Scarletletter Symbolism :: essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many things for symbolism and in my opinion the most symbolic were the scaffold scenes. There ar a total of three scaffold scenes and each has its own purpose and meaning. Without the scaffold scenes this book would basically leave you clueless to what was really going on because the scaffold scenes really tell you what is going on and why.The first scaffold scene is basically an introduction to the whole book. You learn who all the main charters are and most of all Hester and her terrible crime she committed. This is the first time everyone sees Hester with the letter &8220A on her bosom. Hester is a very brave woman for standing up on that scaffold in front of everyone in the town to gawk at and for admitting that she had committed criminal conversation. Also, it takes a very courageous person to stick up for what they bank in like she did by not telling who she had committed the crime with. The whole story builds you up to this point of finding out who Hester committed adultery with. By this point in the story you construct some clue who the father of Pearl is but until you get to the second scaffold scene you preceptor&8217t know for sure. At the second scaffold scene Dimesdale is on the scaffold and Hester and Pearl come up and join him. Dimesdale is wearing down by the burden of his sin he committed. He goes to the scaffold to confess to God and ask for some kind of forgiveness. Then a cloud forms the letter &8220A in the sky and everyone thinks this stands for angel because that&8217s how they view Dimesdale. Then when Dimesdale goes to leave he leaves his glove on the scaffold to symbolize he was there and that he should have been up there with Hester and his daughter in the first place.Then when you think everything is going to turn out okay and nothing bad is going to come to pass to Hester and Pearl, Dimesdale goes up on the scaffold. This worries Hester like it would anyone in her position. So Hester and Pearl join him again on the scaffold. Hester is wearing the Scarlet Letter like always and and so Dimesdale shows his letter &8220A that he inscribed over his heart.