The Scarlet Letter

Symbolism, Imagery &

Allegory

Written By
Ayman Bashar Abdul Aziz
Supervised By
Dr. Abdul Sattar Abdul Jab bar
 Chapter One
The theory of symbolism

Spelt with a small initial letter the word ‘symbolism’, like the
words ‘romanticism’ and ‘classicism’, can have an extremely wide
meaning. It can be used to describe any mode of expression which,
instead of referring to something directly, refers to it indirectly
through the medium of something else. Clearly, therefore, the
meaning of the word ‘symbolism’ must be narrowed down if it is to
have any significance as a critical term.

A first stage in this process would be to agree that it is not the

mere substitution of one object for another – comparing, for example,
as Milton does ,Satan’s defeated legions to ‘the autumnal leaves that
strew the brooks in Vallombrosa’ – but the use of concrete imagery to
express abstract ideas and emotion.1

A symbolism is anything which is used to represent something

other than itself. In literature it is most often a concrete object which
is used to represent something broader and more abstract-often a
moral, religious, or philosophical concept or value. Symbolism range
from the most obvious and mechanical substitution of one thing for
another, to creations as massive, complex, and perplexing as
Melville’s white in Moby Dick.
 It is in his use of symbols in ‘The Scarlet Letter’ that Hawbutions
to the growth of America fiction. Indeed, this book is usually regarded
as the first symbolic novel to be written in the United States. 2

A symbol is a device which has many meanings.3

1-The Prison Door

In the first chapter, he describes the prison so as to make it
properly represent “the black flower of civilized society”; he is there
using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment
which are aspects of civilized life. In the same chapter, he uses the
grace plot “much overgrown with burdock, pigweed, apple Peru, and
such unsightly vegetation” as another brief symbol of civilization
corrupted by the element, which make prison necessary. And he
pointed out at least one symbolic intention of his wild rose-brush: “it
may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that
may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale
of human frailty and sorrow”. 2

The prison door is described as having never known "a youthful era,"
It’s made of iron and is a little worse for wear, if you catch our drift.
Yet, the wild rosebush that grows at the side of the portal is its saving
grace. The rosebush represents kindness and forgiveness to the
prisoners who must face either a prison sentence or a death sentence
(1.2). The iron door seems to represent all that is strict and
unrelenting in Puritan society, while the rosebush seems to represent
the concept of "grace" or forgiveness. In Christian thought, grace is
"unmerited mercy," that is, forgiveness of sins even though
forgiveness is undeserved. Since the prison is a place of darkness and
sin, the beauty of a wild rose bush growing in such an unexpected
place is a symbol of grace. We encounter this prison door and this
rosebush in the very first pages of The Scarlet Letter, and both objects
seem to tell us that, even in a place of such cold and rigid law, there is
hope and there is love.5

2-the scarlet letter

More impressive are the symbols which Hawthorne sustains
through the novel, allowing them to grow ant to take on various
appearances and meanings as the book progresses. Among such
symbols is the letter an itself, in its initial form, as a red cloth letter
standing for the sin of adultery. That A is little more symbolic than a
man’s initial, but Hawthorne makes much more of it before the book
ends. The letter appears in a variety of forms and places. It is the
elaborately gold-embroidered weight on Hester’s heart at which Pearl
throws wild flower (Chapter VI). As magnified in the armor
breastplate at Governor Bellingham’s it is seen “in exaggerated and
gigantic proportions, so as truth, she seemed absolutely hidden
behind it.” (Chapter VII). Later, the A on Hester’s breast is decorated
by Pearl with a border of “prickly burrs form a tall burdock which
grew beside the tomb” (Chapter X). On the night of his vigil on the
scaffold, Dimondale sees the immense red A in the sky (Chapter XII).
While Hester is conferring with Chilling worth near the Bay Shore,
Pearl arranges ell-grass to form a green A on her own breast (Chapter
XV). One of the most dramatic of several A’s in the book is that one,
so frequently hinted at earlier which is finally revealed on
Dimondale's breast (Chapter XXIII). Moreover, at the very end of the
story as a kind of summary symbol, there is the reference to the
scarlet A against the black background on Hester and Dimondale's
tombstone (Chapter XXIV).

