Hawthorne's Use Of Symbolism In Puritan Society
Symbolism in Puritan Society
Questioning the power of love, as well as playing with human emotion, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter on the struggles of Hester Prynne, a sinner in a Puritan community. Hester is a young beautiful woman who was married once before, but because of a complication in her travel to America is separated from her husband, Roger Chillingworth, for three years. Due to this separation Hester has an affair, which results in a child. The novel itself contains many powerful symbols, including: the letter A, the names, and finally, the rose. Through the use of subtle symbolism, Hawthorne argues a hidden point within his writing. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne is able to use symbolism to show that within …show more content…
It’s almost as if the rose represents lust, and the thorns are like the consequences. The rose can also represent Hester within her Puritan world. She is the rebellious and beautiful, yet dangerous flower which is intriguing to the onlooker, but different from the rest of the world. Since the roots are planted in that soil, she feels the need to stay once she is released from prison. Hawthorne chose the rosebush to represent the blossoming of good from darkness. Symbolism is a traditional artistic form; it also is a major feature of Romanticism. It shows the greatness of an author’s ability to supply meaning to his work. It also shows the pride an author takes in his work. At a first glance, a reader may believe that the novel The Scarlet Letter is simply a story of love gone wrong; however, the book clearly contains deeper meaning. Hawthorne’s purpose in writing the book was to prove that no society is perfect, not even the communities that claim to be. Within each society lies corruption and sin, the inevitable reality of human nature. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter shows his greatness in producing a novel of the highest possible stature. The various usage of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter makes the novel a work of the
Questioning the power of love, as well as playing with human emotion, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter on the struggles of Hester Prynne, a sinner in a Puritan community. Hester is a young beautiful woman who was married once before, but because of a complication in her travel to America is separated from her husband, Roger Chillingworth, for three years. Due to this separation Hester has an affair, which results in a child. The novel itself contains many powerful symbols, including: the letter A, the names, and finally, the rose. Through the use of subtle symbolism, Hawthorne argues a hidden point within his writing. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne is able to use symbolism to show that within …show more content…
It’s almost as if the rose represents lust, and the thorns are like the consequences. The rose can also represent Hester within her Puritan world. She is the rebellious and beautiful, yet dangerous flower which is intriguing to the onlooker, but different from the rest of the world. Since the roots are planted in that soil, she feels the need to stay once she is released from prison. Hawthorne chose the rosebush to represent the blossoming of good from darkness. Symbolism is a traditional artistic form; it also is a major feature of Romanticism. It shows the greatness of an author’s ability to supply meaning to his work. It also shows the pride an author takes in his work. At a first glance, a reader may believe that the novel The Scarlet Letter is simply a story of love gone wrong; however, the book clearly contains deeper meaning. Hawthorne’s purpose in writing the book was to prove that no society is perfect, not even the communities that claim to be. Within each society lies corruption and sin, the inevitable reality of human nature. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter shows his greatness in producing a novel of the highest possible stature. The various usage of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter makes the novel a work of the