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The Scarlet Letter: An Analysis Of Symbolism - Online Term Paper

The Scarlet Letter: An Analysis Of Symbolism

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is generally considered to
be the first American symbolic novel. A symbol is something which is used
to represent something broader in meaning.
The most obvious symbol in the novel is the actual scarlet "A" which
both the criticism and I agree upon. This "A" is the literal symbol of the
sin of adultery. The letter A then appears in many different forms
throughout the novel. The gold-embroidered A on Hester Prynne's fascinates
Pearl Prynne. It is magnified in the armor breast plate at Governor
Bellingham's mansion which is so extreme that it seems to hide and cover
Hester. On the night of Arthur Dimmesdale vigil, he sees a red A in the
sky. ...

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after Governor Winthrop's death.
Able, for Hester has won the respect of the Puritans even if she has sinned
terribly.
Hawthorne uses the prison building to describe crime and punishment in
contrast with the tombstone at the end of the novel. This statement
suggests the crime and punishment will eventually lead to the death of the
malefactor.
One positive symbol is the rosebush outside the prison. I feel it
represents a sweet person hidden in the encasements of a dark prison, a
true diamond in the rough.
The symbol for Puritanism, according to one critic, is when Hawthorne
uses the beadle. I can see how the Puritans are compared to minor parish
officials in the Church of England by the way the society follows their
lead. The Puritan children are taught to scorn Hester for her adultery.
In the Puritan rule this is an austere iniquity, so they dominate the
judicial side of her punishment. The Puritan world and the natural world
are also contrasted continuously ...

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The Scarlet Letter: An Analysis Of Symbolism. (2005, May 25). Retrieved January 12, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-An-Analysis-Symbolism/27489

"The Scarlet Letter: An Analysis Of Symbolism." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 25 May. 2005. Web. 12 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-An-Analysis-Symbolism/27489>

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 5/25/2005 07:59:41 PM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 900
Pages: 4

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