Not only does the A appear in various forms; it also acquires a

variety of meanings. Even as the original mark of adultery, the scarlet
letter has different personal meanings to the various characters. To
the puritan community it is a mark of punishment; to Hester, a device
of unjust humiliation, to Dimondale, a piercing reminder of his own
guilt, to Chilling worth, a spur to the quest for revenge; to Pearl, a
bright and mysterious curiosity. But the letter also is taken to stand
for things other than adultery: “Angel” when it appears in the sky on
the night of Governor Winthrop’s death (Chapter XII), and “Able”
when, years after her humiliation of the scaffold, Hester has won
some respect from the Puritans (Chapter XIII).2

The symbolism behind the scarlet letter a changes throughout this

novel. Though initially this letter A symbolizes the sin of adultery,
Hester Prynne alters its meaning through her hard work and charity.
Some people begin to suggest that the A stands for "able," since
Hester is such a capable woman. Others begin to recognize that the
scarlet letter has begun to achieve holiness, righteousness. It has "the
effect of the cross on a nun’s bosom. It imparted to the wearer a kind
of sacredness, which enabled her to walk securely amid all peril. Had
she fallen among thieves, it would have kept her safe" (13.5). Many
years later, when Hester returns and voluntarily takes up the scarlet
letter again, it has become, for her and others, a symbol of grace.
Hester sews this letter herself while in prison and the result is
breathtaking. It seems almost immediately to become a symbol for
something far nobler than “adultery.” The letter showcases her talent
and artistry – skills that allow her to make a living as a single parent in
Puritan Boston. As such, it represents her strength and independence.
Such qualities set her apart from every other woman around her.
Wearing the letter cuts her off from society, but it also frees her in
many ways. She is able to observe the cold and strict ways of Puritan
society from the perspective of an outsider.5

The letter “A” changes its meanings with the growth in Hester’s
character. It is, apparently, a symbol of her sin. However, it radiates
other meanings as Hester becomes a “transformed” person. When
Hester becomes the Ambassador of Mercy (or Sister of Charity) it
means “Adel” or even “Angel”. It also is a mask which covers Hester’s
real feelings, as in chapter XXI.3

3-Pearl
The embodiment of the scarlet letter is another symbol. Like the
scarlet letter, she is, apparently, her mother’s “retribution” (or
punishment) for her sin. Yet, like the scarlet letter, she protects her
mother from persecution. She is the connecting link between Hester
and Dimondale. She represents, in her defiance, what Hester was in
her youth. She is also child of Nature. She is compared with the “red
rose” and “bird” (both are symbols of freedom and hope in this
story).3

Pearl, Hester’s daughter, is a symbol of all that Hester gave up

when she committed adultery and gave up her place in Puritan
society. Pearl is a "pearl of great price," a reference to Jesus’ proverb
in the Gospel of Matthew: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto
a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one
pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
Matthew 13:45-46. Hester has gone through hell and high water as a
result of giving birth to a child. She lives in perpetual punishment
because of Pearl, and that is why she loves Pearl so much. The name
“Pearl” makes us think of precious jewels, and there is indeed
something very regal about Pearl – we know that she becomes a great
and wealthy heiress. The name “Pearl” also reminds us of the fact
that pearls come from oysters, and oysters are hard to pry open at
times.5

4-The scaffold
One of the important symbol in the novel lie either in the setting
or in the character. The scaffold not only is a symbol of the stern
Puritan code but also becomes a symbol for open acknowledgment of
personal sin; it is the place to which Dimondale knows he must go for
atonement, the only place where he can escape the grasp of Chilling
worth or of the devil.2

5-Night, day and sun

Night is used as a symbol for concealment, and day for
exposure: Dimondale's mounting the scaffold and standing with
Hester and Pearl at night will not suffice; he know, and Pearl’s
questions keep reminding the reader, that his symbol acceptance of
his guilt must take place in the daylight. The sun is also used as a
symbol of untroubled, guiltless happiness, or the approval of God and
nature. The sun shines on Pearl, even in the forest, and she seems to
absorb and retain it; but the sun flees from Hester and from the mark
of sin on her breast.2

6-The forest and the wildness

The forest itself is a symbolic in a variety of ways. As a place
where witches gather, where souls are signed away to the devils and
where Dimondale can “yield himself with deliberate choice …to what
he knew was deadly sin,” it is symbolic of the world of darkness and
evil. As a place where Pearl can run and play freely, a friend of the
animals and the wild flowers, and where even Hester can throw away
her letter, let down her hair, and become a woman, it is symbolic of a
nature world governed by natural laws as opposed to the artificial
community with its man-made Puritan laws (chapter XVIII). As a place
where darkness and gloom predominate and where one can find his
way only by following a narrow, twisting path, it is symbolic of the
“moral wildness” in which Hester has been wandering (chapter XVI). 2

The forest and wilderness are seen as the home or dwelling place of
evil by the townspeople. It’s the unknown. Such a wilderness is
compared to the moral wilderness in which Hester has been lost for
years: "She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral
wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest"
(18.2). The forest contrasts sharply with the town, or "civilization,"
the former representing a place where passion and emotion reign,
and the latter, a place where law and religion prevail. Interestingly,
Hester lives on the edge of town, on the border between wilderness
and civilization. We associate Nature with kindness and love from the
very beginning of this story, for our narrator tells us that the wild
rosebush reminds all that “the deep heart of Nature could pity and be
kind to him” (1.2). When Hester and Dimondale meet in the woods,
the brook and the trees seem to listen, talk, and to have secrets of
their own.

