Symbolism comes in many forms, whether through objects, events, environments, or actions. Through symbolism, a single thing can have a variety of meanings. In the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne creates symbolism through names. Hester Prynne, Pearl, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth all have names that reflect who they are. Hawthorne uses the literary element of symbolism in the names of his characters to enhance the story and give insight into their personalities.
Hester Prynne’s name contains symbolism, albeit not immediately noticeable. Her last name could be seen as a combination of two words: “pride” and “sin”. The town is fully aware of Hester’s sin of adultery, this is why she was locked up in jail, forced to stand on the scaffold, and wear the titular scarlet letter on her chest. “Pride” may seem strange at first, since wearing the scarlet letter, in addition to the fact that everyone, including her own daughter, Pearl, consistently points it out, gives Hester feelings of shame and embarrassment, but by the time she grows older, her letter ceases to be an object of ignominy and scorn. “[It] became something to be...looked upon with awe...with reverence too.”(Hawthorne 234) People …show more content…
Hester had named her daughter this way because she was a “being of great price,-purchased with all she had”(pg 81). This a reference to the biblical parable of the merchant who “had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”(Matthew 13:46) The parable differs from the story by the fact that what is being “sold” is different. In the parable, the items being “sold” are the merchant’s possessions. In The Scarlet Letter, the items being “sold” are Hester’s dignity and honor. Frequently compared to being a walking, living scarlet letter, Pearl is the ultimate symbol of Hester’s sin, and her name only clarifies this
Hester Prynne’s name contains symbolism, albeit not immediately noticeable. Her last name could be seen as a combination of two words: “pride” and “sin”. The town is fully aware of Hester’s sin of adultery, this is why she was locked up in jail, forced to stand on the scaffold, and wear the titular scarlet letter on her chest. “Pride” may seem strange at first, since wearing the scarlet letter, in addition to the fact that everyone, including her own daughter, Pearl, consistently points it out, gives Hester feelings of shame and embarrassment, but by the time she grows older, her letter ceases to be an object of ignominy and scorn. “[It] became something to be...looked upon with awe...with reverence too.”(Hawthorne 234) People …show more content…
Hester had named her daughter this way because she was a “being of great price,-purchased with all she had”(pg 81). This a reference to the biblical parable of the merchant who “had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”(Matthew 13:46) The parable differs from the story by the fact that what is being “sold” is different. In the parable, the items being “sold” are the merchant’s possessions. In The Scarlet Letter, the items being “sold” are Hester’s dignity and honor. Frequently compared to being a walking, living scarlet letter, Pearl is the ultimate symbol of Hester’s sin, and her name only clarifies this