How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Symbols In The Scarlet Letter

Argumentative Symbolism Essay In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism to reinforce the idea that, for every action, there is a positive or negative effect that will follow. In simple terms, if you do something bad, there will be a negative consequence. One of the main recurring symbols in the novel is the scarlet letter itself. The scarlet ‘A’ that Hester Prynne wears in the novel is worth a lot more than just its material value, it relays many ideas and themes. The ‘A’ is a punishment for one of the worst sins that could be committed; adultery. The punishment that is caused by the scarlet ‘A’ manifests itself in different ways and in different people. For example, Hester’s punishment comes in the form of public embarrassment and shame, whereas Minister Dimmesdale’s guilt comes in the form of personal guilt. The ‘A’ means different things at different times in the book also.
In this part of the book, the ‘A’ represents one of the worst sins that a person could commit; adultery. There really weren’t many other sins back in those days that were worse than sexual impurity. Hester’s crime was so serious that her punishment would follow her around for the rest of her life. Even at the beginning of the story Hester is feeling the weight of her punishment on her chest. Hester’s punishment really began with her on the scaffold, being mocked by the whole town. The book said, “Yet those same bleared optics had a strange penetrating power, when it was their owner’s purpose to read the human soul” (46). One of the most important things to Hester was to not give up her pride and her dignity. This quote just expresses the pain and agony that she felt when she was being mocked by the members of her community; but she stayed strong and didn’t let her feelings