However, when Hester calls Pearl over to her in order that she might
embrace her dad (Dimondale), Pearl hesitates at the edge of the
brook, and it forms a kind of divide between her world and that of her
mothers. Pearl will not cross this divide until her mother fastens the
scarlet letter once more to her chest. It’s as though the scarlet letter
binds Pearl to her mother in a way that little else in the world does.
She doesn’t seem to know her mother without it. The scarlet letter is
a part of both of their identities and is a significant part of their
relationship. Why do you think Pearl makes her mother put the
scarlet letter back on again? Why is it significant that this babbling,
melancholy brook provides Pearl with a perfect, almost flawless
mirror reflection at the moment her mother summons her across it.5

7-the brook
The brook in the forest is also symbolic in various ways: first,
because of its unknown source and its travels through gloom, it is
suggestive of Pearl. Then, because of its mournful babble, it becomes
a kind of history of sorrow, to which one more sorrowful tale is added
by the events of Chapter XVI-XIX. And when Pearl refuses to cross the
brook to join Hester and Dimondale, it become to the minister a
“boundary between two words” (Chapter XIX).2

The brook in the forest, passing through tall, gloomy trees, is a

symbol of the life in the Puritan society. It is sad because it is somber
and gloomy. Trees represent Puritan (chapter V and XVI). The brook
“divides” Hester and Pearl as life does (chapter XIX). The puritan suit
of armor and the minister’s black clack are also symbols of
stubbornness and guilty secret.3

8-the minor Characters

Perhaps the most revealing display of Hawthorne’s symbolism
lies in the use of characters. The minor characters are almost purely
symbolic. The puritan worlds of church, state, and witchcraft are
personified in the figure of Reverend Mr. Wilson, Governor
Bellingham, and Mistress Hibbins; it is interesting to note that
Hawthorne mentions all three of them in connection with each of the
scaffold scenes. The group of unnamed somber and self-righteous
Puritans in the market place (Chapter II and XXI-XXIII) are clearly
representative of Puritanism generally, even down to the detail of the
gentle young wife who saves Hawthorne’s condemnation of the
Puritans from being a complete one. It is, however, in the four major
characters that Hawthorne’s powers as a symbolist are brought into
fullest play.2
9-The Black Man
The Black Man is a euphemism for Satan in this book. Hester
considers the scarlet letter a to be the Black Man’s mark and Pearl
wonders aloud if the Black Man left his brand on Dimondale's heart.
Our narrator loves to compare Chilling worth to Satan as well. By
invoking Satan, our narrator raises the question of whether humans
are innately good or evil. A favorite pastime of the Black Man is to
hang out in the woods and lure the locals to come hang out with him
and sign their names in his book (with their own blood). Mistress
Hibbons knows the Black Man well, apparently.5

Chapter two
 Themes introduced in the Scarlet Letter

A.) Detailed criticism of puritan way of life:

Hawthorne is building up an elaborate picture to show his contempt
of a society which could be so intensely intolerant of individuals and
their slips from the path of virtue. The women in Chapter II (to the
best of our knowledge, representative of Boston womanhood) are
vicious in their criticism of Hester. They regret she is not to die-or, to
be branded on the forehead with a hot iron. Consider Hester’s good
throw bitter deeds to the poor (nursing and sewing): the very ones
she helps generally throw bitter words in her face. Later in her life,
Hester is a respected member of the community, for the passage of
time and her good deeds help people to forget her sin of adultery. 4

B.) Pride and Intellect:

Chilin worth is a scientist-physician, proud of his achievements. When
he finds Hester in her distressed condition of the scaffold, he rejects
her. His pride is hurt. Here is a struggle between the head (study,
reflection, and speculation) and the heart (his former affection for
Hester). If he to allow his heart to win the struggle, he might still be
capable of future happiness. But, as is often the case he brings
suffering on himself because of his disregard of the basic laws of
human affection and brotherhood.4

C.) The Evil of Isolation:

(That is, being separated from other physically, mentally, socially, or
morally). Because of her sin of adultery. Hester is isolated from others
in the community. She is not allowed to sew certain objects (such as
new brides’ veils), for her tainted hands would soil them. She has no
idle chatter with others. She is either ignored or taunted by parents
and children alike many examples could be cited to point out the
isolation of Dimmesdale (secretly suffering with remorse and a bad
conscience) and Chilingworth (eagerly pursuing the victim of caused
the various types of isolation), not only from other children, but also
from her mother (tp a great extent and from her father (until near the
end of the story.)4

D.) Obsession for revenge:

