The Scarlet Letter: a Symbolic Narrative

The Scarlet Letter: A Symbolic Narrative After reading any sort of book or story, the reader may sit back and think about how the book was written. For example, one may look at the style, genre, and origins of the book. In this case, after reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I took a look back at how this great author created such a great work of literature that we still read some 160 years later. What I found was that this is simply a piece of well-written, mind enhancing symbolic fiction. It's interesting to take a good look at how Hawthorne uses symbols to get his messages across to the reader. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses symbols to better support his main ideas or other points of interest. Exploring this book inside and out there are many objects, characters, and figures, or colors that are used to signify abstract thoughts or concepts. For example the scarlet letter itself is a one of Hawthorne's brilliant symbols. That as well as, the meteor, pearl, and the rosebush next to the prison are parts of Hawthorne's emblematic writings. In this next piece of text, I will further describe these extremely intellectual symbols that Nathaniel Hawthorne used in The Scarlet Letter. The first of these symbols is the scarlet letter itself. The scarlet letter is a different kind of symbol than the others because it is known to everyone that the scarlet letter is a symbol. It is the symbol of indignity and dishonor that the townspeople have brought upon Hester Prynne. Initially this elaborately decorated piece is meant to symbolize "adulterer." Soon, however, the meaning of the scarlet letter changes as does its significance and implication. In the beginning it is even tough for her to live with it. As told when she goes to visit Governor Bellingham and she sees herself in the armor, the letter takes up most of her image and this is basically a symbol of how she feels in life. Although this seems like the worst punishment possible for Hester, it