Life in The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Extract

[...] Nathaniel Hawthorne provides one with The Scarlet Letter. Several elements of the book leave the reader pondering the meaning. The symbols and their representation provide an example. Life is specifically represented through various symbols in the book. The colors of the letter, the rose, and Pearl's clothes symbolize life through the use of the actual letter, the rose, and the bright colors Hester makes Pearl wear. Initially, disgrace is meant to be induced by the scarlet letter Hester is forced to wear, but it instead becomes a symbol of life through the color. [...]

[...] Hester's gravestone is specifically marked with the scarlet letter A. Next, the rose is used as a symbol of life. Multiple roses are present in the story, but one specific example represents life. Pearl may be identified as the life represented by the rose. At one point of the story, Pearl mentions that she is child finally announced that she had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses, that grew by the prison-door.” (Hawthorne) This is equivalent to saying that Pearl is a rose and her mom is the rosebush. [...]

[...] She is asking him to grant her custody. In summary, life is symbolized multiple times throughout the book. The rose, the letter, and Pearl's clothes are each a representation of life. The letter becomes a symbol for life after initially being used for humiliation. The rose is revealed as a symbol of life through Pearl. Clothes are also used to represent life. Each of these symbols are purposely similar in color. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. Wordsworth editions, 1992. [...]