The Scarlet Letter

             Nathaniel Hawthorne used symbolism a great deal in many of his
             works, including Rappachini's Daughter and "The Ministers Black Veil",
             but most prominently in The Scarlet Letter. There are differences
             between Hawthorne's symbolism and "conventional" symbolism,
             Hawthorne flatly stated what his symbols meant on the uppermost level,
             when some other authors "beat around the bush" as to the real (or
             'subliminal') meanings of certain characters, settings, and important
             events. The most important symbols in this book are the prison, the
             The first significant symbol is introduced in the very first pages of the
             novel. The Cornhill prison, where so much of this novel took place in or
             around, is "marked with weather-stains and other indications of
             age"(Hawthorne, 45) as it was built along with the first burial ground
             when the Puritans first settled in Boston. The prison is a great deal more
             than an edifice in the center of town, it shows the harshness and severity
             of Puritan law. These people ventured to a new land, and immediately
             set up a form of punishment and containment for breaking the law. The
             severity of punishment was shown in Hawthorne's mentioning of Anne
             Hutchinson, who was banished to Rhode Island for preaching
             Antinomianism. The Puritan laws were very impermeable, as seen
             through Hester's own punishment. At times too harsh and unforgiving,
             the punishments rarely fit the crime... yet the Church and Puritan way of
             life refused to abandon their traditional beliefs and offer a more
             reasonable and fitting solution. It was just the way of life though, strict
             and specific rules that were punishable by the most cruel manners.
             There was also a rosebush that lay in the shadows of the prison
             which became a very significant symbol in The Scarlet Letter. The fact
             that it was dominated by the cold, harsh p...

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The Scarlet Letter . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 11:55, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/61813.html