The Scarlet Letter, a book written by the nephew of Hathorne, who goes by the name of Hawthorne is about a woman who committed adultery, but also has a main point of good vs.evil. Written in the 1800’s by a puritan author and taking place in the New World during the 1600’s. The Scarlet Letter is mainly about a town that revolves around punishment and a woman that who sinned. But it all symbolizes good and evil. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the Wild Rosebush, Pearl, and the Forest and Sunlight to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection. To begin, Hawthorne uses the Wild Rosebush to contribute to the theme of imperfection. The Wild Rosebush in it’s beauty also has evil which means there’s
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Pearl was a token of shame for Hester’s sin and the result of one. Hawthorne narrates, “She looked fearfully into the child's expanding nature, ever dreading to detect some dark and wild peculiarity…The child had a native grace which does not invariably coexist with faultless beauty” (82). This quote basically means that Hester is afraid because she is well aware of her sin and is afraid of her daughter to become like her as they're both treated the same bad way by the town. As the story goes on Hester’s daughter Pearl becomes of a decent age and is smart and intelligent but a bit uncomfortable. Hawthorne narrates, The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law had been broken...the result was a being whose elements were beautiful and brilliant” (83). This quote means that although Pearl is beautiful, brilliant, polite, and quiet she is uncontrollable and could be aggressive to other children, which gave her a bad reputation and got her the name “demon child”. All of this caused the questioning of her innocence and whether she was good or evil and to be held to Hester’s custody. So Pearl is a intelligent and beautiful child that can't follow rules, but is a symbol of …show more content…
The forest is used as a meeting spot between the sinners who are Dimmesdale Hester’s lover and the town minister and Hester. The Sun which refuses to shine on Hester, but on Pearl has a meaning of innocence and purity. Hawthorne narrates, “forth burst the sunshine , pouring a very flood into the obscure Forest, gladdening each green leaf” (183). This quote means that innocence and purity peaks through evilness like Sunlight through the trees of the evil and impure Forest. The story then goes on to where Hester meets mistress Hibbins and gets an invitation. Mistress Hibbins said, “wilt thou go with us tonight? There will be merry company in the Forest;...the Black man that comely Hester Prynne should make one” (106). Basically Mistress Hibbins is inviting Hester to go sell her soul to go to sell her soul to the devil that night. This isn't surprising because Mistress Hibbins, the governor's sister was known and eventually executed for witchcraft. It was also common for the forest to be the place where this type of stuff happens because the Forest represents evil, sin, and darkness while the Sunlight represents pureness and innocence which is also why these rituals take place at night. The Sunlight on the other hand representing purity and innocence decides to only shine on Pearl and not Hester, until she takes off her cap and shows her true beauty. The Forest and Sunlight support
Pearl was a token of shame for Hester’s sin and the result of one. Hawthorne narrates, “She looked fearfully into the child's expanding nature, ever dreading to detect some dark and wild peculiarity…The child had a native grace which does not invariably coexist with faultless beauty” (82). This quote basically means that Hester is afraid because she is well aware of her sin and is afraid of her daughter to become like her as they're both treated the same bad way by the town. As the story goes on Hester’s daughter Pearl becomes of a decent age and is smart and intelligent but a bit uncomfortable. Hawthorne narrates, The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law had been broken...the result was a being whose elements were beautiful and brilliant” (83). This quote means that although Pearl is beautiful, brilliant, polite, and quiet she is uncontrollable and could be aggressive to other children, which gave her a bad reputation and got her the name “demon child”. All of this caused the questioning of her innocence and whether she was good or evil and to be held to Hester’s custody. So Pearl is a intelligent and beautiful child that can't follow rules, but is a symbol of …show more content…
The forest is used as a meeting spot between the sinners who are Dimmesdale Hester’s lover and the town minister and Hester. The Sun which refuses to shine on Hester, but on Pearl has a meaning of innocence and purity. Hawthorne narrates, “forth burst the sunshine , pouring a very flood into the obscure Forest, gladdening each green leaf” (183). This quote means that innocence and purity peaks through evilness like Sunlight through the trees of the evil and impure Forest. The story then goes on to where Hester meets mistress Hibbins and gets an invitation. Mistress Hibbins said, “wilt thou go with us tonight? There will be merry company in the Forest;...the Black man that comely Hester Prynne should make one” (106). Basically Mistress Hibbins is inviting Hester to go sell her soul to go to sell her soul to the devil that night. This isn't surprising because Mistress Hibbins, the governor's sister was known and eventually executed for witchcraft. It was also common for the forest to be the place where this type of stuff happens because the Forest represents evil, sin, and darkness while the Sunlight represents pureness and innocence which is also why these rituals take place at night. The Sunlight on the other hand representing purity and innocence decides to only shine on Pearl and not Hester, until she takes off her cap and shows her true beauty. The Forest and Sunlight support