ugly reminder to her and everyone around her. If she had succumbed to her punishment and the persona that went with it, then it would be an ugly A, but she makes

First of all, the scarlet letter stands for Hester's sin. By forcing Hester to wear the letter A on her bosom, the Puritan community not only punishes this weak young woman for her adultery but labels her identity as an adulteress and immoral human being as well. "Thus the young and the pure would be taught to look at her, with the letter flaming on her chest", also "as the figure, the body and the reality of sin." And the day Hester began to wear the scarlet A on her bosom is the opening of her darkness. From that moment, people, who look at her, must notice the letter A manifest itself in the red color covering not only her bosom, but her own character. The Puritans now only see the letter A, the representation of sin, scorn and hate

Mistakes are a part of being human; they are what shape, define, and transform an individual. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, out of all the characters, one undergoes the most drastic amount of change. Throughout the storyline this character’s persona changes from shameful, to one containing strength, confidence, and security of what the future has to hold: Hester Prynne. Hester changes from being ashamed of herself to accepting herself. Right from the start of the novel, Hester comes out of the prison to take her spot on the scaffold.

Hester has acknowledged her sin and learned to live with it even though it was hard at first. She hot used to to and moved on to live a normal life. “When the young woman— the mother of this child—stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant close to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token.” (Scarlet Letter page 50.) Hester shows that she is uncomfortable with the A of her chest, so she tires to hide it, and for a while she becomes very haughty towards society. “The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her—so much power to do, and power to sympathize—that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that is meant Abel, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” (Scarlet Letter page 110.) Hester is starting to become abel to do things by herself. “Hester Prynne went one day to the mansion of Governor Bellingham, with a pair of gloves which

In the novel Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne presenting the idea for humans to endure the laws of nature and conscience, rather than following the laws of man, to fulfill happiness. The novel consists of a young woman named Hester Prynne carrying her infant daughter named Pearl. The golden letter "A" embroidered on Hester’s bosom symbolizes adultery, a vile sin which is looked down upon in her community. She encounters Dimmesdale, an influential Puritan priest who commits adultery with Hester. Their main priority is to escape their society and live a new life. There are many symbols displayed in the Scarlet Letter, in particular, wilderness vs. civilization. The wilderness represents opposing behaviors while civilization represents bounded to rules.

Another symbol that Nathaniel used was the sunlight. The sunlight was known as happiness, joy, and truth. Sunlight would not be around Hester because of the scarlet letter, but it was okay around Pearl. “‘Mother,’ said little Pearl, ‘the sunlight does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom’” (Hawthorne 202). After Hester takes off her scarlet letter the sunshine came out directly on top of Hester. It was no longer a dark place for her. As soon as her letter was put back on, the bright sun also disappeared.

To mark these foul acts of Satan's will, Hester is given a scarlet letter "A" to wear on her chest. In a society where everyone wears the same humble and plain black and white attire, this shining, elaborate scarlet letter stands as a beacon proclaiming the acts of adultery and the blackness of her soul to all who pass by. With such dependence on religion, any linkage to Satan is feared and scorned upon. Hester's acts have made her a "living sermon against sin," everyone looks to her now as the example of failure and unfaithfulness in life. The rest of Hester's life is set, for as long as she lives she will wear that "A" and day to day she will be rejected by society and out casted further. Although her daughter Pearl has just entered life, she is victim of Hester's actions and must unfortunately deal with much of the same problems as

Why was Hester the only one punished? Would her punishment be different in some other country? Is this punishment still taking place today? A sin is a sin regardless of what sin it may be and they all should be handled in different punishments. But never should you over look someone else’s sin and just punish one for what took place.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolsim is constantly present in the actual scarlet letter “A” as it is viewed as a symbol of sin and the gradally changes its meanign, guilt is also a mejore symbol, and Pearl’s role in this novel is symbolic as well. The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and crucial symbols. these devices of symbolism are best portayed in the novel, most noticably through the letter “A” best exemplifies the changes in the symbolic meaning throughout the novel.

     In the beginning of the story, Hester is being punished for adultery, and is forced to wear the letter A on her bosom. It is shown so that people will know her as an