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stay close to the brook, a symbol of God. The lack of sunshine is reminiscent of the lack of truth that is found in such a place. Hawthorne chooses to use this dark and mysterious place as a sort of sanctuary for Hester and Dimmesdale. It is this place that they choose to be honest about their true feelings; they feel that they can be honest in a place that is so removed from the rest of the world. This is the place where Hester feels that she can truly be herself. She lets down her hair, literally, and throws off the scarlet letter, a confine of society. These characters transform a place of sin and darkness into a place of truth and light. It is only when they are honest that sunshine pours into the area, making it light up.

The scarlet letter on Hester's breast is a multi-faceted symbol. The precursor to the actual novel, a chapter entitled "The Custom House," gives readers a fictional interpretation of Hawthorne discovering the badge of Hester Prynne. Even though it has faded from a once bright red, it still seems to have a veil of mystery surrounding it. When Hawthorne curiously puts it to his own breast, he feels a sensation of "burning heat as if the letter were not of red cloth, but red-hot iron." (32) When the letter is introduced in the novel, it is not longer a symbol of mystery, but a symbol of shame. However, it is not as important a symbol as Pearl, which will be discussed later. The punishment of wearing a letter is not as great as the punishment of raising a child alone, but the community thinks so. Therefore, the letter also symbolizes the naivety of society's view on punishment. This symbol is gradually transformed into something totally different .

At first, it frightens Hester to think that the letter gives her knowledge of sin hiding in the hearts of others. It makes her wonder how many other women would be wearing the same scarlet letter if truth were told by all. (78) It is not long before a sort of mythology centers around the letter. Many stories and rumors are started. For example, it is believed by many that an Indian drew his arrow against the scarlet letter and it bounced off when he fired. The people believed that it gave her a sense of protection against the terrors of the outside world. Even Hester herself begins to "feel" the change that the letter provides. However, it does not make her more outgoing as a person might think. She wears her beautiful hair under a cap and dresses in muted colors with the red letter being the

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