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

... for her sin. Hawthorne used this scaffold as a symbol of the hypocrisy of the Puritans, for every spectator of the scaffold scene should have been, in reality, on the scaffold themselves. Hawthorne, through this symbol, allowed the readers to realize the Puritans were punishing and humiliating Hester for something they themselves possessed in their own life: sin. Also, Hawthorne used the scarlet letter itself, the elaborate cloth "A" which ... turned it into one for strength, endurance, and compassion. Hawthorne used this symbol to contradict the stubborn judgments of the Puritan leader...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Shame, Despair, Solitude! The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the great novels in American Literature. Hawthorne's use of symbolism in the novel is very significant. Many symbols are underlying and hard to find, but symbols such as the letter "A" could not be more obvious. "The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! Those ... in the mind of the reader Hawthorne displays the letter in a variety of altered profiles. Besides being the beacon from Hester's breast the letter "A" is presented in several forms. It is o...

• Word Count: 661
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School