Essay on Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter

📌Category: Books, The Scarlet Letter
📌Words: 649
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 22 June 2022

Throughout American Literature, nature has been used in a symbolic way. The Scarlet Letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story follows Hester Prynne on her journey to reunite with her lover. The novel is based upon the theme of individualism. Nature is a prominent detail throughout the story. Hawthorne uses nature to analyze the characteristics of the main characters. In the novel, nature is shown to represent the characters throughout the story. Nature is important due to the many relationships that Hawthorne has created between the characters and nature. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses nature to accomplish the symbolism between characters.

In The Scarlet Letter,  many characters are described by Hawthorne with their relationship with nature. Nathaniel Hawthorne has always used nature as a guide for writing. "And indeed, Hawthorne tells his tales interestingly and entertaining, while inflicting a subtle moral undertone" (Boonyaprasop 32). The morals that Hawthorne used in his writings reflect those of the people of that time period. The characters in The Scarlet Letter have a bond with nature. Pearl is symbolic of the beauty of nature and life. "'Mother,' said little Pearl, 'the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom'" (Hawthorne 225). The sun seems to shy away from Hester while it shines on Pearl. Hawthorne used nature to show the purity of Pearl.

In the novel, there are many other examples of characterization with nature. Unlike Pearl, Roger Chillingworth is described as a cold-hearted and chilling man (hence the name). However, there may be more behind his name than what can be seen with the naked eye. "The word 'chill' suggests the denial of divinely inspired natural impulses of the kind that are evident especially in Pearl and the refusal to recognize their true 'worth,' a phrasing that recalls Hawthorne’s earlier description of spirit in nature as 'the true and indestructible value,'" (Ryan 213). Chillingworth lacks the natural purity that is seen within Pearl. Chillingworth symbolizes the frightful nature of an individual. "'Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the forest round about us? Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?"' (Hawthorne 89). In The Scarlet Letter, the devil is regularly referred to as the "Black Man".Chillingworth is like the devil because of his cruel and vengeful habits. Chillingworth's character is used to accentuate the natural dark side of an individual.

The letter on Hester's bosom can be seen in the natural elements of the novel. The color of the letter connects Hester with the natural environment. "In the first chapter, the grim aspect of the prison in which Hester has been held—'the black flower of civilized society'—is relieved by a wild rose bush blooming outside its door," (Young 35). The setting represents the unfortunate situation that Hester is in. The rose bush represents the letter. The letter is a beautiful piece of scarlet fabric that is cut into the shape of an "A". While Hester may feel gloomy and depressed, the scarlet letter takes away from gloominess and shows beauty like the rose bush in front of the gloomy prison. Throughout the story there are less subtle examples of the symbolism of the letter in nature. "We impute it, therefore, solely to the disease in his own eye and heart, that the minister, looking upward to the zenith, beheld there the appearance of an immense letter,—the letter A,—marked out in lines of dull red light," (Hawthorne 188). While standing upon the scaffold, Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl see a meteor in the sky. The meteor was red and shaped like an "A". This natural event depicts the unity that the letter has within this family. The scarlet letter on Hester's bosom is symbolic of many instances with the natural world in the novel.

In conclusion, The Scarlet Letter uses nature to analyze characteristics and events in the story. Pearl is symbolic of beauty and purity. Chillingworth is symbolic of the natural dark side of an individual. The letter symbolizes unity and Hester's relationship with the natural world. Throughout the novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows analysis by using the nature of an individual and the natural environment.

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