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Essay Archive - The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
The book The Scarlet Letter is all about symbolism. People and objects
are symbolic of events and thoughts. Throughout the course of the book,
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale to signify
Puritanic and Romantic philosophies.
Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner;
she has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this
irrevocably harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her
life. However, the Romantic philosophies of Hawthorne put down the
Puritanic beliefs. She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is
forgive....
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