UNIVERSITATEA PETROL I GAZE PLOIETI FACULATATEA DE LITERE I TIINE

LITERATURA ENGLEZ I AMERICAN -REFERAT-

HRISCU (DRAGOMIR) CRISTINA ROMN ENGLEZ, ID ANUL V,GR. 4700B

Symbols in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter is awfully placed among the classic American novels due to its tightly and structured plot and sophisticated exploration of character and motivation. Through the tale of Hester Prynnes morality, Hawthorne offers an assessment of the Puritan consciousness, a code of thought and action the roots of the American psyche. The story begins with a young beautiful womans, named Hester Prynne, public punishment which prevail the whole action of the novel. She was accused of having committed adultery so she was punished by being exposed, together with her new born daughter, Pearl on a public place in front of the prison of Boston. She was also decreeted to wear the A letter from adulteress over her hart. Meanwhile her long time old husband turned up, he found out about his wifes sin and he asked her to keep the secret of his real identity. Roger Cilliingsworth gain reverend Dimmesdales friendship and he slowly and slyly began to harass the priests sensible consciousness, as he was suspected by the jealous husband of being his wifes secret lover and the father of her child. One of the most obvious symbol which seams to bear multiple meanings, is the letter A. It is the symbol throughout the novel as it represents the sin. But it signifies more of the sin of adultery, it represent the sin of all characters of the book. For Hester Prynne, this letter isnt only the sign of adultery but it also symbolizes the difference among the society of the Puritan Boston. For her daughter, Pearl is acting as the leaving A and it symbolizes her existence and the meaning behind it. And lastly, her lover Arthur Dimmesdale, this letter is a constant reminder of his hidden sin, which cause great remorse of him. All in all, the scarlet A represents different sins for each of the character.

The scaffold is also a symbolical place. The author portrays it as a place of atonement for sin. There are three main scenes which involve the scaffold but in each of them the outcome id different. In the first scene Hester s standing on the scaffold in front of the crowd caused her to become a better person, concerned with helping other persons. This wasnt the case of Arthur Dimmesdale which stood on the scaffold alone in the dark. Since it was dark he could not atone. He was later forgiven when he stood on the scaffold in public. This shows the importance of making the sin public. The light and the darkness are used in this novel for significant of the mankind philosophy that God illuminates the darkness of human iniquity and exposes its permanence. Hawthorne defines light not only as a Divine presence but also as an animate consciousness. Still acting as a tool of God, light seams to run away from Hester when she tries to touch it. []the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself because it is afraid of something of your bosom. says Hesters little girl. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl. Throughout the story she develops into a dynamic symbol which is always changing. With Pearl, Hesters life was never filled with joy but with constant nagging. Even in public, Pearl wasnt ashamed to yell and to throw dirt at the children who made fun of them. In this case Perl symbolized her mothers decimation of the social life and her mental state. Pearl seams to signifies an ultimate association with the letter A . Hesters pregnancy revealed her sin and if it wasnt for this burden, Hesters life wouldnt be so miserable. In this novel, the forest symbolizes much more than one might image. Each character brings out a different side of the forest; however the forest brings out a different side of each character. One of the symbolic meanings of the forest is that of the evil forces that linger in the darkness. According to mistress Hibbinss opinion, the forest represented an open door to the wicked world but it isnt the only door that forest holds. It is also an open door to love and freedom for both Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale. It is the place where the letter on their bodies can no longer have an effect upon them. It is a world ruled by nature and natural laws opposed to the artificial strict community. The forest represents the key for the shackles they have been forced to wear

and even if they refuse to unlock it, they begin to dwell on the sings they have done to deserve these shackles. In Pearls eyes the forest shapes a different concept. It is a place where she is accepted and when the light follows her everywhere she goes. She is able to run and play freely to her hearts content. She can do that because her heart is innocent and the forest recognizes that. The Broke river is also full of symbolism. It represents the boundary between two worlds: a world of peace and freedom and one of lies and guilt. It is also suggestive Brokes resemblance with Pearl. They both have an unknown source meaning that most people dont know where the Broke and Pearl come from. One more similarity between the two is that the Broke woven through a dark and evil forest, yet the water does not stop traveling. Pearl is in the similar situation. Throughout her whole life she has been unwillingly woven into the evil and sorrow that her mother dealt with, but she kept on going just like the broke river.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Nathaniel Hawthorne The scarlet Letter (Dover Publications, New York 1994) 2. Nathaniel Hawthorne Litera Stacojie