... create a sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance that it overflows upon the outward world" (186). Extending this metaphor of the radiance of ! love, Hawthorne often refers to Hester's scarlet letter as glowing and thus figuratively lighting up the dark and cruel world around it. When Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold, connected to Hester by Pearl, another symbol of their love, "there [comes] what [seems ... ] a tumultuous rush of new life, other life than his own, pouring ... the wild rosebush. It is the sweetness of this blossom that may "relieve ... human frailty and sorrow" (4...

• Word Count: 1485
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School