... scarlet letter. Although the sense of the meaning "adulteress" is constant, the metaphoric, emotional, and moralistic meanings of the scarlet letter vary from positive to negative interpretations throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter. The Puritan community was a dark, strict society, feeling indifferent to the humanity of the woman standing before them on the scaffold, with her infant daughter against her chest. The beautifully embroidered letter does not glow in the eyes of the people. The letter shapes the ... her society and her passion, which ultimately stands as her biggest downfa...

• Word Count: 1352
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... wild roses that grew by the prison door" (Waggoner 335). Hawthorne constructs the novel around three climactic scenes on the scaffold in front of the prison. In the first, Hester endures her public shaming on it with Pearl in her arms. "The scaffold is a symbol of the open acknowledgment of sin brought on by the strict puritanical code of their society"(www.essaybank.com). Midway through the novel the minister, who has been driven ... an armor breastplate. The scarlet letter represented many things throughout the novel; everything Hester did, wore, Pearl, the letter was her identity. In...

• Word Count: 1915
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School