The Scarlet Letter- Symbols of Sin

A detailed Summary of The Scarlet Letter- Symbols of Sin

By definition, a symbol is "something concrete that represents or suggests another thing that cannot in itself be pictured." Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many people as symbols throughout The Scarlet Letter. The characters of Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Roger Chillingworth all represent sin. However, these four symbolize different aspects of sin.

Through the character of Hester Prynne, Hawthorne shows how sin can make a person stronger. When Hester commits adultery, the Puritan punishment forces her to wear a scarlet letter so the whole community knows of her wrongdoing. Hester has enough courage to wear the letter in public, even though she has to live with harassing comments and peculiar glances from the townspeople. By dealing with these unnecessary actions, Hester becomes a stronger person who is better able to handle pain and defend herself. Besides the fact that she wears her "A" proudly, Hester is able to get over her sorrow and get on with her life. She decides not to stay home everyday and suffer grief; instead, she chooses to help others. Many people begin to respect her again because of her kindness and assistance. As Hawthorne states, "Such helpfulness was found in her- so much po

y said that it meant "Able"; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength." Hester truly is a symbol of strength, and because of her strength she is able to get on with her life and not suffer with her grief.

rk on earth for him to do." Many smaller sins can be worse than a single sin, and Hawthorne uses Roger Chillingworth as an example of this.

Although Roger Chillingworth does not commit one great sin like other characters, Hawthorne uses him to teach the reader that several lesser sins can be greater than a single great wrongdoing. Throughout the novel, Chillingworth commits several acts of misconduct. His lack of sensitivity is shown in choosing such a young woman as his bride, his lack of chivalry is shown when he sends his wife alone to Boston, his lack of kindness is shown when he does not contact his wife for two years, and his lack of sympathy is shown when he chooses to hide his identity and change his name. Despite all these smaller sins, Chillingworth's greatest sin is the torture and manipulation of Arthur Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is a "leech," one who sucks all the life out of his victim, Dimmesdale. Chillingworth's whole reason to live is to make Dimmesdale suffer, and soon after the death of the minister, Chillingworth also dies. He dies because, as Hawthorne states, "there was no more Devil's wo!

er's scarlet letter, and anot

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Approximate Word count = 925
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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