Tyrone waits potentialities his binoculars raised to his eyes. Suddenly, he gasps as a bald eagle comes into his Lime of view. He Informs his young soma that America uses the bald eagle as a symbol If freedom. Likewise, authors use symbols In their writing to further explain their point. I’m The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses sys,blooms to convey his story to the reader. To begin, symbolism is interpreted through objects. First, the letter A represents the grave sin of adultery.
Not only does his apply to Hester as humiliation, but also to Roger Chlorinating as inspiration for a quest of revenge; to Pearl, an Incomprehensible curiosity; to Arthur Timescale, an excruciating reminder of his own guilt; and to the Puritan community as a mark of punishment. The A also depicts things besides adultery. The sexton speaking to Reverend Timescale says, ” ‘But did your reverence hear of the portent that was in the sky-the letter A, which we interpret to stand for Angel’ ” (125).
This clearly shows that the A represents things besides adultery, such as Angel for Governor Winthrop n the night of his death, and later for Able, when Hester has won some respect from the Puritans. Likewise, the scaffold illustrates crime and punishment In the Puritan community. The Puritans have considered freedom of thought and action unnecessary mad dangerous. When the people of their society breach the laws presented in the Bible, harsh treatment ensues, as Hester Prying has learned.
As Hester walks to the scaffold, Hawthorne describes the punishment saying, “In Hester Prune’s instance, however, as not infrequently in other cases, her sentence bore that he should stand a certain time upon the platform” (42). This shows the punishment that Hester had to endure, because of committing adultery, on the scaffold in front of the entire Puritan community. Similarly, the rosebush denotes the hope that Hester has, despite the harsh judgments, system of the Puritan society.
Also, because it is growing outside of the prison door, it shows that there is always a good thing to offset the bad things and that there is hope for those who enter the prison to come back out and begin anew. “It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral Olsson that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a take of human frailty and sorrow” (36). Hawthorne saying this shows that even though Hester sin brings great hardship and sorrow, It may give her hope and something great, such as Pearl.
The other category of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter focuses on characters. First of all, Hester symbolizes endurance. Throughout the novel, Hester is subject to much public scrutiny. Despite all of Hester hardships that came with her sin, Hester remains strong. Not only is she strong for herself. She also provides support for other women, as Is explained by Hawthorne. “Hester comforted and counseled them, as best she might.
She assured them, too, of her firm belief that, at some brighter period, when the world should have grown ripe for it, in Heaven’s own time, a new truth would be revealed, in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman in a surer ground of mutual happiness” (211). This shows they even though Hester has every reason to be negative, she pulls the positive out of everything, believes in it, and keeps on going. Next, Pearl conveys Hester sin throughout the move. Committing adultery, Hester impish child. Throughout the novel, she lashes out and throws fits.
In the forest as Hester throes her A off to the ground, Pearl acts as of there is a demon possessing her, Hawthorne describes this saying, “But Pearl, not a whit startled at her mother’s threats any more than mollified by her entreaties, now suddenly burst into a fit of passion, gesticulating violently, and throwing her small fugue into the most extravagant contortions” (167). This shows Just how much Pearl’s behavior clearly assembles the horrible is that Hester committed. Last, Arthur Timescale is an outward symbol of guild and pain.
Knowing he is the father of Pearl, Timescale keeps the information to himself because he is too much of a coward to admit it on his own. Doing this, the guilt is eating him from the inside out, making h’, appear sick and feeble. Timescale relieves so,e of his guilt by holding vigils, one of which takes place on the scaffold that Hester and Pearl appear on with him. Hawthorne says, “The minister might stand there, if it so pleased him, until morning should redden in the sat, without other risk than that the dank and chill night air would creep into his frame, and stiffen his Joints with rheumatism” (116).
This shows that Reverend Timescale is heavy with guilt and wants to do anything he can, even if it does not do much for him. Nathaniel Hawthorn’s use of symbolism within The Scarlet Letter adds abstract ideas to the seemingly meaningless objects in the novel. Not only did he on eve these ideas through objects, but also the characters within the novel. We can conclude that symbolism in The Scarlet Letter plays a large part in the lives of each character.
