Free College Essays - Symbolism in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter - symbolism Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism several times in the book, The Scarlet Letter. Some examples of this be when they talk of the scaffold, the brook, the forest, and the self-restraint. The one that I pull up stakes discuss is the insolateshine. Hawthorne uses cheerfulnessshine in the novel to symbolize purity and hope several times end-to-end the book. In one scene of the book, off-white requests that Hester grab some sunshine and give it to her to play with. Hester then replies, No, my little Pearl Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee. (p.104) Hester has no sunshine to give Pearl because she has committed adultery and is not pure. other example is when Hester and Pearl are taking a walk by dint of the forest when a dark cloud came all over the sky and Pearl said, Mother, said little Pearl, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is aquaphobic of something on your bosom. Pearl sa ys this just innocently playing around, not having a clue of exactly how right she is. She says that the sun fears the A and avoids the impurity of it at all costs, even disappearing from the sky. Later in that walk, Hawthorne again shows how the sun refuses to be around Hester and her sin. Hester tells Pearl to run off and catch the sun and so she sets off at a great pace and, in her innocence, she seemingly catches it and stands right in the midst of it. Hester comes over and attempts to come over bask in the sunshine and Pearl says, while shaking her head, It will go now. Hester replies, See Now I can stretch proscribed my hand and grasp some of it, but As she attempted to do so, the sunshine vanished. This shows how the sun, being pure, adorned the Pearl in her innocence, while it shunned Hester for her impurity. Hawthorne shows the symbol of sunshine best in the chapter appropriately titled, A Flood of Sunshine. In this particular scene, Dimmesdale and Hester are discussing wh at Dimmesdale will do about the current agency with their relationship. Dimmesdale announces that he will leave the community, and he must do it alone. In the heat of the moment Hester declares that he will not have to go alone, and she takes off her bonnet and throws down the