The Scarlet Letter: A Symbol Of Sin

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The Scarlet Letter is an early American novel written in 1850 by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter was written about Hester Prynne, who was a woman living in Puritan times, battling with sin, guilt, and isolation, while trying to find redemption from her act of adultery. Sin is the most prominent theme in The Scarlet Letter. The book is about a woman whose act of adultery ruined her life. Hester Prynne’s affair was the first appearance of sin in the book. “The scarlet letter burned on Hester Prynne's bosom.”( ) The scarlet letter A is used throughout the book as a symbol for sin, showing what Hester had done; along with her daughter Pearl, who is used numerous times in The Scarlet Letter as a symbol of Hester’s adulterous acts. “Here…show more content…
Pearl, who was born from Hester’s affair, was treated poorly as people would always say that Pearl was a “Demon child” or an “Imp” . She is a reminder to Hester of her sin, and is always wanting the scarlet A. Interestingly, Pearl is a reminder of Hester's sin and is around all the time, but she is also a reminder of Hester's passion. Guilt and blame are something that we all deal with every day, and that is no exception for Hester Prynne. During the opening of The Scarlet Letter, as Hester is walking down the street, “she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed.”(17) She knew that everyone was giving her a judgmental stare as she held her child in her arms. Everyone in town knew that Hester’s baby came from a man who was not her husband, this made it hard for her to go anywhere without being judged by her peers. When Hester went into a state of depression, Dimmesdale walks up to her and says “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life." ( ) Dimmesdale begs Hester to put the blame on him because the affair was an act that he was part of, but due to the guilt on Hester’s heart, she refuses to let Dimmesdale take the
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