The Scarlet Letter

Symbolism

Letter ‘A’Nearly 150 direct or indirect references in novel.

But what does it stand for?

Adultery•The word adultery never appears in the novel.•The ‘A’ has different meanings as the novel progresses.

Angel• In the sky, signals Governor Winthrop’s ascendance as an Angel when he dies.

Affection

•Hester views the A as a reminder of the Affection which the token shields from her heart.

Alone

•The letter isolates her and Pearl from society.

Able

•Hester’s charitable work effect a subtle change in the letter’s meaning; a badge of honor

Anguish

•Symbolizes the anguish Dimmesdale feels until he confesses.

Atonement

•Symbol of atonement once Dimmesdale confesses.

Other symbols?

Dark vs. Light Motif

Dark MotifPuritans

• Puritans seem cold and rigid• Dress in dark, drab colors• Grays, browns, and black of town and forest

Dark MotifHester and Dimmesdale

• ‘A’—sinful; no joy

• Hester and Dimmesdale live in perpetual shadows (hidden secrets)

• Dimmesdale on scaffold at night• No sunlight shines on Hester—lost her innocence• As long as they hide the truth, neither is able to stand in

full sunlight. • Once Hester picks up the A and Dimmesdale returns to

town, darkness again overtakes them, for both have once more taken up their burden of guilt and shame.

Dark MotifRoger Chillingworth

•Chillingworth’s dark nature (evil) emerges as he becomes more obsessed with revenge•Chillingworth often linked with “Black

Man”

Light Motif

Letter ‘A’

• Brilliant red and gold of ‘A’• Red color offers compassion and finally

honesty.

Light MotifSunshine

• Peal frolics freely in the sunshine• One instance of sunlight penetrating the forest and

embracing Hester and Dimmesdale—when Hester sheds the A and Dimmesdale agrees to abandon his false position within the church of Boston.

• Sun appears on Election Day when Dimmesdale mounts the scaffold with Hester and Pearl.

• As Dimmesdale confesses, he is bathed in sunlight, and the shadow of secret sin is lifted from Hester and Dimmesdale forever. (The two are purged of guilt.)

Allegory• A poem, play, or story in which the apparent meaning of the

characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral

or spiritual meaning.

• The use of symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral.

Why is this novel considered an allegory?