The letter "A" was to be worn as a punishment, to be worn in shame, to be worn as "adulteress." This may not have been clearly and directly stated to the reader, but throughout reading the book, you gather possible hidden meanings of Hester's scarlet letter. Although the sense of the meaning "adulteress" is constant, the metaphoric, emotional, and moralistic meanings of the scarlet letter vary from positive to negative interpretations throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter.

The Puritan community was a dark, strict society, feeling indifferent to the humanity of the woman standing before them on the scaffold, with her infant daughter against her chest. The beautifully embroidered letter does not glow in the eyes of the people. The letter shapes the way they look at Hester and the way they treat her. They isolate Hester not only socially but also through her location, which ultimately causes her own emotional isolation. "It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and inclosing her in a sphere by herself." (40)

However, the people's attitude does change. It goes through various roller-coasters of positi

Throughout the beginning chapters Hester is isolated and looked down upon by the Puritans. During "Another View of Hester," Hawthorne explains to the reader that the scarlet A has yet another layer of meaning, which is in fact another view of Hester. The very townspeople who once condemned her now believed her scarlet A to stand for her ability to create her beautiful needlework and for her unselfish assistance to the poor and sick. They now saw it as a "symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her--so much power to do and power to sympathize--that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification," (110) and now believed it to represent the concept of "able." Many the townspeople realized what a high quality of character Hester possessed. They would call to each other, "Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester- the town's Hester...." (111).

Although Hester is clearly not a Puritan, she does show respect for the Puritan code. She fully acknowledges her sin and she boldly displays it to the world. This face of the A is a model of "acceptance," a symbol of Hester's respect for herself, and for her life. Hester did not plan to commit the sin of adultery, because it was not a sin of lust in her eyes; it was an act of love. Her salvation lies in the truth, the truth of love and passion.

The scarlet letter could represent Hester's confinement and solitude in her own world of grief and thought regarding her action. The single time in the novel that Hester removed the letter from her bosom she seemed to explode with youth, freedom, and passion. Yet once it was placed back on her breast, once again she was confined to her own punishment. It was a punishment she could remove or hide, but her own pride sustains her from the opening scene until she dies, still bearing the scarlet A on her breast. Hester's own acceptance of herself and her pride transformed the scarlet letter to being much more than a symbol, it was a guide, "...her pass

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Approximate Word count = 1353
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)