In the novel T he Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne symbolism is used differently between the Puritans in the novel and the narrator of the novel. Despite both using the same symbols, the way they view these symbols differs substantially. Some symbols that are used differently are the scarlet letter, sunshine, and Pearl. The use of symbols between the Puritans and the narrator, the Puritans look at these symbols in a negative way, bringing the people who encounter these symbols “doom and gloom”. The narrator on the other hand looks at the symbols as a form of retribution for the people who find them.
The symbol of the scarlet letter is the main idea of the novel, and perhaps the most important symbol. The puritans view this symbol as a …show more content…
Due to Pearl being the offspring of sin the Puritans view her in a very different way than they would any other person in their community. There is a struggle to tell whether Pearl is human or not, due to her being the offspring of Hester’s sin. The struggle for this is shown by Hester who, wants to love her own child, “It was a look so intelligent, yet inexplicable, so perverse, sometimes so malicious, but generally accompanied by a wild flow of spirits, that Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a human child.” (Hawthorne, 85) Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s sin and it is something that she has to live her life with. The puritans make it clear that there is a struggle between whether they should be looking at Pearl as a symbol of Hester’s sin, connecting it to the scarlet letter. This struggle continues on through Pearl’s life, should be just viewed as this symbol of sin, or should she be seen as a person. The narrator looks at Pearl in a different way, seeing her also as a symbol of retribution for the sin that Hester committed. This attempt for redemption can be seen in something as simple as Pearl’s …show more content…
When Hester finally takes off the letter, the sun begins to shine on her and gives her a great feeling, “Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance that it overflows upon the outward world.” (Hawthorne, 194) Hester has been shut out from this sunlight since she has sinned, but this begins to change. As he takes off the letter she is open to a new sensation she has struggled with since Pearl has been born, love. She does love Pearl, but she has struggled with this for all of Pearl’s life. Once the sunshine begins to shine upon her she is filled with a new sense of love, meaning redemption for her
The symbol of the scarlet letter is the main idea of the novel, and perhaps the most important symbol. The puritans view this symbol as a …show more content…
Due to Pearl being the offspring of sin the Puritans view her in a very different way than they would any other person in their community. There is a struggle to tell whether Pearl is human or not, due to her being the offspring of Hester’s sin. The struggle for this is shown by Hester who, wants to love her own child, “It was a look so intelligent, yet inexplicable, so perverse, sometimes so malicious, but generally accompanied by a wild flow of spirits, that Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a human child.” (Hawthorne, 85) Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s sin and it is something that she has to live her life with. The puritans make it clear that there is a struggle between whether they should be looking at Pearl as a symbol of Hester’s sin, connecting it to the scarlet letter. This struggle continues on through Pearl’s life, should be just viewed as this symbol of sin, or should she be seen as a person. The narrator looks at Pearl in a different way, seeing her also as a symbol of retribution for the sin that Hester committed. This attempt for redemption can be seen in something as simple as Pearl’s …show more content…
When Hester finally takes off the letter, the sun begins to shine on her and gives her a great feeling, “Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance that it overflows upon the outward world.” (Hawthorne, 194) Hester has been shut out from this sunlight since she has sinned, but this begins to change. As he takes off the letter she is open to a new sensation she has struggled with since Pearl has been born, love. She does love Pearl, but she has struggled with this for all of Pearl’s life. Once the sunshine begins to shine upon her she is filled with a new sense of love, meaning redemption for her