Arthur Symbolism In Scarlet Letter

Arthur Dimmesdale, like Hester, is another important character who plays a significant role in the novel “The Scarlet Letter.” Also like Hester, Arthur Dimmesdale’s name can be linked back to his characteristics. The name “Arthur” is like the word “author” which is a word that can be linked to someone with intelligence (Lei). Nan Lei says the following statement about Dimmesdale “Graduated from a famous university in England, Arthur Dimmesdale is a holy clergyman with great religious accomplishment and high social status. His parishioners turn to him for guidance and direction, and in their mind, he is a perfect model and almost sinless.” This quote provides evidence that Arthur is an intelligent respectable man like an author. Another author named Hugo McPherson says “His name, Arthur, suggests a great hero (students of Kenneth Burke might pun the name into Arthur-Author, or Art for short) whose role in the community is purely spiritual; he will unendingly battle the powers of blackness as defmed by scriptural and civil law,” this quote also suggests that Arthur Dimmesdale was a very respectable man though he struggled …show more content…
While also revealing detail, symbols also give the readers different ideas on what the author could be trying to portray. The author Nathanial Hawthorne uses many symbols throughout his writing, revealing to his audience more about his writings. In Nathanial Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” he uses many symbols to make his readers think harder on what he is trying to show. Without all the symbols that Hawthorne used, “The Scarlet Letter,” the novel would not be as famous as it is today. The scarlet “A” is a major symbol in the novel that most people pick out; but there are also many other symbols revealed in “The Scarlet Letter.” Symbols such as, the prison, the characters names, and the private and public guilt all lead back to represent the theme of the