Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter “A” “On a field, sable, the letter A, gules” (Hawthorne 259). The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of a woman named Hester Prynne who overcomes the pestering punishment of wearing the scarlet “A”. This letter is given to her by the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester changes the symbolic meaning of the letter “A” from her sin of “adultery,” to being an “able” woman, to gracious, ultimately defining her own identity.
The letter “A” is first intended to showcase Hester’s sin of adultery. Because of this letter, she now has a label on her that specifies her sinful act for all to see. To the public, this letter stands for the town’s punishment forced upon her, …show more content…
All the time and service she gives end up gaining respect from some of the Puritans who once looked down on her. Hawthorne writes, “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 it meant “Able”; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 158). The townspeople ignore, or chose to ignore, the original meaning of the letter saying that it instead means “able,” because she is such an “able” woman. Not everyone feels this way though. Arthur Dimmesdale, the other component of this crime and a minister for the town, feels the pressure of his sin when he sees the “A.” Referring to Dimmesdale and where he stands in the situation, Hawthorne says, “And thus, while standing there on the scaffold, in this vain show of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart” (Hawthorne 144). Dimmesdale is overwhelmed by his guilt when standing where Hester stood earlier to be judged by the public. He feels as if the entire universe can see some sort of letter “A” on him as well. Hester’s scarlet “A,” however, still continues to
The letter “A” is first intended to showcase Hester’s sin of adultery. Because of this letter, she now has a label on her that specifies her sinful act for all to see. To the public, this letter stands for the town’s punishment forced upon her, …show more content…
All the time and service she gives end up gaining respect from some of the Puritans who once looked down on her. Hawthorne writes, “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 it meant “Able”; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 158). The townspeople ignore, or chose to ignore, the original meaning of the letter saying that it instead means “able,” because she is such an “able” woman. Not everyone feels this way though. Arthur Dimmesdale, the other component of this crime and a minister for the town, feels the pressure of his sin when he sees the “A.” Referring to Dimmesdale and where he stands in the situation, Hawthorne says, “And thus, while standing there on the scaffold, in this vain show of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart” (Hawthorne 144). Dimmesdale is overwhelmed by his guilt when standing where Hester stood earlier to be judged by the public. He feels as if the entire universe can see some sort of letter “A” on him as well. Hester’s scarlet “A,” however, still continues to