Symbols In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The novel scarlet letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. He wanted to expose the immorality that was committed by two parents of a daughter called Pearl. Nathaniel's novel explores the hypocrisy in puritan societies. The novel tells a story of Hester Prynne and her daughter. Hester having committed adultery and tries all what she can so as to ensure that she live of repentance and dignity.

Hester adores her daughter; however, Pearl serves as a constant reminder of her sin. Between the scarlet letter and her own daughter, Hester is reminded daily of the evil she has done. Pearl is born as a result of sin, therefore, she is undoubtedly forced to deal with her mothers’ sinful decisions. Due to Hester’s adulterous sin, Pearl is born into the world as an outcast. The Puritans taunt her by saying, “Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne utilizes the scarlet letter as a symbol of punishment for Hester Prynne's sin and the ability of redemption. The scarlet "A" has many different meanings that can help and hinder the overall message. Firstly, the scarlet letter on Hester's garments symbolizes Hester's adultery and her sin in the Puritan Community, but she embroiders it with gold thread to show the possibility for beauty to emerge from her sin. She wears the letter constantly as punishment and a reminder for her sin. As the novel progresses, the letter turns Hester into an advocate for Puritan Society, because she becomes more involved in the community.

During the year 1850, author Nathaniel Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter, which expounds upon those people that lived in a puritanical society, yet willingly disobeyed their morals. Hawthorne depicted this real life situation through a secret affair between Reverend Dimmesdale and a married woman, Hester Prynne. Both characters chose to fulfill their lustful desires over remaining faithful to their religion, which led them to undergo life-altering personality changes. Through the creation of Dimmesdale and Hester, Nathaniel Hawthorne was able to use The Scarlet Letter to explicate the people who daringly rebelled against their religious probity and, as a result, drastically altered their lives and personalities. Reverend Dimmesdale, one of the main characters and one of the most notable priests in The Scarlet Letter, suffered from devastating life and personality changes because of his decision to rebel against one of the most prominent Puritan morals regarding faithful relationships.

She committed the sin in the first place, which is completely against the Puritan beliefs. Hester not only committed the sin but she then decorated the scarlet letter. When she decorated the scarlet letter it was perceived that she was mocking her own punishment. Another good example is that over time the meaning of the scarlet letter “A” began to change. “The letter was the symbol of her calling.

In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)

All wrongful actions have consequences, furthermore, the consequences of one mistake has the power to flip one’s life upside down and ultimately change their life forever. This is what happens to Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Hester has been found guilty for adultery, a sin punishable by death in the Bible, and is forced by the Puritan society in which she lives in face major repercussions. Hester is forced to atone for her sins through prison time, public humiliation, and the forced wearing of a scarlet letter.

From the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne and her letter “A” emerged at the scaffold in public for adultery, which is a sin could not be forgive by their religion.” This is a description of the letter “A” that only belongs to Hester Prynne. Why said this is “only belongs to her”? If readers have a deep reading to The Scarlet Letter, they could easily find out the sin that is up to everyone’s inner aspect and it has a different symbolic meaning, which is mentioned at above text: “A” changes Adultery to Able and Angel. But, how does the letter “A” direct the other characters to

In this essay, we will focus on the effects this ideology had on the treatment of Hester and Dimmesdale, and the effects it had on Dimmesdale after he confessed to committing adultery. The Puritans’ treatment of women is blatantly evident at the beginning of the book where Hester is awaiting conviction upon the scaffold for her act of adultery. The townspeople present at the trial presented a very negative sentiment towards Hester,

In his novel“The Scarlet Letter the symbolic significance of the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale and Pearl to contribute to the theme of guilt. First, Hawthorne uses the symbol of the Scarlet Letter to contribute to his theme of guilt. He makes the Scarlet Letter stand for secret sin like Hester’s. Her scarlet letter stands for her sin of adultery.

Because of her crime against the Puritan society, Hester bears a scarlet “A” upon her bosom to eternally mark her with shame and agony. Hawthorne utilizes the scarlet letter as a sign of shame by stating, “In all the seven bygone years, Hester Prynne had never before been false to the symbol on her bosom. It may be that it was the talisman of a stern and severe, but yet a guardian spirit...” (149). The letter “A” is a sign of shame and allows all to identify as a evildoer; additionally, it identifies her acts of adultery and labels her as an outcast, burdening her conscience with loneliness and misery.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are gathered here today to discuss the well-being of Pearl Prynne. A child who was born illegitimately to a woman, who is married, and a man who remains unknown. It is true that Hester’s husband has not been heard from in the past two years, but that is no excuse to have an affair with another man. However, we are not here to talk about Hester’s mistakes, we are here to discuss what is best for Pearl. Pearl Prynne is known for her wild fits of rage.

Enough evidence was given in the book that Hester deserves the punishment. To prove that she does, Hester was raised as a Puritan so she knew what would be the consequences she has committed adultery and is left with a baby alone to raise without a father role model. As well she is not suited to be a mother. She can’t keep Pearl.