To begin, throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter, the use of symbolism flourishes; …show more content…
Here, the ladies of the town gossip about Hester, one going as far as to say the scarlet letter presented too little of a punishment; execution seemed more fitting. These ladies stood in front of an “ugly edifice, and between it and the wheel-track of the street, was a grass-plot, much overgrown with burdock, pig-weed, apple-pern, and such unsightly vegetation” (Hawthorne 45). Through conveying the horrific piece of land which displays a dull and dark surrounding, Hawthorne further conveys the somber tone. Once again, by using tone through figurative language, Hawthorne adds to the reader 's comprehension of Puritan values. The gossiping ladies talk about punishing Hester, yet at the same time they do not look after their own town, showing a hypocritical trait on behalf of the Puritans. In short, the somber tone conveyed through imagery helps readers depict the hypocrites which surround