... slowly, almost defiantly, walks to the scaffold, where she is to stand and endure public taunts, remarks, and stares. The most remarkable feature of her, besides her beauty, is the elaborately sewn letter on her bosom; a scarlet "A" stitched with gold thread. Through the crowd's remarks and the narration of Hester's thoughts, it can be concluded that the scarlet letter stands for "adulteress." Hester has been ... then comes up to Hester and tells her that the minister's mark from the Black Man will soon be plain to all. Hester presently takes her place at the foot of the scaffold to lis...

• Word Count: 3653
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

... either as adultery, or adulterer when worn by someone such as Hester. Another part of the punishment is that she must stand on the scaffold in front of everyone. She is brought out, with her baby Pearl, to show everyone what she has done. Now that she wears this letter, she is labeled as a sinful person. The narrator shares, "When the young women- the ... come walking by after leaving Governor Winthrop's deathbed. Dimmesdale asks them to stay with him for a while. While the three of them are standing on the scaffold together a bright read meteor appeared in the sky, leaving behind a gre...

• Word Count: 571
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... the Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was a well written book. It was difficult reading, but a good lesson is taught. It is not just a book dealing with the topic of sin. It goes much deeper. It talks about choices and life, and what the choices cause. Before the class discussion, I enjoyed the book, but did not feel there was any other symbolism than the scarlet ... and class could all be thrown out if the public took his sins and looked down on him. I was glad for Hester when Dimmesdale finally did stand up at the scaffold and confess his sins. That event clear...

• Word Count: 702
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... humiliation. This is Hester's first public appearance with her child and the scarlet letter on her bosom. She maintains a confident poise about her, despite the judgement that comes along with standing on the scaffold. Hawthorne's usage of the scaffold depicts Hester's isolation from the Puritans, and illustrates the theme of punishment that is common throughout the novel. Roger Chillingworth is present, ... the scaffold. Through preaching his last sermon to the townspeople, both his body and soul are finally given rest; as he dies immediately after. Chillingworth, frustrated at his ult...

• Word Count: 587
• Approx Pages: 2

... and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale commit adultery. Hester's sin becomes publicly acknowledged when she has a child; she is forced face humiliation by standing on a scaffold in the center of town and must wear a scarlet letter "A" on her chest. At the same time, Dimmesdale suffers in secrecy and his guilt causes him endless misery. As the novel progresses, Hawthorne makes it ... clear that Dimmesdale's deceit is a much more severe form of punishment than that faced by Hester. Hawthorne's theme of honesty is supported by the events that take place on the scaffold and the symbolism of the...

• Word Count: 891
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... in natural scenes". Nathaniel Hawthorne was an anti-transcendentalist and believed in the dark side of man, hence his dark romantic novel The Scarlet Letter. This allegorical novel depends heavily on symbol and character. The novel is chock full of symbolic dimension of images, characters, and descriptions. The Scarlet Letter defines the American Romanticist movement while using symbolic characters and places that give the book ... characters Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale for their overall purpose to the story and the symbolism. An important concept of romanticism includes a close connec...

• Word Count: 1687
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many different objects and people as symbols to express his message throughout the book. He begins using a plant, then the namesake of the book, then continues on to uses two people as symbols to get his message across. Although seemingly simple, all of these symbols are extremely complex, and used in a multitude of ways. First, the rosebush outside the prison; in the first chapter, it is used as a symbol of hope, or maybe a symbol of redemption. It represents a glimmer of happiness outside the grim, ugly walls and heavy oaken door of the prison....

• Word Count: 777
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... "The Scarlet Letter" written by Hawthorne has lot of changes within it. The Scaffold in the beginning of the book is represented as a place for transgressors. But each time it reappears in the story, it changes its meaning. So, it changes three times in the book from a place of retribution for transgressors to a place of unity and finally to a place of introspection. The Scaffold in the beginning of the book ... not find the courage to make for himself. So, in the beginning of the book the Scaffold symbolizes to the reader that it is a place of retribution for the transgressors and also...

• Word Count: 695
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Guilt is a powerful feeling that evokes suffering of many souls. Dimmesdale's guilty conscience causes him much pain and results in his self-mutilation, periods of vigil, and deprivation of sleep. Hawthorne's use of omniscient narration creates a powerful image of Dimmesdale's feelings. With use of sympathetic tone Hawthorne creates an obscure atmosphere for the discussion of Dimmesdale's feelings of guilt and how he bears it. The feelings of torment and suffering experienced by Dimmesdale are delicately conveyed into the content of the novel by using complex diction and subordinate clauses. ...

• Word Count: 393
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... reading the book, you gather possible hidden meanings of Hester's 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 ... ordinary relations with humanity and inclosing her in a sphere by herself." (40) However, the people's att...

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