Imagery And Symbolism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

In the first scaffold scene, Hester and Pearl stand alone, publicly humiliated, while Dimmesdale watches from the side, standing with the other leaders of the community. Emotionally and physically, he is separate from her, but she bravely bears her solitary suffering. Presented in all of its beauty, the scarlet letter symbolizes her artistry and imagination, showing her in contrast to her more conventional lover. From the sidelines, Chillingworth, Hester's husband, learns of his wife's transgression. An evil impulse almost immediately grows within his heart, as shown by the imagery of the "writhing," snake-like horror that moves from his face into the "depths of his nature."

The second scaffold scene contains nearly all the same elements.