Essay | The Scarlet Letter: A Masterpiece in the Art of Symbolism

In many stories, symbols included by the author help to add deeper meaning.  Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the few authors that has truly mastered the skill of using symbols effectively.  The Scarlet Letter is regarded as a "symbolic masterpiece" due to Hawthorne's exceptional use of the scarlet letter, the setting, and Pearl as symbols.

One of the main symbols of the novel is the basis for the title of the novel itself.  Hester Prynne's scarlet letter is attached to her dress, and appears "in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery with fantastic flourishes of gold thread" (Hawthorne 60).  The letter is said to have "the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself" (Hawthorne 61).  The letter seems to be the focal point of Hester's figure, and the townspeople obsess about the blazing red...
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