The Scarlet Letter - Symbolism

A detailed Summary of The Scarlet Letter - Symbolism


Many authors use symbolism in their work to offer a hidden meaning, or a deeper insight into their characters. Some symbols reveal inner feelings of characters, while others show the reader double meanings to events or objects in the story. A great example of symbolism would be in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

One example of how Hawthorne uses symbolism would be the actual letter "A" that is worn throughout the story by the heroine Hester Prynne. The letter symbolizes several things in the novel. One example of these could be that the letter outright and publicly symbolizes her sin and guilt. There is no hiding from her actions, seeing as the letter is always with her, always visible. It is a sort of constant reminder that she is a "bad" person and she should be ashamed of her actions. The letter also symbolizes her rejection from society. As she walks down the road, people stare at the letter, remembering the horrible deed that it represen


A final example of symbolism in the novel would be the putting of the "A" on Hester's Tombstone. This shows how society wants to make her sin permanent, ensuring that she is punished for it for eternity. This shows the reader that Hester is living in an unrelenting, unforgiving society. One in which no matter what she says or does, she can and will not be forgiven. You might also see the putting of the letter on her tombstone as a final plea to God and everyone else for her forgiveness. She is showing everyone that she has accepted and is willing to take her punishment by coming back to Boston before she dies, knowing that the "A" will be placed upon her tombstone. This not only symbolizes her courage, dignity, and pride, but in a way, it shows how she still thinks that she needs to be punished for what she did.

Many authors use symbolism in their work just like Hawthorne to get across deeper meanings to their readers. These symbols give the reader a deeper under

Some common words found in the essay are:
Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, Hester's Tombstone, , example symbolism, authors symbolism, scarlet letter, people story, letter symbolizes, sin committed,

Approximate Word count = 659
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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