Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most prolific symbolists in American literature. In literature a symbol is most often a concrete object used to represent an idea more abstract and broader in scope and meaning. In the Scarlet Letter Hawthorne has many of these symbols but in order to understand his...

Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects, events and people to show meaning within the novel. The symbolism is used to serve as a representation of the mistakes that Hester Prynne made in her life and to mark her development through life. Hawthorne&a...

I. Puritan New England was a place filled with strict laws and an unbreakable moral code. A. Hester and Dimmesdale's secret passion is an example of rebellion to this moral code. 1. Hester and Dimmesdale are lovers in their own eyes, but in the eyes of the townspeople they...

When Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, he filled the story with archetypes. He used archetypes from three different categories. They are plot, character, and symbolic archetypes. Because of these three elements, The Scarlet Letter is an archetypal book. The first plot archetype is the b...