The Scarlet Letter

Symbols

What is a symbol?

A symbol is a person, place, or thing that has meaning in itself and that also represents a larger idea as well. In other words, symbols have significance beyond their literal meaning. Sometimes what a symbol represents is obvious; other times a symbol is so complex that its meaning, or what it represents,can be interpreted variously.

Hawthorne's Use of Symbol

• Hawthorne uses symbols extensively in The Scarlet Letter.

• Some objects keep the same symbolic significance throughout the novel (i.e. the scaffold, weeds/unsightly vegetation)

• Other symbols are more ambivalent (i.e. the forest)

• The central symbol, the scarlet letter, changes in meaning through the course of the novel.

Character Names

Pearl- A pearl is a precious jewel. Pearl is her mother's jewel. A pearl comes at a great price. A pearl comes from something ugly (an oyster). Pearl is a product of sin. There is also the biblical allusion, "pearl of great price."Chillingworth- Chillingworth is a man deficient in human warmth. Worth has connotations relating to value. He is also called the leech. A leech drains its host. Leeches used to be used in medicine to cure patients of their ailments.

Arthur Dimmesdale- Dimmesdale is a weak man.

Hester Prynne- Hester is a variation of Esther which in Greek means "star." Stars illuminate the dark. A star is unreachable. There is also the connection to the Biblical Esther who was considered to be a woman of courage, beauty, dignity, and selflessness.

Plants and Vegetation

Weeds/ Unsightly Vegetation- These represent moral evil.

The Rosebush- The rosebush represents grace and beauty among sin and ugliness.

Burrs- The burrs represent pain and blame.

Nature- Nature can represent self-awareness and revelation.

The Forest- The forest can represent a lack of civilization, sin/secrecy, or darkness. It is where Mistress Hibbins meets The Black Man.

The Community

The Prison Door-- This "dark portal" represents darkness, sin, and the strict Puritan community.

The Suit of Armor- This represents the strict, rigid beliefs of the Puritan community.

The Governor's Mansion- The mansion represents the hypocrisy of the Puritan community. Puritans sought simplicity in all things, yet Gov. Bellingham's home has a certain degree of opulence.

Light and Dark

Light represents innocence, beauty, and truth. Pay particular attention to the mention of daylight/ sunlight.

Dark represents sin, secrecy, and evil. Consider events that take place at night or The Black Man himself.

Hester

Hester (and Pearl's) Clothing- The clothing represents rebellion. Hester's embroidered A and Pearl's clothing is quite ornate, which is a means for Hester to indirectly stand up against the Puritan community.

Hester's Sewing- Hester's sewing is another representation of Puritan hypocrisy. The community rejects Hester as unacceptable but accepts her skilled needlework.

Hester's cottage- The cottage on the outskirts of Boston represents the isolation and loneliness of Hester Prynne.

Hester's scarlet letter- The scarlet letter is many things. It is a symbol of love and passion as well as a badge of shame and a representation of sin. It is a barrier between Hester and her community. There is also adultery vs. able.

Other instances of the A: the meteor, the grass A, the epitaph

The Scaffold

Put simply, the scaffold represents public confession/ public notice.

There are three scaffold scenes. Each scene is significant.