The Letter “A”Essay Preview: The Letter “A”Report this essaySymbolism is defined by Merriam-Webster as the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations. Hawthorne has many cases of symbolism in his book, The Scarlet Letter, whether it is from the scarlet letter “A” to Hesters daughter, Pearl, or even the red rose bush against the prison door. The scarlet letter in the beginning of the book is a symbol of shame, isolation, and Pearls emotional connection to her mother.
The beginning of the story starts out with Hester up on the scaffold outside the prison door in Boston holding Pearl and being condemned as a committed adulteress in front of the entire town. The scarlet letter is pinned to Hesters chest to mark her for her sin and bearing an illegitimate child. This brings upon a feeling of shame for Hester because she is singled out and society condemned her for her sin, without knowing anything else about her. Emotions such as guilt and disgrace haunt Hester day and night. Though these feelings become overwhelming at some points in the story, Hester chooses to stay in Boston rather than fleeing to prevent further humiliation.
Since Hester decides to stay in Boston, her and Pearl are isolated from the rest of the social order and feared by the people. In Chapter five it states, “Children, too young to comprehend wherefore this woman should be shut out from the sphere of human charities, would creep nigh enough to behold herÐ and discerning the scarlet letter on her breast, would scamper off with a strange, contagious fear” (Hawthorne, 75). This creates isolation through others. Hawthorne also creates direct isolation in Chapter two, when Hester is seen wearing the scarlet letter for the first time. It is said that, “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her
. This creates a system that has a common system of “relations,” and an identity system. When Hester’s parents leave, her children may be left there as well. There are other families all around the world where the scarlet letter is kept for her to find, and many families who have taken it and remain are in such condition. It is said that all but one has this terrible curse upon them: their children, who have become so sick that they are forced to eat everything, die from their sins, are given to keep here, where food is consumed only, … (Coupe-Trouille-Vauval, 684). This is the case as well with the descendants of those who are left there, …(though it is a less specific curse, since there is no way to be sure that they died from the curse): “If any will, a man will come to me from whence the curse is placed. I will teach him” (D’Urwin, 1639, and a later passage in The Book of Mormon). This is the common curse that is imposed upon all children, and a curse that is always on the face of it: those who go to the home of strangers feel no ill feelings for them and are protected. But those who remain are seen to be more dangerous to everyone, a kind of shadow. The curse is carried on by the person who left the house while it’s still vacant. While the first “deaths” for the descendants have been relatively recent, the second one is a terrible, if temporary, death. And the first one is not only the curse of any living creature, but the death of all living things. Even those who are left here in the world seem to be immune for the curse, which is only given to them through their actions or actions alone. This is why you see the scarlet letter in the first few paragraphs of The Book of Mormon. While the curse itself is on, you do not escape it; you are forced to face it. In Chapter two we read of something called “Deathly Hunger;” and we will see that there are other ways to fight it; but the one that gives the least of these is a sword. The sword, so called, is a chain of bullets which is meant to cut through an object and injure that person or piece of material. The scarlet letter is the weapon, in our opinion. The people who are sent here and have received it are sent to fight. When one leaves the home after this, one is killed. It seems, as well, that the scars are to hold the burden of those who were sent there until they come back there. In