Symbolism in The Scarlet letter with Analysis Essay

In Puritan society, sin was seen as an unforgivable act, which resulted in many harsh punishments. However, in his novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne argues against Puritan societal norms. Hawthorne depicts that overcoming sin through honesty can lead to personal growth and forgiveness in The Scarlet Letter by using symbolism, characters' actions, and emotions.   

One of the first symbols that the author uses to convey the theme is the scarlet letter, representing Hester’s punishment; Hester’s eventual acceptance of this symbol leads to her overall growth as a character. The scarlet letter represents the punishment that Hester receives for her sins. Hawthorne shows this when Hester says “See! With this symbol, I undo it all, and make it as it had never been!” (Hawthorne 182). Hester’s punishment in forcing her to wear the scarlet letter harms her in many ways however, as time passes Hester learns to own the scarlet letter and can grow. It is shown that she grows through accepting the scarlet letter as a part of who she is when the narrator states “She had returned, therefore, and resumed - of her own free will… resumed the symbol” (Hawthorne 234). When Hester returns to Boston she makes the choice to wear the scarlet letter herself changing the meaning of the symbol to a symbol of strength. By choosing to wear the scarlet letter Hester shows her growth by not trying to hide her past mistakes and sins. As opposed to hiding her past when given a choice Hester chooses to continue to wear the scarlet letter a form of honesty. Without hiding her past or being ashamed of it, Hester can grow as a person and help many women in Boston throughout the rest of her life, which would not be possible had it not been for the sympathy and forgiveness she received for her honesty.

Pearl’s reactions to characters' decisions are a way to tell if the characters are making decisions that will help them grow as people, her reactions are also reliant on whether or not a character is honest about their sins and owns up to them. Because of this throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses Pearl to tell the reader if certain characters are growing or are hurting themselves. When characters throughout the story are not willing, to be honest, they lose Pearl’s acceptance. One instance of this is when Pearl washes off a kiss from Dimmesdale, shown when the narrator states “...running to the brook, stooped over it, and bathed her forehead, until the unwelcome kiss was quite washed off” (Hawthorne 191). When Pearl runs away from Dimmesdale she does this because Dimmesdale is not willing, to tell the truth, and with that Pearl shows disapproval of his decision to not be honest and stand with her and her mother on the scaffold. By not telling the truth of his sins, Dimmesdale is ridden with guilt but with honesty, at the end, Dimmesdale is given forgiveness from Pearl showing that Dimmesdale’s honesty was the right decision. Pearl forgiving Dimmesdale is seen when she kisses Dimmesdale as opposed to rejecting the kiss shown when the text says “Pearl kissed his lips” (Hawthorne 229). Pearl’s forgiveness to Dimmesdale drives Dimmesdale’s growth and without Pearl, he would not have been able to come to the right decision, to be honest about his sins. Pearl is a symbol of forgiveness and guides the other characters in the story to make decisions based on honesty allowing them to grow.

Dimmesdale’s health declines throughout the story due to his lack of honesty about his sin; when Dimmesdale decides to be honest about his sins he can finally be free of his guilt and receive forgiveness from Pearl. Dimmesdale hides the fact that he is the illegitimate father of Pearl for nearly 7 years, in that time Dimmesdale is ridden with guilt. One example showing how Dimmesdale is ridden with guilt is seen when the narrator says “Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge” (Hawthorne 132). Dimmesdale uses the whip said in the quote to harm himself some nights due to the guilt that he feels for not being honest about his sins. This guilt holds him back from being able to grow as a person and hurts him mentally to the point where he hurts himself. Dimmesdale can only be set free of his guilt when he tells the truth to not just himself or Hester and Pearl but the whole town. When Dimmesdale is honest about his sins he is finally able to have peace as seen when the narrator states “It was a ghastly look with which he regarded them; but there was something at once tender and strangely triumphant” (Hawthorne 225). Being no longer held back by his guilt, Dimmesdale can be at peace with himself thus achieving what he had wanted for so long. After being stuck in a puritan society, Dimmesdale can gain freedom after owning up to a sin that he had committed.