The scarlet letter was a stigma worn by someone who had committed a sinful act many Puritan settlements. The Puritans believed that public humiliation was a just punishment for these offenders. Hester was forced to wear the letter “A” on her chest for the rest of her life, for having an affair with an unknown man, even though she and others believed her husband was long dead from a shipwreck. The letter was originally intended be a symbol of great sin, but after some time had passed it began to stand for “Able.” From the very beginning, the readers could see the significance of the letter because of Hawthorne’s description: “… that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embro

Additionally, the rosebush next to the rusted prison door should not be overlooked. The rosebush symbolizes nature and its ability to forgive people for their sins. The prison symbolizes the evil of society and the rusted iron door tells the readers that crime is an ancient aspect of human life. Also, Hawthorne tries to show the hypocritical nature of the Puritans by saying “ The founders of the new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project…recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and…prison.” (p. 47) This says that while the Puritans wanted to build a perfect society, one of the first things they built was a prison for criminals. Right from the beginning Hawthorne hints at the fact that many of the Puritan ideas very hypocritical.

idered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell…” (p. 54) As the Puritans tried to disgrace Hester, she turned the symbol around into something special. And as time went by, her efforts proved to be worthwhile. This stigma was thought to be something great by those who were unfamiliar with Puritanical ways of punishment. Both the governor’s servant, and the Native American

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