Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter In society today, forms of punishment have changed drastically from the punishment forms of past centuries. The past forms of punishment were much more publically humiliating and demeaning than anything seen in society today. These forms of punishment can be explored in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, “The Scarlet Letter”. In this novel, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” as punishment for her acts of adultery. The letter “A” is used as a symbol to convey Hawthorne’s recurring themes of independence, new life, and sin. As Hester is cruelly punished for her crime of adultery, she decides to turn the letter into something beautiful: “It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and
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He steps onto it, and yearns to confess his sins because his guilt is eating him away. Hester and Pearl join him shortly, and they witness a letter “A” drawn in the sky by a meteor. This “A” can be interpreted differently by each character. The townspeople believe that the letter stands for “Angel”, symbolizing Governor Winthrop entering the heavens. Dimmesdale has a different take on the meteor. He believes it symbolizes his recurring urge to openly wear his sin just as Hester does. Keeping his sinful secret from the world is not an easy task for Dimmesdale, as he states: “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret!” (173). Although Hester was punished for her crime, she does not have to hide it from anyone. Dimmesdale is unintentionally killing himself by keeping this sin from the rest of the world. By frequently grabbing his heart, Dimmesdale gives the reader clues to his inner turmoil. In How to Read Literature like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster states that problems of the heart can symbolize bad love, betrayal, and a multitude of other emotions. It is obvious in Dimmesdale’s struggles that there is something critically wrong with him, and the reader can observe that it is more than just his physical
He steps onto it, and yearns to confess his sins because his guilt is eating him away. Hester and Pearl join him shortly, and they witness a letter “A” drawn in the sky by a meteor. This “A” can be interpreted differently by each character. The townspeople believe that the letter stands for “Angel”, symbolizing Governor Winthrop entering the heavens. Dimmesdale has a different take on the meteor. He believes it symbolizes his recurring urge to openly wear his sin just as Hester does. Keeping his sinful secret from the world is not an easy task for Dimmesdale, as he states: “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret!” (173). Although Hester was punished for her crime, she does not have to hide it from anyone. Dimmesdale is unintentionally killing himself by keeping this sin from the rest of the world. By frequently grabbing his heart, Dimmesdale gives the reader clues to his inner turmoil. In How to Read Literature like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster states that problems of the heart can symbolize bad love, betrayal, and a multitude of other emotions. It is obvious in Dimmesdale’s struggles that there is something critically wrong with him, and the reader can observe that it is more than just his physical