Roman Mueller 802 Scarlet Letter Essay

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the protagonist, Hester Prynne faces different obstacles and shame from society in her Puritan village in the New World. Hester has committed adultery against her husband, Chillingsworth and has a baby girl named Pearl. Hester is sent to jail for her crimes but the “Black Man” who she made a child with is unknown. Hester’s husband, Chillingsworth wants revenge and this is shown throughout the book by certain symbols. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many symbols make the reader better understand the characters and the themes in the book.

From the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, there are multiple symbols. In the first chapter, “The Prison Door” a group of men and women are huddled around a gigantic oak door studded with iron spikes. This door is in between the village and the prison. It represents the idea of sin and evil. For example, in chapter 1, the narrator states “The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison.” This means that the people who first came to this new land understood that the world is already filled with sin and evil. Some people will commit crimes and go to prison, or some will be killed and must be buried in the cemetery. This quote opens up the idea of sin and evil to the reader which will prepare them for the next chapter. This proves how the author is including symbols to help the reader better understand the story overall.

Another symbol is the scarlet  “A”. It represents adultery of course, but throughout the book, it can be interpreted through other meanings. For example, in chapter 2, it says “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter 'A.'” By embroidering the letter so beautifully, Hester takes control of the meaning of the “A” and takes responsibility of her punishment by owning it. Later in the story, Hester is so kind and helpful to people in the puritan village that everyone begins to believe it to stand for “able” instead of “adulterer.”

These are only some of the many symbols that represent themes and characters throughout book. To the townspeople, the forest is the unknown. It's outside of the town, it's full of American Indians and scary creatures, and worst of all, it's utterly lawless. The town is ruled by law and religion; the forest a place of passion and freedom. The townspeople are uncomfortable with that. This symbolizes Hester and how she is neglected by everyone in her society. For example, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes "She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest.” This illustrates how Hester’s actions of adultery compare to the forest and are even symbolized by the forest. Also, another symbol in The Scarlet Letter is Hester’s little cottage on the outskirts of town. It is old, abandoned, and away from everything else. The novel states that Hester’s home is “out of the sphere of that social activity which already marked the habits of the emigrants.” This proves how Hester is isolated and how she stood out compared to everyone else. This helps the reader understand how different Hester is from all of the others.

All in all, there are thousands of symbols in this book that aid the reader to contemplate what will come in the future. These symbols represent themes and characters to help the reader relate to the book. Hester goes through many challenges and experiences which reveal many symbols. Without these symbols, the book would be very confusing and very hard to interpret.