Alterations Of The Scarlet Letter Essay

The Alterations of the Scarlet Letter Society determines what kind of person you are based upon your behavior and actions and they can deem you a sinner or an angel. Within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the perceptions of the scarlet “A” are constantly changing within the story. In the novel the “A” is the signifier and the signified is represented by all the different perspectives from the Puritans. It can be argued that the “A” changes because Hester’s actions determine the way that Puritan society will perceive it, whether it be sin, agony, angel, able, or life. At the start of the novel, the “A” was viewed as a symbol of her sin and her feeling of agony. For instance, during the time when Hester was led out of the prison one of the many women crowded around the jail said, “But she,
Hester no longer had the agonizing feeling in her chest and people got so used to seeing the “A” that they overlooked the sin and saw her as a good person. She had been helping the poor and the ill in town and Hawthorne stated, “The letter was a symbol of her calling.” Her calling was her unit and the rule was that even though she has sinner she would still be a good figure in society and help those less fortunate. This caused the signifier, the “A”, to have a new perspective. The people believed that the “A”, “meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength (134).” The “A” is also viewed as a symbol of goodness. For instance, when a puritan was with a stranger and they would see Hester walk by they would explain, “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester, - the town’s own Hester, - who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted (134-35)”! They point her out as a great person rather than shunning her and she is transforming for the