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The Scarlet Letter: Light And Dark Imagery - Online Term Paper

The Scarlet Letter: Light And Dark Imagery

Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to light
and dark. In the novel they have many different meanings and are displayed
in many different ways. Light usually symbolizes good, purity, and joy.
The darkness symbolizes evil, secrecy, or guilt. An interaction between
the two is also evident. Hawthorne's use of light and dark imagery is used
to show the significance of good and evil in The Scarlet Letter.
When darkness is mentioned in the novel, it refers to either evil,
secrecy, or guilt. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne is able to portray
Chillingworth as evil through other character's descriptions of him.
Hester Prynne describes him by how "his dark complexion ...

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refers to him as a dark person. When speaking to her mother,
she says, "Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old Black Man will
catch you" (Hawthorne 123)! The "black" in "black man" refers to
Chillingworth's evil, which is clearly acknowledged by even a small child.
Guilt is also acknowledged by others through the dark imagery. It is shown
through the Puritan's clothing, which is "the blackest shade of Puritanism
"and through the lighting on certain characters, mainly Dimmesdale, in the
novel. Dimmesdale's guilt is caused by the sin he commits. Many people
see Dimmesdale's guilt through his eyes. They describe his eyes by saying,
"his large, dark eyes had a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy
depth" (Hawthorne 104). Again, the darkness is represented, but in this
case it represents guilt. Darkness also represents secrecy in the novel.
In many situations, Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the woods where it is
dark. They meet there because "the ...

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The Scarlet Letter: Light And Dark Imagery. (2004, May 15). Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Light-Dark-Imagery/7872

"The Scarlet Letter: Light And Dark Imagery." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 15 May. 2004. Web. 7 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Light-Dark-Imagery/7872>

"The Scarlet Letter: Light And Dark Imagery." Essayworld.com. May 15, 2004. Accessed January 7, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Light-Dark-Imagery/7872.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 5/15/2004 07:18:02 PM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1113
Pages: 5

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