Light and Dark: Light and dark as symbols are frequently used throughout the book. In chapter two when Hester is going up to stand on the scaffold, Hawthorne illustrates her as a beautiful woman on whom the sun is beating brightly down. In this scene and the many other scenes where Hawthorne uses light, he uses it to shine down on what is good and truthful. He contrasts the light with darkness: a symbol of wrong and lies. More often then not, he displays the Puritan community as full of darkness rather than as full of light. He displays Pearl in the light as well as Hester and Dimmesdale when they come out to show that they were partners in crime. However, the pair is often shown in darkness in the scenes before Dimmesdale confesses that he is the one who committed adultery with Hester (ex. the scene on the scaffold when they are Dimmesdale is standing in the dark but the meteor shower comes to light up the scene when Hester and Pearl join him).
The Scarlet Letter “A:” Hester’s “A” is used to show that, although she has committed a horrible sin, she is truthful. She wears the “A” to remind her and the rest of the Puritan community of what she has done. This shows the truth and coincides with Hawthorne’s use of light to mean truth. This symbol, in its entirety, is most clearly shown on page 259 which tells us that the saying “‘On a field, sable, the letter A, gules,’” was inscribed on Hester’s gravestone. This saying means that in a whole bunch of lies (the Puritan community), Hester and her truth (the scarlet letter) brightly stand out. Throughout the entire book the scarlet letter is used to symbolize Hester and how she has told her sin, unlike the rest of the Puritan community.
The Rosebush: At various times in the novel the rosebush is mentioned; usually in a dark and dreary scene where its presence really stands out. In chapter one, the rosebush is said to have sprung up from underneath the feet of Anne Hutchinson as she entered the Boston prison where the book begins. This myth shows how Hawthorne uses the rosebush to symbolize Anne Hutchinson as a martyr. Hutchinson was thrown into jail and persecuted by the Puritan community for teaching ideas and principles that went against some of the Puritan beliefs. Hester is also linked into to Anne Hutchinson and the rosebush since she is a martyr; she is looked-down upon by the rest of the townspeople because she has sinned even though they have all committed sins of their own that they are hiding. Since the roses on the bush are red, it shows how Hester and Anne Hutchinson were both people who showed truthfulness in their lives and were not sucked into the dark lies of the rest of their community (this meaning goes along with that of the scarlet letter). The rosebush is also used to symbolize hope that everyone will be able to confess what they have done, like Hester did, in order to become better people. Hawthorne uses the rosebush to symbolize martyrs throughout the book.
Mistress Hibbins: Although Mistress Hibbins seems to be a crazy witch who is trying to convince Hester and Dimmesdale to come with her and join the devil, there is more to her. Mistress Hibbins lives in the same house as Governor Bellingham, her brother. She lives in a strictly Puritan community, but she is an evil witch. Her presence within this community symbolizes the hypocrisy of the Puritan people. The Puritans all seem to be good, sinless people on the outside, but throughout the book we are able to see that they have sinned and are hiding their sins from the rest of the world. If the Puritan people were all truly good, they would have had Mistress Hibbins banished or put to death for becoming a witch and siding with the devil. The fact that the Puritans let her live shows that they feel guilty for having sinned and would not have wanted to put her to death since they have also sinned. Mistress Hibbins presence throughout the book shows how the Puritans pretend to be good people but are really masking their true selves.
Pearl: Pearl’s presence throughout the book is clearly meant to symbolize Hester and Dimmesdale’s adulterous sin. Throughout the whole book, Pearl is fixated with her mother’s scarlet letter “A.” Wherever Hester and Pearl go, Pearl reminds her mother of the “A” and is constantly asking what it means. Dimmesdale is scared of Pearl when he is in Boston because he is scared that somebody will see her features in him and draw the conclusion that he was Hester’s lover. She is constantly reminding her parents that she exists because they sinned. Pearl is also a symbol of nature and seems most comfortable when she is in the woods, laughing, dancing, and playing. She shows the innocence that many romantics associated with nature and also shows that nature is what is good and truthful by trying to get Dimmesdale to confess. She knows that Dimmesdale is only keen about showing his true self when he is in nature with Hester and Pearl but that if he wants to truly be a happy person who is one with nature, he needs to confess and leave his guilt behind. Her mysterious elflike personality as well as her innocence and truthfulness show that Pearl is also a symbol of the good in nature.
