Symbols and Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarlet Letter es

Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is generally considered to be the first American symbolic novel. A symbol is something which is used to represent something broader in meaning. The most obvious symbol in the novel is the actual scarlet "A" which both the criticism and I agree upon. This "A" is the literal symbol of the sin of adultery. The letter A then appears in many different forms throughout the novel. The gold-embroidered A on Hester Prynne's fascinates Pearl Prynne. It is magnified in the armor breast plate at Governor Bellingham's mansion which is so extreme that it seems to hide and cover Hester. On the night of Arthur Dimmesdale vigil, he sees a red A in the sky. And finally, the letter is revealed on Dimmsdale's chest in front of the whole village. The A also takes on many meanings. It has the original meaning as well as different meanings to various characters. To Hester, the A means humiliation. The A to Dimmesdale is a reminder of his own contrition. To Pearl, the A is peculiarity and Roger Chillingworth sees the A as a journey for retaliation. Other then adultery, the A can also stand for "Angel" and "Able". Angel, for it appears in the sky after Governor Winthrop's death. Able, for Hester has won the respect of the Puritans even if she has sinned terribly. Hawthorne uses the prison building to describe crime and punishment in contrast with the tombstone at the end of ... ...t price is Hester's reputation and her standing in the community. Pearl is also a self-contained symbol. The result of her parent's sin is shown in her often imprudent comments and unbridled behavior. Each character in the novel suffers from a sin which they try to crush and bemoan with goodness from their own heart. The Scarlet Letter is a book filled with symbolism. I feel the symbolism helps to relate a situation to a position the reader knows about. The critic which I based this on feels that there is voluminous accounts of symbolism, even too much. I must disagree with this. Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is an amazingly written book for its time with just the right amount of powerful symbolism.