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The Scarlet Letter

 

            
             Throughout The Scarlet Letter there are symbolic references made. Nathaniel Hawthorne, seems to be rather fond of using religious and natural images to symbolize different points. One of the purposes of this symbolism is to show that Puritanism is fraudulent and that their religious viewpoints are against the natural order, which is done by using contrasting natural and religious symbols in the descriptions of Pearl.
             Hawthorne uses the backdrop of the natural world to show that.
             not only Pearl is anonymous to the Puritan culture, but also above it. This is done by using positive images and descriptions to the natural world. Describing Pearl as a "lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion" (pg. 81).This begins this image. The "rank luxuriance" is based on the strict Puritan beliefs. It describes the child as a mistake or an outcast even though when a child is born, it suppose to be a wonderful thing. Pearl also has a sort of love uncommon than the other Puritan children , shown by the quote, "Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl were a human child. she seemed rather an airy sprite" (pg. 84). Her mother, being of a Puritan background, seems to disturb her that Pearl acts so free spirited. The best example of the difference of Pearl in a positive way is a direct statement about Puritan children, "Puritan elders; .
             the ugliest weeds of the garden were their children" (pg. 87). By describing the other puritan children as weeds, Hawthorne symbolizes the paths that they will live. Weeds will grow up big but will never be as beautiful as a flower and often tries to smother flowers and kill them off. .
             The religious descriptions of Pearl are often used to show the Puritan ideals of the fact that the mother committed adultery. Even though the child can not help that she has been labeled an outcast the rest of her life indefinitely.


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