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Light and Dark: Light and dark as symbols are frequently used throughout the book. In chapter two when Hester is going up to stand on the scaffold, Hawthorne illustrates her as a beautiful woman on whom the sun is beating brightly down. In this scene and the many other scenes where Hawthorne uses light, he uses it to shine down on what is good and truthful. He contrasts the light with darkness: a symbol of wrong and lies. More often then not, he displays the Puritan community as full of darkness rather than as full of light. He displays Pearl in the light as well as Hester and Dimmesdale when they come out to show that they were partners in crime. However, the pair is often shown in darkness in the scenes before Dimmesdale confesses that he is the one who committed adultery with Hester (ex. the scene on the scaffold when they are Dimmesdale is standing in the dark but the meteor shower comes to light up the scene when Hester and Pearl join him).
The Scarlet Letter “A:” Hester’s “A” is used to show that, although she has committed a horrible sin, she is truthful. She wears the “A” to remind her and the rest of the Puritan community of what she has done. This shows the truth and coincides with Hawthorne’s use of light to mean truth. This symbol, in its entirety, is most clearly shown on page 259 which tells us that the saying “‘On a field, sable, the letter A, gules,’” was inscribed on Hester’s gravestone. This saying means that in a whole bunch of lies (the Puritan community), Hester and her truth (the scarlet letter) brightly stand out. Throughout the entire book the scarlet letter is used to symbolize Hester and how she has told her sin, unlike the rest of the Puritan community.
The Rosebush: At various times in the novel the rosebush is mentioned; usually in a dark and dreary scene where its presence really stands out. In chapter one, the rosebush is said to have sprung up from underneath the feet of Anne Hutchinson as she entered the Boston prison where the book begins. This myth shows how Hawthorne uses the rosebush to symbolize Anne Hutchinson as a martyr. Hutchinson was thrown into jail and persecuted by the Puritan community for teaching ideas and principles that went against some of the Puritan beliefs. Hester is also linked into to Anne Hutchinson and the rosebush since she is a martyr; she is looked-down upon by the rest of the townspeople because she has sinned even though they have all committed sins of their own that they are hiding. Since the roses on the bush are red, it shows how Hester and Anne Hutchinson were both people who showed truthfulness in their lives and were not sucked into the dark lies of the rest of their community (this meaning goes along with that of the scarlet letter). The rosebush is also used to symbolize hope that everyone will be able to confess what they have done, like Hester did, in order to become better people. Hawthorne uses the rosebush to symbolize martyrs throughout the book.
Mistress Hibbins: Although Mistress Hibbins seems to be a crazy witch who is trying to convince Hester and Dimmesdale to come with her and join the devil, there is more to her. Mistress Hibbins lives in the same house as Governor Bellingham, her brother. She lives in a strictly Puritan community, but she is an evil witch. Her presence within this community symbolizes the hypocrisy of the Puritan people. The Puritans all seem to be good, sinless people on the outside, but throughout the book we are able to see that they have sinned and are hiding their sins from the rest of the world. If the Puritan people were all truly good, they would have had Mistress Hibbins banished or put to death for becoming a witch and siding with the devil. The fact that the Puritans let her live shows that they feel guilty for having sinned and would not have wanted to put her to death since they have also sinned. Mistress Hibbins presence throughout the book shows how the Puritans pretend to be good people but are really masking their true selves.
Pearl: Pearl’s presence throughout the book is clearly meant to symbolize Hester and Dimmesdale’s adulterous sin. Throughout the whole book, Pearl is fixated with her mother’s scarlet letter “A.” Wherever Hester and Pearl go, Pearl reminds her mother of the “A” and is constantly asking what it means. Dimmesdale is scared of Pearl when he is in Boston because he is scared that somebody will see her features in him and draw the conclusion that he was Hester’s lover. She is constantly reminding her parents that she exists because they sinned. Pearl is also a symbol of nature and seems most comfortable when she is in the woods, laughing, dancing, and playing. She shows the innocence that many romantics associated with nature and also shows that nature is what is good and truthful by trying to get Dimmesdale to confess. She knows that Dimmesdale is only keen about showing his true self when he is in nature with Hester and Pearl but that if he wants to truly be a happy person who is one with nature, he needs to confess and leave his guilt behind. Her mysterious elflike personality as well as her innocence and truthfulness show that Pearl is also a symbol of the good in nature.
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