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In The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a story of a women who has committed the ultimate sin, adultery. Hester is led in front on the town with an infant daughter in tow for all the towns people to see her in a public shaming, with the scarlet “A” adorning her chest. Through a series of events Hester’s long lost husband wants revenge on the man that has stolen his possession, meanwhile she is trying to raise a daughter while being shunned by the community. As a formal theorist I will be examining the central themes, how the structure impacts the tension and ambiguity, and the symbols that are used also how their meaning is affected throughout the novel.
One of the main themes in this novel is that of sin. Sin is a reoccurring theme because its what the novel is centered around. Hester has sinned because she had an affair while he husband was suspected to have drowned at sea. One might observe that, if her husband was presumed dead and she wanted to be with someone else, then why is that a sin? Well in the puritan community you must be married to the man that you will have sexual relations with, therefore what Hester and Dimmesdale committed was sinful. The puritans feel very strongly about their beliefs, everyone must abide by the magistrates rules or they will be public humiliated, shunned and sometimes killed. “Thus, they view sin as a threat to the community that should be punished and suppressed” (Sparknotes Editors). Although, through Hester’s punishment of her sin she was able to explore herself and the world around her in a new way. She no longer need to live up the puritans standards of life and was able to make her own decisions for example, how she decided to raise Pearl. Through the ultimate sin Hester made a good life for herself and Pearl by pushing the boundaries of the puritan way.
Another central theme that is seen throughout the novel is good versus evil. It is known that anything other then the puritan way of living is said to be evil. This would mean that Hester must be evil for not following their rules, but it she? Hester is not the one who is evil in this novel, she committed a sin in a community that only believes in the black and white therefore, she is in the wrong. The character that has some cause for concern is Roger Chillingsworth. From the beginning he has been a mysterious person who is out for revenge. He does a good job of concealing his identity in order to find the man who stole what was his. Evil is most purely seen in the form of Chillingsworth plotting out the death of Dimmesdale. there is another source of evil that is more concealed in its efforts then Chillingsworth and that’s the Black Man. Who is portrayed to be the alluring devil in this novel. Never seen but always talked about with characters such as, Mistress Hibbins and also debated if its even real. The source of this evil is in background throughout the novel and is testing the characters to see if they will stray from the conformity of the puritan life or be allured into the devils playground.
The structure in this novel is different than that seen in most. The story is broken up into small chucks, like mini chapters that are centered around a specific topic. The way Hawthorne does this creates great tension for what will happen next. Breaking down the text in this way makes it very clear what Hawthorne finds important and wants you to know. Each small section builds on the next making the novel interesting and nail biting at the same time. There is another structural difference that Critic Stephen Railton dives into and explains what has been gained in the writing of this novel. “The Scarlet Letter was the first novel to use a women’s sexuality to explore and challenge the structures of society…” (Railton 481-500). Since doing this more writers have followed Hawthorne’s lead, making it almost impossible for anyone who hasn’t read The Scarlet Letter to know the outcome of the novel, therefore making it impossible to know the initial reactions of the contemporary reader. This is important to recognize because Hawthorne stepped away from the normal “structure” and tried something different that caught on with many other writers.
Although the structure is laid out for easy reading in small sections there is a lot of room for ambiguity. Because the chapters are so short your often left with a feeling of wanting and reading further will only tell that Hawthorne has moved onto his next topic. Because the setting of this novel is in the mid-seventeen century the wording is difficult to read. It may take a lot of time spent re-reading and looking up words, because that is such a distraction it is often that you still don’t understand what’s being read. Some could argue that if this novel was rewritten in modern English it would appeal more to the reader. There is also the issue that Hawthorne often leaves out important events. For example, the affair between Hester and Dimmesdale and what Hester does after the novel ends. This can be very confusing for the reader, and leave you wondering why Hawthorne thought those events weren’t important.
The most important and influential symbol in the novel is the scarlet letter “A”. In the beginning it is meant to mark Hester as an adulterer for the sin that she has committed. It is be seen by everyone so that they will know what she has done. Its very interesting the way in which she wears it. The red fabric is cut into a beautiful flowing “A” and it is sewn on with gold thread. She took the time to make it pretty, and why would she do that if it had meant she did a horrible thing. This interpretation can be thought about in many ways, lets look at a few of them. It could be that she is embracing the scarlet letter, she is living with what she has done by taking care of herself and her daughter without a man in her life. She is able to function like any other human being despite the fact that she adorns the “A”. The letter could also be something symbolic for Hester and that is why she chooses to keep wearing it, even though she no longer lives in the town. It could stand for the man she loves, Arthur Dimmesdale, and she choose she wear is so proudly to keep him close to her heart and remind her of their love. Throughout the novel the meaning changes not only to Hester but the people of the town as well. They are able to see that she is a women capable of caring for herself and her child and that she has a real talent that they could benefit from, her handy work with a needle. They symbolism of the “A” could be argued in many different ways, but we do see it shift throughout the novel from something that is to be feared to a powerful symbol of identity.
Although Pearl is one of the main characters in the novel she is also an important symbol. “Pearl is a sort of living version of her mother’s scarlet letter” (Sparknotes Editors). She is the everyday reminder for Hester of the sin she committed. Pearl is a handful to deal with but she is not meant to be a punishment on her mother but a blessing. Pearl has all the life and passion that represents her mothers affair with Dimmesdale. Without her Hester would not have much reason to live, Pearl’s existence gives Hester a daily reminder of the love that she shared with Dimmesdale.
Another symbol of significance is the meteor scene, bringing Hester, Dimmesdale and Pearl together. While Dimmesdale is trying to profess his sin to everyone in the dead of night, Hester and Peal find him. They see the letter “A” spelled out in the sky, which is an affirmation to for Dimmesdale telling him he should be wearing the same mark of shame as Hester. Like other symbols this one can be interpreted differently by others. For example, the townspeople thought the “A” represented Angel and the entrance of Governor Winthrop into heaven. This symbol is meant to be symbolic in the beholders eyes.
Throughout the novel there are many themes that help to define the significance of the story, ideas that are carried throughout the entire novel. The structure of the novel can have a negative or positive impact on the reader. Hard to understand, seventeenth century text can be difficult to decipher, making it hard to stick with the novel. Although the short chapters centered around a specific topic can make it easy to stay focused on that topic. The symbols that Hawthorne uses play a key role in the concepts that he wants you to understand. The “A” has a double meaning and throughout the novel is becomes clear why Hester keeps the letter with her when it is thought to be a marker of horrible sin. At first Pearl seems to be a misfit child and a nuisance for her mother, although Peal is a test for Hester to see if she can realize the blessing which she is given. As a formalist I see the significance of the themes, structure and symbols as an underlying way for Hawthorne to tell his story. Without these very meaningful components the novel would be bland in comparison to The Scarlet Letter’s imaginative structure and placement of events. An important lesson has been learned, how things are being portrayed by others is not always how they can be and that in order to survive you must have the passion and spirit within to push through the barriers into the unknown.
To Work On:
-need a title
-incoorporate in text citations from the text of Scarlet Letter
-expand on a couple of sections
Let me know what you think! Thanks
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