Sunlight In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

Natasha Davis
Mr. Foster
Honors English 11.3
20 September 2014
Sunlight in The Scarlet Letter
“Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world” (Hawthorne 157). Throughout The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, sunlight is a monumental literary element, for it is how Hawthorne chooses to represent God’s love, or lack thereof for specific characters. Although light usually collects as randomized part of nature, sunlight is specifically used in The Scarlet Letter to be symbolic of God’s approval or disapproval of Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Hester’s actions throughout the novel.
By far the most abundantly sunlit character is Pearl, she is bathed in “…a glimmering light that comes we know not whence, and goes not whither” despite her being a bastard child (69). Religious doctrine
says that children are pure at heart regardless of where they come from, and this shows the flaw the town’s people’s actions towards Pearl, and highlights Puritian Religion in a most uncomfortable way. Pearl was born into a sin that she was not an active part in, and God loved her the same as any of his other children, by shining his sunlight on her in all places he could and therefore approving, in a sense, of Pearl’s innocence. Pearl is such an innocent character that sometimes it borders on oblivious, but her extreme intelligence makes up for that. Peal is often intelligent enough to realize that she is shunned from society and has”…no other playmate” beside her reflection in a pool to play with (Hawthorne 129). From the town’s people’s point of view Pearl is seen as a sin personified, which is literally the case, however if they really believed their churches full and complete doctrine they would know that even though Pearl is technically a product of a sin she can still be saved.
Contrasting to Pearl, Dimmesdale is adored by the town’s people but he hate’s himself for what he has never confessed to. Dimmesdale “stood with his face partially concealed in the heavy folds of the window-curtain; while the shadow of his figure, which the sunlight cast upon the floor” showing his regret and heavy guilt for his decisions thus far in the book (Hawthorne 105). Throughout the book he is never specifically bathed in sunshine and a lot is said about Dimmesdale’s shadow, this shows that shadows can be associated with the negative feelings weighing on his heart and mind for so long. God sees how Dimmesdale struggles with this guilt and passion filled sin for years, continuing to cast Dimmesdale in shadows; as if God was trying to form a better relationship with him, but because Dimmesdale could not forgive himself first the Lord’s sunlight came off as simply a shadow.
Pearl and Dimmesdale have a really wonderful relationship mostly because of how perfectly opposite their positions both with God and with the town’s people are. Dimmesdale loves Pearl, Hester tells Pearl ”…he loves thee, my little Pearl..” frequently in the forrest towards the end of the book(Hawthorne 163). A lot of this love that he feels is so at mercy to the fact that he sees all of God’s love, in the form of sunlight, all of that approval that comes so effortlessly to Pearl, and Dimmesdale just desperately wishes to be that comfortable with himself, and to feel God’s approval. Until Dimmesdale rips up his final sermon and throws it in the fire, he doesn’t truly forgive himself, but even then he must go through with his confession of his sin with Hester for his peace with God to be complete. The town’s peoples are portrayed as very judgmental people, mostly because of the Puritian ideology they were taught with all their life. This pious point of view is what leaves Dimmesdale swimming in pools of guilt and despair inwardly, while the townspeople adore him after and is what pushes Pearl to the outskirts of society.
The same religious stigma is originally why Hester Prynne is punished for her sinful crime of adultery. At the beginning of The Scarlet Letter Hester accepts the judgments of other’s, placed on her because of her “A” and stays in a sinful mindset and her, “[hair] threw off the sunshine with a gleam...”(Hawthorne 40). Hawthorne wrote this to show God disapproving of the mindset and recent sinfulness of Hester. Throughout the start of the book Hester is constantly second guessing herself, she creates a negative space in her head regarding what she has done, instead of overcoming her sin and forgiving herself, and so the God refuses to give her the comfort and warmth of that sunlit love and approval of his.
" 'Mother, ' said litte Pearl, 'the sunshine does not love you.
It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet! ' 'Nor ever will, my child, I hope, ' said Hester. 'And why not, mother? ' asked Pearl, stopping short, just at the beginning of her race. 'Will not it come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown? ' 'Run away, child, ' answered her mother, 'and catch the sunshine! It will soon be gone. '” Pearl, being the very intelligent child that she is can recognize that something is distinctly different from how sunlight behaves when she plays in it, and when her mother makes it scatter, even though she might not fully understand why. Only when Hester truly realizes the meaninglessness of the “A” and forgives herself and the townspeople their wrongs can she ever feel the warmth of the sunlight, and of God’s love and approval all around her once
more.
Soon after Pearl and her mother have that short conversation Dimmesdale meets and talks with Hester in the woods, while Pearl plays not far in the distance. The talk they have is a catalyst for Hester, she can connect all of her thought about social standings and their pointlessness and her feelings of wanting to be with Dimmesdale are finally reciprocated. So, “All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest…” and onto Hester as she stands there re-born and freed from her life of sin and misery in the darkness, for God’s love and approval can be felt by her once more.
In most novels light is used for imagery, and The Scarlet Letter is no exception, however Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote sunlight to be symbolic of God’s approval or disapproval for Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Hester’s descions and actions throughout the book. Pearl is an innocent child, adored by God and shunned by the townspeople. Dimmesdale is loved by God, but cannot except it while he has so much guilt over his secret, and he is loved by the townspeople. Hester is at first neglected by the sunlight because of her lack of forgiveness towards herself and the townspeople, but by the end she is radiant and God’s lights shows around her because of her newfound confidence in forgiving others.
Works Cited Page
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, 199. Print.