The Dual, Blurred Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter

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The Dual, Blurred Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a startling vision, rife with meaning and symbolism. The book is unique in that Hawthorne leaves the reader in a state of flux; there is no "bad guy," there is no definite conclusion, good is not triumphant over evil. The finish of the story does not end in "happily ever after," but in a feeling of inscrutability; the loose ends are tied, yet left open for the reader to image what comes next. "The Scarlet Letter's strange power over its contemporary readers derives from its unresolved tensions"(264). There are no clearly defined roles of good and evil, only lesser and greater forms of both, with which the characters have to deal with. Hawthorne asks his "readers to sympathize with Dimmesdale and Chillingworth as "mutual victims"(272). The book is one of human and moral weakness; Hawthorne hopes "to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow"(54). The abundant symbols in the volume are constantly evolving and developing, creating different mood and tone shifts within the text. The scarlet letter takes on many forms throughout the book, meaning both "adultery" and "angel," and a myriad of other significant tokens.

A close examination of the text reveals the major role metaphors play in the tale. The patterns within the writing evolve and develop; henceforth the meanings of these metaphors also evolve and change. The strongest of these metaphors is the scarlet letter itself, the letter is powerful; it becomes a fixation point for all who meet its wearer. The A is initially the outward representation of Hester's sin of adultery. The whole community turns out to see her present the "ignominious letter on her breast"(58). It is a powerful scene, when "that Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom"(58) is revealed. "It had the effect of a spell, taker her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself"(58). Hester is, in effect, taken out of reality at this point. She is no longer an active participant in the world; she is a spectator, held up as an example of fallen grace in her harsh society. It is her public exhibition of the letter that allows her the moral fortitude to withstand its shame. She is able to bear the burden of the letter because it is in the open; there is nothing she can do to hide it from the world. It is in this way that she can begin to transform herself and the ignominious A into something greater. She lives on the outskirts of society, subsisting on little and giving what she can to charity: "Hester bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself, and who not unfrequently insulted the hand that fed them"(78). She becomes an Angel of Mercy; "none so ready as she to give of her little substance to every demand of poverty"(131). The letter became a beacon in the dark, for those who have lost their way. "The letter was a symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her, - so much power to do, and power to sympathize, - that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength"(131).
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Hester is not the only one afflicted by the letter; it also mars the Reverend Dimmesdale. He is Hester's unidentified lover; the father of Pearl and a man persecuted by his own demons. He wishes he were strong enough to expose himself as the adulterer he is, but he lacks the moral fortitude to admit his own flaws. Late one night, he climbs the scaffold that Hester had been sentenced to stand upon seven years before. As he is standing there, Hester and Pearl come by and he asks them to join him. It is through this action ...

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