Isolation Through Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Isolation Through Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet LetterA symbol is an object utilize to stand for something else. Symbolism has a hidden meaning lying at heart it these meanings unite to form a more detailed theme. Symbolism is astray used in The Scarlet Letter to help the reader expose understand the deep meanings Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays through pop his novel. He shows that ne furthestiousness, known or isolated to the community, isolates a mortal from their community and from God. Hawthorne also shows this by symbols in nature around the town, natural symbols in the heavens, and nature in the forest.First, two symbols in the town show how sin isolate people. In the first chapter in that location is a plant that stands out, But on wholeness side of the portal, and grow almost at the threshold, was a wild rosebush, covered, in this month of June, with its dainty gems (46). It stands out as wild and different among the grass and weeds as Hester does in the Puritan town. She wears her scarlet letter as the rosebush wears its scarlet blossoms. by and by in the book Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth (Hesters unknown husband) discuss a quaint dark plant that Chillingworth discovered. I found them growing on a grave that bore no tombstone, nor other memorial of the dead man, that these ugly weeds that have taken upon themselves to keep him in remembrance. They grew out of his heart, and typify, it maybe, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done damp to confess during his lifetime (127). Here there is a man whose sin was not publicly discovered while he was alive. This person attempt to keep wrongdoing a secret by hiding it inwardly himself. Yet the sin was too strong to hide and later reveled by and by his death. There remains nothing honorable about the place where this person lies, but the weed that grew out of the blackness of this persons heart.The undermentioned area is a symbol in the h eavens. This occurs during the second famous hold up scene. Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl are on the scaffold when, a thinly gleamed far and wide over all the muffled sky. It was doubtless caused by one of those meteors (150). The minister looking upward to the zenith, beheld there the appearance of an immense letter-the letter A- marked out in lines of dull red light (152).