Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

Symbolism enhances the meaning of even a simple painting. It is when a person looks at the images in the painting and tries to understand why the painter made those images while another person looks at it and just calls it â€Å"dumb† without even trying to understand it. The latter person completely loses faith in the painting and misses the actual point. When people first read The Scarlet Letter, they notice not only the characters, but also the objects, which may be non-living, but carry tons of meaning. They no longer view everything as random occurring objects in our daily lives or as a mere coincidence, but try to find the specific reasons of them occurring in the story. All sorts of questions rose in mind: Why did Hawthorne use the red†¦show more content†¦Pearl’s presence gives Hester a reason to live and augments her spirits whenever she loses hope. Pearl, just like the literal meaning of her name, is really precious to her mother and represents the pa ssion and spirit the sin provoked in Hester. The Meteor The meteor also plays a vital role in ‘The Scarlet Letter.’ In Chapter 12, when the meteor makes the letter ‘A’ in the sky, it is a reminder of the same sin made by Hester to Dimmesdale. It implies that the letter ‘A’ should also be worn by Dimmesdale. But the rest of the society interprets the meteor differently. They think it stands for ‘Angel’ denoting the entry of the Governor into heaven. The Red Color While red personifies Hester’s passion as well as hope and love. For example, the red letter, the red rose-bush and Pearl’s red dress. Just like Hester doesn’t fit in the Puritan society, the wild rose bush outside prison doesn’t fit in the place it grows. The ‘red light’ shining through the room when sunlight passes through the red window symbolizes how Hester’s passion is spreading among the society. The Black Color Hawthorne uses black to symbolize evil, the worst of someone and the darkness that conceals the truth. Hester describes the prison as ‘the black flower of the civilized society’, Pearl’s eyes as ‘small black mirrors’ and Satan as ‘The Black Man’ in the forest. The Gold Color The way the letter wasShow MoreRelatedSymbolism Of The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1464 Words   |  6 PagesNicholas Markle Mrs. Voshell Honors English 10 6 January 2017 Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, symbolism is used to give the reader an in-depth understanding into the events that take place in the story. There are several symbols that Hawthorne uses to give meaning to the people, places, and things throughout the story. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s husband disappears and is thought to be dead. She has a child with Dimmesdale, Hester’sRead MoreSymbolism In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne1045 Words   |  5 Pages Symbolism is the use of symbols in a book to represent ideas or qualities. Symbolism is used many times throughout The Scarlet Letter, whether it be through a person, an object, or a place. Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth are some of the more important people that are used as symbols by Nathaniel Hawthorne throughout the book. The Scarlet Letter is set in the Puritan time where Hester is the woman who committed adultery, Arthur is the man who committed adulteryRead MoreSymbolism Of The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne923 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism is a common approach used in writing, but it is not to be taken for its exact connotation. In literature, the symbol can be a person, item, circumstance, or action that has a more profound significance in the writing. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are four main symbols that the reader would notice. The symbols include, the colors red and black, the meteor, Pearl, and the scarlet letter itself. Hawthorne uses symbolism in the novel to communicate his message. In thisRead MoreSymbolism Of The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1513 Words   |  7 Pagessomething that is used to represent or stand for something else. Nathaniel Hawthorne was notorious for having used symbolism to portray both spiritual and moral lessons in his works. In fact, what makes some of his stories so great was the symbolism that he used to set the tone or represent key components in the plot. Many of Hawthorne’s works were centered in the Puritan society and dealt with a human’s inclination to sin. Hawthorne realized the many flaws in humans and saw how fake people couldRead MoreSymbolism Of The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1956 Words   |  8 Pagesgenerations. For example, the Model T is not produced anymore, but is the grandfather of almost every car made today, affecting jobs, businesses, people, and the world. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is taught today because it was one of the first important American written novels th at contained obvious symbolism. Since symbolism is used in everything of literary merit, it is important to see where it started. In the same way, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has lastedRead MoreSymbolism Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1159 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism in the Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is known to have a lot of symbolism. Symbolism is a way to convey ideas and give a book a deeper meaning to readers. While there are many symbols in the Scarlet Letter, there are a few that stand out more than others. Pearl, Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all main characters that have symbols. Hawthorne symbols are used to help readers relate to the story. In order to really comprehend the book the readerRead MoreSymbolism Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter882 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter was a novel written in the 1850 s by a man named Nathaniel Hawthorne. Throughout the Scarlet Letter he uses scads of literary devices. The literary devices are there to give the novel more depth. The main device he uses in the novel is symbolism. Hawthorne uses the symbolism to make an object have more than one meaning. Three of the elements he uses as symbols are the scarlet letter, Pearl, and the forest. These symbols are seen differently by theRead MoreThe Symbolism Of Sin In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1086 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne,   a anti-transcendentalists, born during the early 1800’s, born in Salem, made a book called The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter was a book about Puritans in New England, during the 1600’s in a small Puritan town. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism of The Scarlet Letter, Pearl and Burrs to contribute to the overall theme of sin.   Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin, Hawthorne uses The Scarlet Letter to symbolize sin. Hester is the main character in the story, sheRead MoreSymbolism By Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1140 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism; the use of symbols to represent something abstract by something concrete. It can be powerful in a novel when used correctly. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a prime example of Symbolism being used creatively in a work.This is what Hyatt H. Waggoner has to say about the Hawthornes creativity.† But in between the surface and the depths movement is constant and complex, and it is in this middle that the principal value of the work lies.†(Waggoner 73)What Waggoner is talking aboutRead MoreSymbolism Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1122 Words   |  5 Pagesdraft Topic: Symbolism of the Scarlet letter â€Å"A† In The Scarlet letter the author Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the use of symbolism in the book, especially the scarlet letter â€Å"A.† Symbolism is defined as a figure of speech used for an object, or a word to represent something else in literature. The Scarlet letter â€Å"A† had a change of meaning throughout the novel. In the inception of the book it is known as a symbol of Adultery. As the book continues the scarlet letter is looked at differently