the scarlet letter symbolism. letter ‘a’ nearly 150 direct or indirect references in novel. but...
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The Scarlet Letter
Symbolism
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Letter ‘A’Nearly 150 direct or indirect references in novel.
But what does it stand for?
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Adultery•The word adultery never appears in the novel.•The ‘A’ has different meanings as the novel progresses.
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Angel• In the sky, signals Governor Winthrop’s ascendance as an Angel when he dies.
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Affection
•Hester views the A as a reminder of the Affection which the token shields from her heart.
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Alone
•The letter isolates her and Pearl from society.
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Able
•Hester’s charitable work effect a subtle change in the letter’s meaning; a badge of honor
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Anguish
•Symbolizes the anguish Dimmesdale feels until he confesses.
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Atonement
•Symbol of atonement once Dimmesdale confesses.
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Other symbols?
Dark vs. Light Motif
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Dark MotifPuritans
• Puritans seem cold and rigid• Dress in dark, drab colors• Grays, browns, and black of town and forest
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Dark MotifHester and Dimmesdale
• ‘A’—sinful; no joy
• Hester and Dimmesdale live in perpetual shadows (hidden secrets)
• Dimmesdale on scaffold at night• No sunlight shines on Hester—lost her innocence• As long as they hide the truth, neither is able to stand in
full sunlight. • Once Hester picks up the A and Dimmesdale returns to
town, darkness again overtakes them, for both have once more taken up their burden of guilt and shame.
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Dark MotifRoger Chillingworth
•Chillingworth’s dark nature (evil) emerges as he becomes more obsessed with revenge•Chillingworth often linked with “Black
Man”
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Light Motif
Letter ‘A’
• Brilliant red and gold of ‘A’• Red color offers compassion and finally
honesty.
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Light MotifSunshine
• Peal frolics freely in the sunshine• One instance of sunlight penetrating the forest and
embracing Hester and Dimmesdale—when Hester sheds the A and Dimmesdale agrees to abandon his false position within the church of Boston.
• Sun appears on Election Day when Dimmesdale mounts the scaffold with Hester and Pearl.
• As Dimmesdale confesses, he is bathed in sunlight, and the shadow of secret sin is lifted from Hester and Dimmesdale forever. (The two are purged of guilt.)
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Allegory• A poem, play, or story in which the apparent meaning of the
characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral
or spiritual meaning.
• The use of symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral.
Why is this novel considered an allegory?