Search results
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Young Goodman Brown’ is an 1835 short story by the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Inspired in part by the Salem witch craze of 1692, the story contains a number of powerful symbols. But how should we analyse the symbolism of the story? Let’s take a closer look at the…
Hawthorne's embodiment of these characters is denied by the Puritan mentality: At the end of the novel, even watching and hearing Dimmesdale's confession, many members of the Puritan community still deny what they saw. Thus, using his characters as symbols, Hawthorne discloses the grim underside of Puritanism that lurks beneath the public piety.
- Symbol #1
- Symbol #2
- Symbol #3
- Symbol #4
- Symbol #5
- Symbol #6
- Symbol #7
- Symbol #8
- Symbol #9
- Symbol #10
The Door In this novel, the prison door’s description captures the reader’s attention immediately when he or she starts reading it. The prison door is a symbolof punishment given to the culprits and jail inmates for their crimes. Different parts of the prison door such as iron spikes and bars remind the cruel methods used by the Puritanical magistr...
The Rose Bush The rose bush is a bush of wild roses, which also appears in the first chapter. Exactly like a rose bush, Hester Prynne also can look beautiful as well as wild in her nature, and even survive against all the odds. However, as it appears in two different places, it could mean two different things. In the first, it perhaps symbolizes He...
The Scarlet Letter The letter of “A” written in scarlet color and placed around the neck of Hester becomes a symbol of sin, especially adultery. However, it is fascinating to note that the same letter becomes a symbol of innocence, penance and angelic character of Hester by the end of the story. This symbol also shows how objects transform their sy...
Red Color Although red color is, mostly, associated with sex, infatuation, passion, violence, and life of sin, it is also associated with true love and purity of heart. In the novel, this color is associated with red roses which means energy, while at one place, it also shows lost passion and sincere love, as the scarlet letter and crimson color of...
Scaffold The scaffold has been used at three places in the novel. Once, it is used in the second chapter where Hester is made to stand and humiliated for her sin of adultery. Here, it is a symbol of sin and crime. It is again used in the twelfth chapter where it is shown as a symbol of confession and hope, but nobody hears Dimmesdale’s confession. ...
Shadow and Light Two significant seasonal phenomena appear intermittently in the novel. They are sunlight and shadow. For instance, when the question of Pearl’s future appears before the jury, Dimmesdale is in the shadow of the garden. It means it is a symbol of cover. However, when the novel nears its end, there is sunlight on Hester and Dimmesdal...
Forest Symbolically, a forest has two contradictory meanings. It means natural love as well as wilderness. As far as its use in the novel is concerned, the forest is a terrifying place, an abode of Satan, as is considered during the Puritanism, and Hester is left in the forest. However, by the end of the novel, it proves a place where a person beco...
The Character of Pearl Pearl’s character is very interesting in the novel as it represents a child’s innocence and also the dual behavior inherited by her father, Dimmesdale, and mother, Hester Prynne. Her wild nature represents the wild and passionate nature of her mother. She is also a symbol of the price Hester has paid for her passionate love a...
Dimmesdale and Chillingworth Dimmesdale’s name suggests that he will have to face the decline or bad luck in his career. He is, in fact, a symbol of a person doomed to fail. The same is the case of Chillingworth. Chilling means icy cold. When he sees Hester Prynne facing the jury of the governor and the pastor at the beginning of the novel, he does...
The Black Man A Black Man appears twice in the storyline of this novel. It happens in the fourth chapter first when Hester sees Chillingworth who is smiling at her. She compares him to the Black Man who haunts the forest. By this, she means the Satan or evil that always keep chasing people to coax them to do sinful acts. Chillingworth suspects that...
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Symbolism Usage Hawthorne’s exertion of symbolism as a common style for his writing is also profound. Not just for ‘ The Scarlet Letter ’ – his best work, but also across all his other novels and short stories like ‘ The Minister’s Black Veil ,’ ‘ Young Goodman Brown ,’ and ‘ The House of the Seven Garbles .’
Hawthorne was born is Salem, Massachusetts, and this is the place he used as the setting for some of his works: such as “The Scarlett Letter”, “the Blithedale Romance” and “Young Goodman Brown”. In writing, Hawthorne was known for his use of allegory and symbolism, which made his stories a joy for everyone to read.
Why does Nathaniel Hawthorne use symbolism in The Scarlet Letter? It could be said that Hawthorne uses symbolism for two major reasons. One is that the use of symbolism creates a heightened effect ...
People also ask
Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne?
Why is Hawthorne a good place to read the Scarlet Letter?
Why do writers use symbols?
Why is Nathaniel Hawthorne a good writer?
Why is Hawthorne important?
How does Hawthorne imply a subtle allegory?
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. The Scarlet Letter. The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester. The letter’s meaning shifts as time passes.
