|
|
In the Scarlet Letter there is a great deal of symbolism. Nathanial Hawthorne is said to be one of the best authors in American Literature who used symbolism. A symbol is usually a concrete object used to represent an idea that is intangible, which often has to do with morals, religion, or an abstract concept. Symbols can be static, which means unchanging, or some can change depending on the perspective they are put in. So considering all of these “rules” for symbolism I chose to write about the scarlet letter A. The scarlet letter has a variety of meanings in the story depending on its context. The letter A stands for adultery, self-punishment, and regret; although, at the end of the story the letter A stands for able or angel. The scarlet letter is an elaborately gold-embroidered A that is worn over Hester Prynne’s heart. Hester wears the A on her dress throughout the whole story, except in one part when she takes it off to talk to Arthur Dimmesdale, the secret father of her child. The A is also brought up at Governor Bellingham’s mansion where it is magnified in the armor breast-plate. The A being magnified is important because it shows how Hester is hidden behind a gigantic symbol, just as her life is hidden by her sin. This symbol is in most of the scenes in this novel; however, there are four places that really stand out. On the night that Dimmesdale goes onto the scaffold with Hester and Pearl there is a red A in the sky, which some people think it is showing that their reverend has become an angel, but Dimmesdale sees it as his sin being expressed. Another is when Pearl decorates her own chest with green seaweed, this shows that Pearl is comfortable with the A and doesn’t really think it is bad and that it is just a normal part of life.
|
