The Scarlet Letter

Symbols in The Scarlet Letter Symbolism plays an important role in many novels. Held with the distinction of implying important themes, symbols add depth to a story. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1640’s. Embellished with symbols and hidden themes, the novel tells “a tale of human frailty and sorrow” (Hawthorne 46). In addition to human flaw and sadness, the novel reveals inhumane punishment and torture from the government and citizens of Puritan society. All of these subjects are given a deeper meaning through symbols. These symbols help manifest the undertones of man vs. nature. The rose bush, prison, scaffold and brook represent complex and essential symbols in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne first introduces two symbols, the rose bush and the prison, to the reader. According to Bloom, “the rosebush stands for the spontaneous and irrepressible life of nature and instinct, while the prison door stands for the harsh limitations that must be imposed on nature to maintain order in human societies” (13). Since the rose bush lies so close to the prison, one could interpret the co-existence as a sort of yin and yang. This also implies that where evil and corruption reside, purity and native morality will follow. Representing all things good-natured, the rose bush appears “to symbolize some sweet moral blossom . . . or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow” (Hawthorne 46). On the other hand, the prison is described as “the black flower of civilized society” (46), revealed soon after the innocent rose bush. Hawthorne also describes the prison as ‘worn,’ but the Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony only fifteen years ago, which implies a sense of irony. The fact that the prison appears so antique derives directly from the incessant use it experiences. These contrasting elements symbolize the struggle between nature and civilization and represent the

Cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Austin: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1850. Johnson, Claudia. Understanding The Scarlet Letter. Connecticut: Greenwood, 1995. Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations: The Scarlet Letter, Updated Edition. New York: Infobase, 2007. Bloom, Harold. Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996.