Chilingworth, in the process of destroying the minister’s soul, destroys
his own and ruins any chance he may have had for happiness.
Revenge destroys Chilingworth the avenger, more completely than it
does his victim, Dimmesdale.4

F.) Guilt which is hidden:

Guilt which is admitted openly, such as Hester’s daily wearing of her
scarlet symbol, eventually is cleansed out of the system. But that
which is hidden (such as Dimmesdale’s) succeeds only in exciting
remorse, a bad case of conscience, and eventual hypocrisy. The
Puritan belief in confession as a means of purifying the soul applies
troubled conscience bothers him almost as much as the “red stigma”
(unhealed would on his breast) over which he often places his hand.
Actually, Hester’s wearing the scarlet letter does not make her sin (as
it was supposed to do). It only makes her submissiveness, and the
Puritan community is happy and contented that it has the upper hand
over her. In like fashion, Dimmesdale’s “red strigma” represents his
deep regret for the sin, but it is not a proper substitute for public
confession.4

Hawthorne’s Style and Techniques

I. Language:
A. Hawthorne’s vocabulary was wide and well controlled. He
chose his words with a sharp sense of precise meaning and a
keen ear to sound. The language of the book is clean, precise
and effective. One many occasionally be driven to a
dictionary. But more often than not it’s because a word in
standard in 1850 has become obsolete since that time.
B. Hawthorne’s style is also noteworthy for his frequent use of
images. Metaphors and similes are frequently used and he
makes skillful use of colors, from the red foes of the opening
chapter to the red and black shield of his final sentence. Red,
black, and grey predominate.
C. The chief fault to be found in Hawthorne’s language it tends
to be too consistently the same, whether inside quotation
marks or out. The character, when they speak, all speak
essentially like Hawthorne, and although they are quite
different in their ages, and education, and their
backgrounds, it is almost impossible to tell them apart from
the manner of their speech, this failure to individualize the
dialogue, or the speaker, is a weakness which later novelists
have tried hard to avoid.4

II. Sentence Structure:

A. Hawthorne’s sentences, like his language, shows the
effects of his long years of study and practice writing.
 B. The sentences may appear to be too consistently long,
but they were not abnormally long for their day, and
even the longest are so logically constructed as to
give little difficulty.4
III. Punctuation:
A. The book is clearly over punctuated, by modern standards:
there are superfluous commas, excessive dashes, and far
too many exclamation points.
B. But Hawthorne cannot be condemned foe following the
mechanical conventions of his day.4

V. Narrative Method:
A. Among the significant questions of technique often applied
to novels is whether the writer tells his story primarily
through summarized historically narrative (telling us, in his
own words what happens to the characters) or through
dramatic scenes (letting the characters convey the story
through their own actions and words, as in play). It is often
objected that Hawthorne depends too heavily on
summarized historical narrative and thus fails to give novel
the life which dramatic presentation lends to a book.
B. But laid between passages of long summary, are scenes
vividly dramatic.
C. What Hawthorne has done is to present the key scenes
dramatically and use summarized historical narrative to
ling those scenes together and explain their significant.4
VI. Author Instructions:
A. Occasionally Hawthorne interrupts his novel to address
the reader directly, with some comment on the story,
some piece of background information, or a brief moral
essay
B. Often in such cases he refers to himself by using the
editorial “we”.
C. Regardless of whether his comments are interesting or
valuable, such intrusions tend to break the continuity and
the mood of the story, and are thus generally regarded as
technical flaws.4

VII. Optional Readings:

A. A characteristic device of Hawthorne’s which is
employed several times in this novel is “optional
reading” or as F.O. Matthiessen has called it, the
“multiple choice,” This is the device in which Hawthorne
casts doubts on his own story as they has told it, and
suggests that an incident may have happened in quite a
different way, if at all.
B. Hawthorne leaves it to reader in all these cases, to
decide what was “literally true” it seems as if he wishes
to make use of supernatural devices for symbols, but
then having used them, he wants to open some route of
escape for the literal-minded reader to whom the
supernatural is not justified even by its artistic effects.
C. Actually this gives Hawthorne the better of two worlds,
he is somewhat like the trial lawyer who withdraws a
telling remark upon the judge’s objection but knows that
the implication of his remark will remain in the jury’s
minds.4

Notes
1
General editor John D. Jump
2
Consulting editor James L. Robets, PHD
3
By Ramji Lall (Rama Brothers, Indian copy)
4
By Mark Van Doren (New York, William
Sloane Associates, 1949). Copyright 1949 by
William Sloane, Inc.
5

http://www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/symbolism
-imagery.html

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my dear supervisor DR Abdul
Sattar
For his support and encouragement.
I am sincerely grateful for his fatherly kindness

DEDICATION
TO MY PARENTS FOR WHOM
I EXTEND LOVE
AND GRATITUDE