A Letter A, Gules

A detailed Summary of A Letter A, Gules

"A true symbol is substantial, not accidental. You cannot avoid it; you cannot remove it." Saul Bellow Write an essay showing why the scarlet letter A is or is not a "true symbol."

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many strong symbols through out his novel The Scarlet Letter to convey his ideas, themes and morals. All of Hawthorne's symbols are very deliberate and concrete. His prevailing symbol in the novel is the scarlet letter A. Hawthorne uses the A in a variety of forms to show meaning and main ideas. Because of the letter A's multiple significance and it's everlasting presence in the novel it is a true symbol.

The scarlet letter A is true symbol in that it is inescapable by Hester. At first Hester tries to hide the letter with her crying infant but she realizes "that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another." (60). She could not avoid the truth that the embroidered letter on her breast told the crowd. From that say on, through the rest of her life, Hester allows herself to remove the letter A only once and only briefly. Even when the practice is no longer in use and not even the strictest magistrate would make her wear it, Hester wears the letter A until the day of her death

The scarlet letter A was a true symbol. It was substantial in that it could convey more than one quality, and even symbolize main ideas and conflicts rather than one word attributes. It was the most predominant and effective symbol in the Hawthorne's novel. The scarlet letter A takes it's place a symbol for the entire story and the story's ideas when Hawthorne puts its image on the shared tombstone between Hester and Dimmesdale.

The scarlet letter is a true symbol because it has strong multiple purposes. It serves as a symbol of the blame that people in Puritan Boston put on people. This can be seen in each of the three significant scaffold scenes; a new form of the letter appears at each one. In the first the Puritans have accused Hester for adultery and subject her to public humiliation on the scaffold. The letter A in this scene was the richly embroidered badge of shame that Hester has sewn onto her dress. The Puritans blame Hester as a sinful influence on their society, and they create the punishment of the letter A to show the world her blame. Hester shows that she accepts the blame for her sin completely and openly when she defiantly embroiders the lavish A. The second scaffold scene is the Minister Dimmesdale's vigil. The minister's A comes from the sky in red clouds, and it is taken as sign from God. The minister knows that God is blaming him for his own cowardice and the A the desce!

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Approximate Word count = 968
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels