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    Symbols - Ana González

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    Irene María Caballano Infantes
    The document summarizes key symbols and motifs in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter "A" worn by Hester Prynne initially symbolizes her adultery but later becomes a symbol of her identity. Her daughter Pearl, who is a living embodiment of the scarlet letter, represents both Hester's shame and her greatest treasure. Arthur Dimmesdale struggles with guilt over his shared sin with Hester, which manifests physically through weakness. A meteor seen in the sky can be interpreted as either the letter "A" or an angel, confirming Dimmesdale's guilt. The scaffold is used three times throughout the story as a place for public humiliation and reconciliation between sinners and the

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    Symbols - Ana González

    Uploaded by

    Irene María Caballano Infantes
    13 views10 pages
    The document summarizes key symbols and motifs in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter "A" worn by Hester Prynne initially symbolizes her adultery but later becomes a symbol of her identity. Her daughter Pearl, who is a living embodiment of the scarlet letter, represents both Hester's shame and her greatest treasure. Arthur Dimmesdale struggles with guilt over his shared sin with Hester, which manifests physically through weakness. A meteor seen in the sky can be interpreted as either the letter "A" or an angel, confirming Dimmesdale's guilt. The scaffold is used three times throughout the story as a place for public humiliation and reconciliation between sinners and the

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    Symbols--Ana González

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    The document summarizes key symbols and motifs in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter "A" worn by Hester Prynne initially symbolizes her adultery but later becomes a symbol of her identity. Her daughter Pearl, who is a living embodiment of the scarlet letter, represents both Hester's shame and her greatest treasure. Arthur Dimmesdale struggles with guilt over his shared sin with Hester, which manifests physically through weakness. A meteor seen in the sky can be interpreted as either the letter "A" or an angel, confirming Dimmesdale's guilt. The scaffold is used three times throughout the story as a place for public humiliation and reconciliation between sinners and the

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    13 views10 pages

    Symbols - Ana González

    Uploaded by

    Irene María Caballano Infantes
    The document summarizes key symbols and motifs in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter "A" worn by Hester Prynne initially symbolizes her adultery but later becomes a symbol of her identity. Her daughter Pearl, who is a living embodiment of the scarlet letter, represents both Hester's shame and her greatest treasure. Arthur Dimmesdale struggles with guilt over his shared sin with Hester, which manifests physically through weakness. A meteor seen in the sky can be interpreted as either the letter "A" or an angel, confirming Dimmesdale's guilt. The scaffold is used three times throughout the story as a place for public humiliation and reconciliation between sinners and the

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    of 10

    THE SCARLET LETTER SYMBOLS AND MOTIFS

    THE SCARLET LETTER

    - Adulterous woman
    - Punishment
    - Physical reminder of Hester’s affair with Dimmesdale
    - The letter’s meaning shifts as time passes (The symbol
    of shame turns into a symbol of identity)
    PEARL
    - The scarlet letter endowed with life (a living
    version)
    - A reminder of Hester’s sin and a reason for her
    to live
    - The sign of Hester’s shame and her greatest
    treasure: a punishment and a relief
    - Biblical allegory: the “pearl of great price” -->
    Salvation
    DIMMESDALE
    - Evocative name --> dimness
    - Weakness, indeterminacy, lack of will
    - Hester bears all the guilt of a shared sin (Arthur's
    conscience is not at ease, causing mental anguish
    and physical weakness to emerge)
    - Internalised guilt and self-punishment
    - A Fallen Angel
    THE METEOR
    - Different interpretations: A stands for Adultery/Angel
    - Dimmesdale believes he should wear a mark of shame just as
    Hester does and that's the signal for him
    - The Puritan community think this letter marks Governor
    Winthrop’s entry into heaven (symbols confirm and give credibility
    to divine sentiments)
    THE SCAFFOLD

    - A place for public humiliation and reconciliation


    - Three appearances located at the beginning, in the
    middle and at the end
    - The scaffold separates the sinners from those who
    judge them (the Puritan community)
    THE SCAFFOLD SCENES
    ORIGINAL SIN

    - A fallen world (it already knows sin)


    - Misbehaviour, evil and death are unavoidable
    - The Original Sin (Puritan doctrine)
    - All people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions of
    Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
    - Puritan belief: sin must be punished in the eyes of the whole world
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

    Ana González Sosa

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