“At last - at last! - I stand upon the spot where seven years since, I should have stood…” (Hawthorne 119). The reputations of the characters in a novel are determined by not only their actions, but also by their surroundings and their physical appearances. These circumstances can often influence the way the reader views a character. Within a novel, these specific circumstances serve as symbols to show a conflict within the character’s heart and mind. In a novel like The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many objects, people, and places that contain a much deeper meaning than that which appears on the surface. This legend of love, fear, shame, and finally retribution, is one with many complex characters and situations.
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The scaffold represents a place for the public execution of prisoners. In the beginning of the novel, Hester Prynne stands upon the scaffold awaiting her sentence. “But in their great mercy and tenderness of heart they have doomed Mistress Prynne to... wear a mark of shame upon her bosom” (Hawthorne 10). The scaffold in this scene and in other scenes takes on a negative light due to the reasons it is used. In this section of The Scarlet Letter, the scaffold is a dark, harsh, and grim place to be. “From this intense consciousness of being the object of severe and universal observation, the wearer of the scarlet letter was at length…” (Hawthorne 55). Standing upon the scaffold, Hester Prynne faces extreme criticism and scrutiny from her fellow citizens. This gives the reader insight into the life of Hester and the effects she is faced with due to her crime. Because Hester is standing on the scaffold as these actions unfold, everything Hester is forced to deal with associates itself with the scaffold. But as the novel unfolds and characters evolve, so the does the hidden meaning of the …show more content…
Once Hester is found guilty of adultery while standing on the platform, the scaffold’s reputation immediately becomes negative. As the story progresses and important characters evolve, the scaffold’s meaning begins to transform. Although the citizens are unaware of what the stage’s uses are in private, Hester, Pearl, and Mr. Dimmesdale know the scaffold is used as a stage for confessing their sins. At the end of the novel, though, Mr. Dimmesdale ultimately confesses his sins to the public, leading the symbolism of the scaffold to change once more. These events cause the scaffold to become a somewhat-holy platform for confession and repentance, reaching the finality of the scaffold’s evolution. “With a convulsive motion, he tore away the ministerial band from before his breast. It was revealed!... Then down he sank upon the scaffold” (Hawthorne
The scaffold represents a place for the public execution of prisoners. In the beginning of the novel, Hester Prynne stands upon the scaffold awaiting her sentence. “But in their great mercy and tenderness of heart they have doomed Mistress Prynne to... wear a mark of shame upon her bosom” (Hawthorne 10). The scaffold in this scene and in other scenes takes on a negative light due to the reasons it is used. In this section of The Scarlet Letter, the scaffold is a dark, harsh, and grim place to be. “From this intense consciousness of being the object of severe and universal observation, the wearer of the scarlet letter was at length…” (Hawthorne 55). Standing upon the scaffold, Hester Prynne faces extreme criticism and scrutiny from her fellow citizens. This gives the reader insight into the life of Hester and the effects she is faced with due to her crime. Because Hester is standing on the scaffold as these actions unfold, everything Hester is forced to deal with associates itself with the scaffold. But as the novel unfolds and characters evolve, so the does the hidden meaning of the …show more content…
Once Hester is found guilty of adultery while standing on the platform, the scaffold’s reputation immediately becomes negative. As the story progresses and important characters evolve, the scaffold’s meaning begins to transform. Although the citizens are unaware of what the stage’s uses are in private, Hester, Pearl, and Mr. Dimmesdale know the scaffold is used as a stage for confessing their sins. At the end of the novel, though, Mr. Dimmesdale ultimately confesses his sins to the public, leading the symbolism of the scaffold to change once more. These events cause the scaffold to become a somewhat-holy platform for confession and repentance, reaching the finality of the scaffold’s evolution. “With a convulsive motion, he tore away the ministerial band from before his breast. It was revealed!... Then down he sank upon the scaffold” (Hawthorne