Реферат: The Scarlet Letter The Symbol Of The

The Scarlet Letter: The Symbol Of The Scarlet Letter Essay, Research Paper

The Scarlet Letter: The Symbol of the Scarlet Letter

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s scarlet

token liberates her more than it punishes her. First of all, Hester’s soul is

freed by her admission of her crime; by enduring her earthly punishment, Hester

is assured of a place in the heavens. Also, though her appearance is much

hampered by the scarlet letter, her mind is freed by it, that an intellectual

passion rises from her isolation and suffering. Finally, it defines her

identity, for the letter makes Hester the woman that she is; it gives her roots,

character, and a uniqueness to her being that sets her apart from the other

Puritans. The scarlet letter is indeed a blessing to Hester Prynne, more than

the curse she believes it to be.

The scarlet symbol of ignominy may have defiled Hester’s public image,

yet it has been a benefit rather than a bane to her soul, for by admitting her

crime to the crowd, her soul is freed from two hells: first, the fiery pit

where she would otherwise go after death, and second, the own personal hell

Hester will create for herself if she had chosen to hide her sin in her heart.

Though it was ordered for Hester to wear the letter, it was still her own choice

to make it in a vivid scarlet, “so fantastically embroidered and illuminated

upon her bosom.” Hester chose red as the color of her brand of shame, to

declare to the rest of the townspeople that she is prepared to acknowledge her

sin, instead of denying it; she could have chosen to wear her “A” in a plain and

nondistinct color, to escape the townspeople’s disdain. By displaying her guilt

however, she is granted the opportunity to face her punishment bravely, thus

through her public humiliation, she achieves freedom from the personal guilt of

not suffering enough for her crimes. Furthermore, “the scarlet letter,

forthwith seemed to scorch into Hester’s breast, as if it had been red-hot.”

The scarlet A’s glowing embers, scorching they may be, also serve to heal, for

the pain they inflict on Hester enables her to properly atone for her sin; by

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