The Scarlet Letter A
In the novel the Scarlet Letter the author Nathanial Hawthorn used many symbols. The most important symbol the letter A was the most significant given that that is the title of the book. According to the townspeople or puritans that lived in Salem, Massachusetts the Scarlet Letter was viewed as a bad thing. They originally used the A to stand for adulterer, which was someone committing adultery. This was considered one of the worst sins that could be made as a citizen. Anyone who committed this sin and was forced to wear this letter A over their chest was intended to be punished and feel ashamed for what they had done. It was also used as a physical reminder of her sin and affair and used to penance or remind her of this terrible act. However, Hester Prynne who was a women who committed adultery and was forced to wear this letter viewed it a completely different way. She was proud of wearing the letter A on her breast. Throughout the novel the symbolism for the letter A changed. It was first thought to stand for adultery, able, angel, antinomian, and Arthur. Not only did the Scarlet Letter change and impact Hester’s life, it also did so for Dimmesdale, Pearl, and the townspeople.
In the beginning of the novel, the townspeople were upset with Hester for committing the crime that she did. It was completely against the Puritan’s culture and beliefs. When Hester walked out onto the stage in front of the townspeople wearing a gown with the A for the first time some citizens voiced out their opinions and said, “This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there no law for it? Truly there is, both in scripture and the statue-book” (Hawthorne, 39). The townspeople are so mad at Hester that they want her dead. According to the bible and the seventh commandment, we are forbidden to commit adultery and if we do it is a sin. Since adultery is one of the worst things that someone can do at least in the puritan’s eye, deserve to die and go to hell. As Hester continues to wear the letter A she reflects on it and says, “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 41). She is taking pride in being an adulterous by wearing the letter A that is embedded on her breast. Hester begins to learn how to accept her crime, but does not take it as a bad thing.
Hester Prynne changes as she serves her punishment. Colacurio explains, “Hester Prynne moves in this direction as a result of her punishment. And most significantly if most problematically both make positive pronouncements about the implacability of what the majority of their contemporaries take to be inviolable moral law” (Colacurio, 306). Overall, Hester is becoming a better person and proving to everyone that she is not as bad as everyone claims her to be. Even though Hester was supposed to wear the letter A on her chest was meant to be a punishment, Hester viewed it as a good, positive aspect. Hester believed, “It might have been a mode of expressing, and therefore soothing, the passion of her life. Like all other joys, she rejected it as sin” (Hawthorne, 58). Hester was proud to wear this letter. She is able to express what she did and rebel against the Puritan way of life. This rebelliousness was also known as being an antinomian during this time period. Instead of being a good Christian and having children with her husband, she chooses to go off and have a child out of wedlock with another man. It seems like Hester enjoys being an outcast and thinks that it is good to be different from everyone else.
The Scarlet Letter has had an enormous impact on Reverend Dimmesdale. Although he was not punished for the affair that he had with Hester, he still felt guilty and wanted everyone to know, but could not say so himself. He tries to convince Hester to tell the townspeople by saying,
I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life what can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him-yea, compel him, as it were-to add hypocrisy to sin? Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee, and the sorrow without. Take heed how thou deniest to him-who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself-the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips (Hawthorn, 49)
Dimmesdale is a coward for not telling the townspeople himself. In addition, this lie he is holding in is killing him and is making himself suffer. He got crazy and tortured himself by carving the letter A into his chest. Later on this caused him health problems and chest pains. He would constantly put his hand over his heart like he was in a lot of pain. The Scarlet letter A has displayed a powerful symbol not only to Hester, but now Dimmesdale as well.
Pearl became another character that was affected by the symbolism of the letter A. She felt curious as to why her mother wore this A. Pearl always looked up to her mom and wanted to be just like her when she grew up. One day when Pearl was outside playing she spread some eel grass all over her chest. She formed it into the letter A like the one on her mother’s chest. After she did this she commented, “I wander if mother will ask what it means?” (Hawthorne, 115). Even though Pearl is only a young girl and does not necessarily have the complete understanding of the significance of the letter, she is still encouraged to find out what it means. The symbolism of the letter A is so strong that it has drawn attention to a three-year-old like Pearl.
Later on in the novel, another meaning began to represent the Scarlet Letter A. Hester’s ex husband Roger Chillingsworth stated, “The letter A, which we interpret to stand for Angel. For, as our good governor Winthrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof!” (Hawthorne, 104). It seems like the Scarlet Letter A can mean anything depending who the person is and how they look at it. It could mean good, bad, helpful, or hurtful.
From Hester’s point of view she made the best of her situation and tried to look at the good aspects of wearing the letter. To her, “The letter was a symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her- so much power to do, and power to sympathize,-that many people refused to interpret the Scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a women’s strength” (Hawthorne, 106). Hester becomes a stronger person from the letter A. She became more helpful and overall bettered herself. The townspeople also began to change the way they portrayed the Scarlet A and respected Hester more because of it. The townspeople that had forgiven Hester for her sin would say, “Do you see that women with the embroidered badge?.... It is our Hester, the town’s own Hester, who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!” (Hawthorne, 106). They really like how Hester has become such a good citizen by helping the less fortunate and those in need. They completely overlook her crime and change how they look at the symbol that they originally used her to wear as a punishment.
Even though Hester has changed significantly after wearing the Scarlet A, she still did not learn from her mistake. By wearing the letter, she was supposed to learn that committing adultery was a bad thing. Instead of going back to her ex husband Chillingsworth, which would have been the right thing to do according to the Puritans decides to run off with Dimmesdale instead. Hawthorn explains this by saying, “Thus, we seem to see that, as regarded Hester Prynne, the whole seven years of outlaw and ignominy had been little other than a preparation for this very hour. But Arthur Dimmesdale! Were such a man once more to fall, what plea could be extenuation of his crime?” (Hawthorne, 129). Hester feels that staying with him is not such a bad thing, but the Puritans think otherwise. It is amazing how serious they took minor crimes such as adultery back then. In this day and age adultery seems to happen all the time and no one who commits it is treated nearly as bad. These crimes may be ending several marriages, but they are not physically harming people or making them feel ashamed by wearing a letter A on their chest.
Although Hester did not learn from her sin, which was committing adultery, she still managed to influence a lot of people by them thinking differently towards her. She was able to do this by changing the meaning of the letter A. she was able to move it from Adulterer, which represented shame and sin. Then it represented angel and able by her charity work and care for other people. In addition to the symbol changing its meaning, it also changed the way certain characters thought about their lives and how they interpreted the symbol. Pearl became more curious from the letter and it made her want to be more like her mother. Dimmesdale became ashamed of himself and felt guilty for not being punished. Ironically this was how Hester was meant to feel, but instead it was Dimmesdale. He thought the best way to solve his problems was by using the A and putting it on his own chest. He did this by cutting his chest in the shape of an A causing enormous amounts of pain. As for the townspeople, they first stuck with their Puritan belief that committing adultery was a bad thing, but they realized that the good deeds that Hester has done since she started to wear the letter A. The symbol of the Scarlet Letter is very impacting and can have many different meanings depending on who we are and how we look at it.
Works Cited
Colacurcio, Michael J. “Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter.” ELH
39. 1972. Print. 459-94.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. New York, NY.
2005. Print.
The Scarlet Letter Symbolism, Imagery, and Allegory. The Scarlet Letter. Web. 28. April. 2011.
