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Madelyn Lee

Aughenbaugh

English 12

5 May 2017

The Scarlet Letter: Hidden Symbolism

"It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom that may be found

along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow" (Hawthorne

60). The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, although normally perceived as lifeless,

is one of the most relevant and timeless novels. According to Lei, in the literary world, it is even

largely considered one of the first symbolic novels published in America. The depth of

symbolism found throughout the novel is truly astounding. Throughout the novel, The Scarlet

Letter, the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a few key symbols to represent major themes in the

book (Erich Musick). The most significant symbols included are the scarlet letter, nature, and

Pearl.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. His ancestors,

thought to be both a support and a drawback to his writing were Puritan magnates and judges.

Hawthornes Puritan heritage and the Augustan and romantic culture surrounding him were what

influenced his writing the most; however, he was also influenced through personal experiences.

Nathaniel Hawthorne chose to write The Scarlet Letter during the time when Puritans established

The Massachusetts Bay Colony. Their colony acted as a model of influence and an escape from

the corruption in England. Their mission and sense of identity was purity, which can be identified

in his novel.
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The Scarlet Letter follows the story of Hester Prynne, a woman forced by the Puritan

community she resides in to wear a badge of humiliation for committing adultery. Quickly

introduced to Hesters daughter, Pearl, readers are left wondering who her father is. After several

years pass, the leaders of the community, referring to Pearl as a child of the devil, attempt to take

her away from her mother, deciding that Hester is incapable of raising her. However, they fail

and Hester remains to care for her daughter.

After years of self-punishment, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale admits to the Puritan

community that Pearl is indeed his daughter, relieving his soul from the awful secrecy. Because

of this, his soul was cleansed. Shortly afterward, he passes away, leaving Pearl and Hester

behind.

Throughout the novel, readers watch as Hester grows, overcoming the negative

connotations of the red A and societys disapproval. Through work as a seamstress, donating time

and clothes to the poor, and being a good mother to Pearl, Hester becomes a well-respected

woman in society. In the end, Pearl moves to England. Adorned by the scarlet A, Hester

continues respectfully living within the colony, refusing to show that the Puritans have any

power or control over her. By the time Hester dies, the Puritan community has forgiven her and

even has sympathy for her. However, she is adamant on having the A engraved on her tombstone.

The most critical and recurring symbol in The Scarlet Letter is the letter A. Introduced to

the scarlet A as a negative connotation of adultery, readers follow it as it transitions into a

positive able. Hester is forced by the Puritan community to wear the A as punishment,

representing her adulterous sin. The women and men of the community harshly discuss Hesters

sin: This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die (Hawthorne 63). From this

quote, readers learn just how judgmental and strict the Puritans are, therefore, they create a sense
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of pity for Hester and her punishment. ...they have doomed Mistress Prynne...to wear a mark of

shame upon her bosom (Hawthorne 73). This quote from the novel shows how the A was

purposefully meant to be shameful, and how it was meant to punish Hester. Saying Hester was

doomed due to wearing a mark of shame shows just how negative the A truly is. Thus she

will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone

(Hawthorne 74). The Puritans planned for Hester to suffer the consequences even after death,

showing just how hard Hester truly had it. The A drained Hester; physically it had taken her

natural beauty and mentally it took away her will to be a part of society:

...The effect of the symbol - or rather, the position in respect to society that was indicated

by it - on the mind of Hester Prynne herself, was powerful and peculiar. All the light and

graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by this red-hot brand, and had long

ago fallen away, leaving a bare and harsh outline, which might have been repulsive, had

she possessed friends or companions to be repelled by it. Even the attractiveness of her

person had undergone a similar change. (Hawthorne 170-71)

Despite all of this, Hester saw the A as a symbol to overcome. The scarlet letter is meant

to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester

(Themes, Motifs, and Symbols). Hesters identity and the A soon become one in the same;

however, she makes it a powerful identity rather than the shameful one that it was intended to be.

As the novel is ending, Hester is remembered as a well-respected seamstress, donating her hard

work and time to the poor. ...it comes to mean able when she becomes a successful

seamstressas she grows and changes in the novel, the letter's symbolism evolves as well (Lit

Charts Study Guide).

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Society softens up on her by refusing to call the A by its original meaning, and instead

saying it means able rather than adultery:

Hesters nature showed itself warm and rich; a well-spring of human tenderness,

unfailing to every real demand, and inexhaustible by the largest. Her breast, with its

badge of shame, was but the softer pillow for the head that needed one. She was self-

ordained a Sister of Mercy...The letter was the 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. They said it meant Able; so

strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength. (Hawthorne 169)

Hester is seen as a strong, independent woman who really did not need a man, or anyone

for that matter. In the beginning she is weakened by the As punishment, but by the end even the

A is seen as a powerful symbol, representing her own strength. This is shown when Hester

continues wearing the A and putting it on her grave- even after society accepted her and no

longer required her to wear it.

Another important symbol in the novel is nature. In the novel, the sun never shines on

Hester. She removes the scarlet letter to signify that it no longer has any power over her, only

then does the sun shine on her. Hawthorne writes:

...All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very

flood into the obscure forest, gladdening each green leaf, transmuting the yellow fallen

ones to gold, and gleaming adown the gray trunks of the solemn trees. The objects that

had made a shadow hitherto, embodied the brightness now (210).

The sun represents happiness and innocence, which is why it would not shine on Hester

while she bore the A. This can be interpreted to mean that nature is happy with Hester and
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Arthur (as well as Pearl) (Musick). This happens when Hester and Arthur finally come together

in the woods and embrace their secret.

The last major symbol in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl. Pearl is seen as a devil child by the

Puritan community, even making her own mother question her humanity. ...sometimes so

malicious that Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a

human child (Hawthorne 101). In the novel she is shown scaring away other children by

throwing rocks at them. Described as, An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, Pearl

represents the scarlet A in a negative way (Hawthorne 102). Being the legitimate symbol of the

scarlet letter herself, Pearls biggest symbolic representation is Hesters sin. The scarlet letter was

evil, hence Pearl was also perceived as evil.

The Scarlet Letter, after thorough examination, is filled with hidden symbols. This creates

a sense of mystery and encourages the reader to think more about what they are reading.

Throughout the novel the scarlet letter, nature, and Pearl all continue to play a huge role in

symbolism. However, many more symbols and connections can be made. The Scarlet Letter is

not only a novel about an adulterous woman, rather it is about finding the symbolism under each

page.
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Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print.

The LitCharts Study Guide to The Scarlet Letter. LitCharts. LitCharts LLC., 2013. Web. 31

Oct. 2016.

Musick, Erich. Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. ErichMusick.com. Erich Musick, 2016. Web.

1 Nov. 2016.

Nan Lei. A Brief Study on the Symbolic Meaning of the Main Characters Name in The

Scarlet Letter. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 5.10 (2015):

AcademyComplete. Web. 5 May 2017.

Qin, Dan. Pearl in Hawthornes Romance: The Scarlet Letter. Cambridge Journal of China

Studies. Cambridge Journal of China Studies, 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

The Scarlet Letter. Ed. Diane Telgen. Volume 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. 306-328. Print.

The Scarlet Letter: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols. SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC, 2016. Web.

31 Oct. 2016.