Nathaniel Hawthorne has many different uses for symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. The most obvious example is the scarlet letter “A”. The letter is primarily meant to mark Hester as an adulterer; however its meaning is interpreted differently throughout time. In the beginning, the “A” over Hester’s heart is a physical reminder of her sins and guilt. When people see this symbol on her, they are to disown her and she is to be despised by society. However, as time goes along, Hester becomes more and more involved in the lives of others. She begins visiting the homes of pain and sorrow. At this point, the meaning of the scarlet “A” shifts from “adulterer” to “able” because Hester was able to overcome the guilt and repercussions of her sin. Hester’s daughter, Pearl, is also an example of symbolism in the novel. Pearl is somewhat a living version of Hester’s scarlet letter. They both serve as a physical reminder of Hester’s affair with Dimmesdale. Pearl’s name is also very important to her symbolism. Not only is Pearl a punishment for Hester’s sin, but she’s a blessing and Hester lets the world know that by giving her child the name “Pearl”. The name comes from the Biblical phrase “casting pearls before swine”. This shows how Hester felt about the people in town who judged her based on her mistakes. She never tried to hide Pearl. In fact, she did quite the opposite by dressing her in elaborate dresses. Hester basically cast her “pearl” before the “swine” of the community who condemned her for her wrong-doings. The author used several other symbols in his novel that all could have been and are seen differently in each person’s eyes.
Mark Twain, much like Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses many different symbols in his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck and Jim travel along the river on a raft which symbolizes something like a utopian world. Before their journey began, their lives were hard. Jim was a slave, as he is a Negro; therefore he was treated as property, which is rather self-explanatory. Huck was living very unhappily as an orphan with the Widow. He felt somewhat “trapped” because he was being raised an entirely different way than he was meant to be. He wanted to be “free”, an impossible idea due to the way he was being raised. As they begin their journey along the river, the raft gives them a sense of hope. On the raft, Huck and Jim can be whoever they want to be. There is no one to tell them how to act or what to do. In their eyes, the life on the raft is perfection, in itself. The Mississippi River begins as the ultimate symbol of freedom for Jim and Huck. Literally, Jim is searching for freedom from his being enslaved. Figuratively, Huck is searching for freedom from living with fear of his father and from becoming civilized. They find this freedom as they float along the river. As time passes, however, the river becomes more of a symbol of life, in general, and all its misleadings and injustices. Despite their newfound freedom, they find they are not completely free from the evils and influences of the towns and the river’s banks. The river also brings them into contact with criminals, wrecks, and stolen property. This is the breaking point at which reality intrudes upon them and their raft paradise. The Mississippi River truly represents a false sense of freedom and the reality of life. Uncertainty of the future is seen in Jackson Island. On one hand, it symbolizes a life in which Huckleberry and Jim can live exactly the way they’d like to – free of scrutiny and judgment for the way they are. On another hand, however, life on the island would mean living in fear of being found and sent back to the wretched lives they escaped from. Again, like Hawthorne, Twain’s novel contains numerous other examples of symbolism and each can have a different meaning, depending on the examiner.
There are so many forms of symbolism in today’s world and novels. Life, itself, can even be considered a symbol for something. However, no matter how many different types of symbolisms you come across in your lifetime, there will always be someone who sees their meanings differently than you. The old saying goes along perfectly with this idea. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Symbolism is in the eye of the beholder.
