by Alicia Hollenbeck

Created on: May 07, 2009

Though written many years after the fall of Puritanism, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter gives the modern reader a detailed perspective into the lives of these early Americans. It is also a universal tale of the destructive powers of guilt when not confessed. Though Hester, forced to confess through pregnancy and the birth of her child, is able to grow and become accepted again into society, the Reverend Dimmesdale deteriorates under the weight of sin.

Many symbols are used throughout the novel to convey this theme, none quite as memorable as the scarlet letter itself. Although initially a punishment for Hester's adultery, as the story progresses, the "A" embroidered on her dress becomes a representation for her great abilities. To the natives, the letter represents a position of power.

That is not to say that the other symbols are not powerful. Pearl herself is another representation of the adultery. There is also the rosebush with its elusive symbolism that even the narrator is unsure of. It is, however, the scaffold that plays the most significant role as a symbol. Hawthorne uses the scaffold to show Dimmesdale's descent in three stages, first above Hester, then equal with her, then finally dead.

The scaffold is first seen at the beginning of the novel, when Hester and her child are revealed to the town. Hester, unable to conceal her sin, passes the jailor, "by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character," and walks onto the platform, "as if by her own-free will." She clutches the infant Pearl to herself to conceal the scarlet letter on her dress, but immediately afterward realizes that on the scaffold, in the sunlight, the gesture is meaningless. She smiles and stands proudly. The only thing missing on the scaffold is the father of the child. His sin unknown to the public, Reverend Dimmesdale stands above Hester, both literally and socially, in a balcony above the scaffold. Dimmesdale pleads with Hester to announce to the audience who the father is, knowing it is himself. Hester, aware that it is not her responsibility, but his, refuses. The reverend then speaks forcibly for over an hour on the matter of sin, as though unsuccessfully attempting to purge himself of his demons.

In the second scaffold scene, Dimmesdale has already begun to change. The weight of sin has deteriorated his health and his walk to the scaffold is driven by, "the impulse of that Remorse which doffed him everywhere,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>