Essay' s
Zachary Arnasalam
Mrs.Avery
English Hons 3
11/11/2013
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Symbols are a representation of various things in all aspects of life. They are used in books to exemplify qualities and ideas. The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, has been referred to as the father of the symbolic novel. In The Scarlet Letter symbols play an Immense role in the plot of the book. During the duration of this essay my intentions are too deeply analyze the many symbols that the scarlet letter presents. As the novel begins, The prison is the first symbol presented. “The prison of the town symbolizes the darkest aspects of Puritan society and its hypocrisy (Warfel). The original Puritan settlers flooded the lands of North America to establish a "city upon a hill," a model society operating on God's laws. Meant to be a safe-haven for humanity free of sin and crime, this settlement veered from its original vision. As suggested by the presence of a prison, even Puritanism, a religion based on purity and worship, cannot be sin-free and crime-free. A prison standing near meeting houses and churches suggests Puritan sin, an ironic thought since the Puritans revered God as their leader on the path to righteousness. Despite their pledge to follow God's laws, the Puritans gather to witness public punishments and executions without hesitation, seeking entertainment from the pain of others (Warfel). Also, in reference to the Puritan women who scolded Hester on the scaffold, no person in the world can truly worship a God and at the same time take pleasure in the pain of others or condemn alleged sinners to their death (Warfel)”. It was one of the first edifices that the puritans built to keep sin trapped away—they treasured their utopian society.
The scaffold had various meanings to many characters in the scarlet letter. In the First scene Hester and pearl are presented on the scaffold as Hester is coming out of prison. As Hester walks out
Mrs.Avery
English Hons 3
11/11/2013
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Symbols are a representation of various things in all aspects of life. They are used in books to exemplify qualities and ideas. The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, has been referred to as the father of the symbolic novel. In The Scarlet Letter symbols play an Immense role in the plot of the book. During the duration of this essay my intentions are too deeply analyze the many symbols that the scarlet letter presents. As the novel begins, The prison is the first symbol presented. “The prison of the town symbolizes the darkest aspects of Puritan society and its hypocrisy (Warfel). The original Puritan settlers flooded the lands of North America to establish a "city upon a hill," a model society operating on God's laws. Meant to be a safe-haven for humanity free of sin and crime, this settlement veered from its original vision. As suggested by the presence of a prison, even Puritanism, a religion based on purity and worship, cannot be sin-free and crime-free. A prison standing near meeting houses and churches suggests Puritan sin, an ironic thought since the Puritans revered God as their leader on the path to righteousness. Despite their pledge to follow God's laws, the Puritans gather to witness public punishments and executions without hesitation, seeking entertainment from the pain of others (Warfel). Also, in reference to the Puritan women who scolded Hester on the scaffold, no person in the world can truly worship a God and at the same time take pleasure in the pain of others or condemn alleged sinners to their death (Warfel)”. It was one of the first edifices that the puritans built to keep sin trapped away—they treasured their utopian society.
The scaffold had various meanings to many characters in the scarlet letter. In the First scene Hester and pearl are presented on the scaffold as Hester is coming out of prison. As Hester walks out