A Sign of Many Meanings An Analysis of Symbolism in "The Scarlet Letter" Early American literature holds an important part in the history of the United States. There are many legendary writers who composed very prominent novels or stories that led to the shaping of early America. These same authors didn't only help with the shaping, but they often explained it, many times exposing the evils of society and the personal experience of the victims of society. To get their point across, many of these
January 2016 Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Use of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a large amount of symbolism in his book, The Scarlet Letter. “The characters and the action are soaked in symbolism” (Wagenknecht 61). Symbolism is the use of an object, character, or event to represent something else. Hawthorne uses the symbols in the book to convey the meanings of the story in a creative, interesting way. Hawthorne uses all of the main characters and many objects as symbols throughout
Symbolism in The Scarlett Letter The Scarlett Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is unique based on a plethora of symbols and motifs. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne applies these symbols to represent the central themes in the novel. As one of the most creative symbolists in American Literature, understanding Hawthorne requires an in depth analysis of his symbols in order to grasp them accurately. Generally speaking, a symbol is a literary device that contains several layers of meaning, often concealed
Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the two main symbols, Hester and the scarlet “A”, change profoundly. As a recurring symbol, the “A” first represents the reality of sin, and more specifically, Hester’s sinful act of adultery. Despite this, the letter eventually transforms into other ideas, such as power, courage, and adept, contrasting against the first meaning of the scarlet “A”. The letter also relates to Hester’s daughter, Pearl, various times throughout the novel
Sin and Rebirth Everything that happens has cause and effect. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, it talks about Hester Prynne’s story, who commits to adultery in a Puritan society and transform herself. She wears a scarlet letter “A”, which stands for adultery, for rest of her life as the punishment of adultery. She learns from the letter, and eventually the meaning of the scarlet “A” changes to able. However, her sin influences her in multiple ways. She bears humiliation, feels
in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter isn’t just about a woman dealing with the sin of adultery but a woman who faces many different hardships and obstacles to build her character. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, wrote the novel during a time when religion was very strict, corrupt, and harsh. Hester, the main character of the novel, has a child named Pearl with another man that is not her husband. Hester has to stand on the scaffold for an hour and wear a scarlet letter
Hester Prynne is the main female protagonist in the novel, The Scarlet Letter (1850) Hester Prynne is the main female protagonist. Written) by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and throughout the book, a hostile New England puritanical community alienates her. This is because she conceives and delivers a child, Pearl, out of wedlock as the result of a relationship with a man preacher named Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale whom she is not married to. The only apparent salvation for Hester is for her to reveal the name
The Scarlet Letter Essay The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an intriguing novel that uses romanticism and symbolism to depict a natural setting throughout the book in various ways. Also, the novel’s many representations create a specific theme in the novel, which is man and the natural world. Additionally, The Scarlet Letter uses romanticism as a way of describing sin. Romanticism is a literary movement of the late 1700’s which poets created an effect of individualism, an emotional ecstasy
In Hawthorne's novel, there are a number of sub-themes, which can be expressed in the form of opposition and that are subordinated to a major theme, that of sin. Sin, Knowledge, and the Human Condition Sin and knowledge are closely related in Judeo-Christian tradition. In the Bible Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden because they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result of knowledge, Adam and Eve must admit that they have not listened, and that separates them from
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”, Hester Prynne, living in the extremely strict Puritan society of Massachusetts, is forced to wear a red “A”, the mark of an adulterer, after having a child with a man who is not her husband, believing him to be dead after his two-year absence. Hawthorne’s commentary on early Puritan society in the New World is highlighted throughout the novel in the ways in which different events that transpire in the town are perceived by the townspeople versus what