Essay | The Dual Symbolism of the Letter "A" in "The Scarlet Letter"

Everyone interprets different elements of writing in his own way. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter consists of a vast variety of symbolism left for the reader to interpret. One of the biggest symbols present exists in the title itself: the scarlet letter or the "A." The initial symbolism of the scarlet "A" marks the shame or sin that exposes the fact that Hester Prynne committed the act of adultery. The governor shamefully forced Hester to bear the "A" upon her chest for the remainder of her life. However, the "A" does not only represent the blatancy of shame and sin. Throughout the story, the "A" reoccurs in different ways, both good and bad.

Most importantly, Pearl in turn becomes a living version of the "A." Hester decorates her scarlet letter in a baroque and aesthetic sense, ignoring the fact that it reiterates to the...
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