In Hawthorne’s romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, which revolves around the themes of sin and concealment, Hester, the protagonist, is tagged with the scarlet letter, which is a reminder of her sin in society. However, the governor Dimmesdale, hides his sin, ultimately causing a sense of internal conflict that manifests him. After struggling with his sin, the governor repents his sin, causing both him and Hester to come at one with their sins. To reveal his central themes, Hawthorne utilizes multiple dualities to reveal that society has a great amount of sin that ultimately manifests an individual. Specifically, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes the paradox of light and dark, symbolizing truth and concealment respectively, to explore the state
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While Hester and Pearl were in the forest, “Overhead was a gray expanse of cloud, slightly stirred, however, by a breeze, so that a gleam of flickering sunshine might now and then be seen at its solitary play along the path”. In this scene when Hester and Dimmesdale meet, the setting is manifested with darkness, symbolizing the ignominy of the two and specifically reflecting Dimmesdale’s concealment that causes him to be in a state of internal conflict. Ultimately, this is used to reflect Hawthorne’s view that sin is prevalent among society, and concealment of it would only make one plunge into a state of conflict. However, Hawthorne quickly juxtaposes this with the sunlight, which symbolizes Pearl’s naivete and embodiment of truth. Because she has yet to merge into Puritan society, she is the manifestation of truth and innocence in society, revealing the specks of innocence in a world that is characterized by the ubiquity of misdemeanor. Furthermore, Pearl elaborates on the state of darkness by saying, “‘ Mother, … the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off”. The sun, symbolizing the truth in life, not shining on the scarlet letter reveals the inability for Hester to achieve rectitude. In other words, it reveals Hester’s terrible state and ultimately reflects Hawthorne’s view that sin can manifest an individual, as it did with Dimmesdale and Hester, to ruin his or her life. However, the sun is able to shine on Pearl, who is even able to capture the sunlight, which reveals how Pearl, symbolizing truth, is able to repel sin and maintain innocence. Hawthorne utilizes this symbolism to reveal that if one is not immersed into society, he or she is able to achieve innocence
While Hester and Pearl were in the forest, “Overhead was a gray expanse of cloud, slightly stirred, however, by a breeze, so that a gleam of flickering sunshine might now and then be seen at its solitary play along the path”. In this scene when Hester and Dimmesdale meet, the setting is manifested with darkness, symbolizing the ignominy of the two and specifically reflecting Dimmesdale’s concealment that causes him to be in a state of internal conflict. Ultimately, this is used to reflect Hawthorne’s view that sin is prevalent among society, and concealment of it would only make one plunge into a state of conflict. However, Hawthorne quickly juxtaposes this with the sunlight, which symbolizes Pearl’s naivete and embodiment of truth. Because she has yet to merge into Puritan society, she is the manifestation of truth and innocence in society, revealing the specks of innocence in a world that is characterized by the ubiquity of misdemeanor. Furthermore, Pearl elaborates on the state of darkness by saying, “‘ Mother, … the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off”. The sun, symbolizing the truth in life, not shining on the scarlet letter reveals the inability for Hester to achieve rectitude. In other words, it reveals Hester’s terrible state and ultimately reflects Hawthorne’s view that sin can manifest an individual, as it did with Dimmesdale and Hester, to ruin his or her life. However, the sun is able to shine on Pearl, who is even able to capture the sunlight, which reveals how Pearl, symbolizing truth, is able to repel sin and maintain innocence. Hawthorne utilizes this symbolism to reveal that if one is not immersed into society, he or she is able to achieve innocence