Scarlet Letter: Darkness to Light
The Scarlet Letter shows thought out the book, many different themes and motifs. There are also many symbols. The main motif shown was the transition from dark to light. The main three symbols I saw that displayed this transition were Hester Prynne, her daughter Pearl, and the scaffold. All three had a transition of being in or being used as something that represents a form of darkness into something being used as a form of light. All three have other symbols that are associated with each other like the letter A. The letter A itself is both a form of darkness and light. It goes thought transitions just like Hester, Pearl, and the scaffold do.
The movement from darkness to light in the beginning was Hester. She herself was both dark and light. The crime she committed made her an outcast. She was dark because of her crime. Her crime was Adultery. She was also a form of light because although she committed a crime, her beauty, and the letter made her look brighter. They described her hair as dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam.(pg.45) Her beauty was said that she had a face which besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes.(pg.45-46) Her style of clothes was different then anyone else. Her attire, which, indeed, she had wrought for the occasion, in prison, and had modeled much after her own fancy, seemed to express the attitude of her sprit, the desperate recklessness of her mood, by its wild and picturesque peculiarity.(pg.46) What stood out the most was the letter. .. Was that Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom.(pg.46) She wears the letter A to symbolize Adultery. At the end of the book, it was switched to symbol the word Able. Such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to do and power to sympathize-that many people refused to interrupt the scarlet A by its original significance. They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength.(pg.145) She was able to wear the letter-showing acceptance from the community. She bares a child, which is another symbol of her crime. It is a reminder of her sin. Nature seems remind Hester of her sin.
When she was with Pearl in the forest pearl replied the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.(Pg.166) She wants to be like Pearl, a person who is pure, but instead the sunshine vanishes to remind her that she has sinned and cannot be pure. The only time Hester was able to be in the sunshine was when she removed the scarlet letter from her bosom. All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest (p.185) Moahmed Nadi, a student agrees that this was the only time where Hester wanted to be free like her daughter, but couldnt because of the sin she commited: it frightened her so she put back on the scarlet letter. When Hester put back on her letter, the light faded. At the end of the book the sun shown upon Dimmsdale, Hester, and Pearl on the scaffold. The sun, but little past its meridian, shone down upon the clergyman, and gave distinctness to his figure, as he stood out from all the earth to put his plea of guilty at the bar of Eternal Justice. (p.232) Again the A was shown, but the sunshine and the letter were used to represent a form of light: truth. The truth about Hesters affair was told in front of the community. The letter A was on not only Hesters chest but also Dimmsdales. Most of the spectators testified to having seen, on the breast of the unhappy minister, a scarlet letter the very semblance of that worn by Hester Prynne imprinted in the flesh. (p.235) the letter was used as a punishment but also a judgment. Hester was punished, and then was judged as an Able person.
Pearl herself was similar but, different to her mother. She was both light and dark. She was dark because she was the conduct of her mothers crime. Behold, verify, there is the woman of the scarlet letter, and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side. Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!(pg.91) She was put down as a demon child in the community even though she was a sprited child to her mother. Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world. An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants. (pg.83) She would scream and throw dirt at the children who made fun of her. If the children gathered about her, as they sometimes did, Pearl would grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling them, with shrill, incoherent exclamations that made her mother tremble because they has so much the sound of a witchs anathemas in some unknown tongue.(pg.83) She would not allow anything to make her angry. Julian Hawthrone, a lit. crit. Writer wrote about Pearl saying Not only is she free from repression of this kind, but she avouches herself the most vivid and active figure in the story (Hawthrone, J.) she agrees that Pearl was a sprited child, an elf child a form of light.
She is also in the dark about knowing who her father is. She would ask question about him. She seems to have an idea who her father is on the night of Dimmsdales vigil. She asked him Wilt thou stand her with mother and me, tomorrow, noontide? (Pg.137) He answers no, another time. She asked him once more and he said no. She asked when and he replies At the great judgment day.(Pg.138) She finally finds out who is her father. She finds out the day he dies, his judgment day. He asks her ...dear little pearl, wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not, yonder, in the forest! But now thou wilt!(Pg.233) and she did. The knowledge of finally knowing who her father had helped bring her into light. She finally knew the truth. The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part, had developed all her sympathies (p.233)
While in the forest, she was also used as a form of light. When the sun shone down on her and not her mother showing her purity. While in the forest the sunshine never left Pearl. When finding her mother with Dimmsdale, she kept her distance as if she was different from them the sunshine that shown on them was a reminder of what they were before. Only when when Hester put on the scarlet back on, did Pearl return to her mother. She did not know of anything and was pure and freedom from sin even though she herself was made from a sin, which made her different from her mother.
The scaffold was shown in three specific points. In the beginning on the book, the middle and the end. In the beginning, the scaffold was used for people who committed a crime. People would go there and feel shameful and embarrassed. .. Whatever be the delinquencies of the individual-no outrage more flagrant than to forbid the culprit to hide his face for shame; as it was the essence of this punishment to do.(Pg.49) Hester had
to go there for her punishment.
The second time was when Dimmsdale did a vigil on it. He shrieked aloud; an outcry that went pealing through the night. it is done! muttered the minister, covering his face with his hands. The whole town will awake, and hurry forth, and find me here!(Pg.133) The scaffold was used a both a place where people who
committed a crime go and a confessional place. Dimmsdale wanted to be found on the scaffold. The third time was when Dimmsdale confessed his sin, that he was Pearls father. Hester said he, come hither! Come, my little Pearl!(Pg.230) The scaffold was then used as a place of confession. As mentioned earlier, Dimmsdale had the letter A also on his chest. He confessed his sin and showed the letter, showing he was also punished. On the scaffold he was redeemed for his sin. In the beginning, the scaffold was a place of shame and it changed to a place where you can be redeemed.
These three symbols represented the transition from dark to light in many ways. Hester, Pearl, and the scaffold connected together forming that transition They were represented in other symbols like the sunshine and the letter A. These three symbols are not the only symbols that represented this motif. The Scarlet Letter is well known for its use of symbolism. There are many, but these three stood out more then the others. The were used from the beginning of the book to the end of the book connecting each other to create many different transition.
Bibliography
Books
1. Hawthrone, Nathaniel The Scarlet Letter New American Library 1959
2. Hawthrone, Juliann The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthrone: A review by Juliann Hawthrone The Atlantic Monthly April 1886
Internet
1. www.literatureclassics.com/essays/696 Nadi, Moahmed The Scarlet Letter: Only God should judge June 2, 2004
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