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Student Essay on Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter

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Nathaniel Hawthorne
About 6 pages (1,774 words)
The Scarlet Letter Summary

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Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter

Summary:   Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter utilizes symbolism in order to masquerade his critique on the morals of a society. The two protagonists, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmensdale, are in themselves dichotomous in nature. Smbols provide a veil behind which an author can costume his underlying message so it is only uncovered by those who are able to actually climb inside a book.


The Dichotomy of Literature

For every right there is a wrong. One person's hero is another's terrorist. The world is made up of black and white, a dichotomy that causes conflict between opposing parties but is essential to human existence. This dichotomy can be viewed in literature through an author's deliberate use of symbolism. Symbols allow the author to mask a complex social message behind a seemingly simple context. It then becomes the responsibility of the reader to decode the implications and to uncover the dual nature of these symbols. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter utilizes symbolism in order to masquerade his critique on the morals of a society. The two protagonists, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmensdale, are in themselves dichotomous in nature. While Prynne is portrayed to be sinful, she proves to be.....

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in the scarlet letter, what do these goodwives say should have been done to hester prynne?
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