"The Scarlet Letter"

      There are numerous symbols within the novel The Scarlet Letter, including the scarlet letter, Pearl, and the scaffold. The scarlet “A” on Hester Prynne’s chest symbolizes the Puritan society’s inability to become “pure.” As the story begins, Hester is required to wear an “A” (which stands for adultery) as a punishment for committing adultery. When Hester first begins to wear the letter, she is often looked down upon but tries to live life the way she would if she had never sinned. As the novel progresses, the letter begins to stand for “able”, not “adultery.” When Hester is in the forest with Pearl and she takes off the letter, her daughter Pearl does not recognize her. Even though she does not know what the letter was meant for, she believes that the letter is an important part of her identity. The inability of the scarlet letter to keep its original purpose shows that no matter how hard the Puritan society tries to punish a person for his or her sins, their punishments are insignificant. This also shows that the Puritans are not as pure as they believed they were. Hester is not the only individual who sins; each Puritan also sins.


      Pearl serves as a constant and living reminder of Hester’s sin. Others see Pearl as a “devil child” and is often looked down upon, exactly how a sin is seen. Although Pearl is difficult to handle, she is a true blessing to her mother. Pearl is what keeps her mother from giving up. Pearl allows her mother to move on with her life. As stated earlier, Pearl reveals that society’s punishments are not effective. Pearl is very perceptive. She observes things that other people would not see. She thinks that her mother’s scarlet letter is meaningless. Therefore, society’s punishments serve no purpose

      The scaffold within the novel is very important. Although the scaffold symbolizes adultery (a scaffold is shaped like the letter “A”) and is used as Hester’s punishment, the scaffold reveals the true nature of the Puritan society. In the first scaffold scene, Hester stands on the scaffold and therefore physically stands higher than the Puritans. The Puritans are ridiculing her from underneath her. Dimmesdale is standing in a tower, higher than both the Puritans and Hester. This is ironic because the Puritans are supposed to be the most innocent people within the society while they are also physically at a lower position than Hester. This shows that the Puritans sin just like Hester. They may sin more than her and are farther from God than they expect. Dimmesdale is as close to God as he can possibly be. This is enforced when it is stated that he is the leader of the church. Although Hester is being ridiculed, she is closer to God than the Puritans but not as close to God as Dimmesdale.