Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolic imagery in the novel of The Scarlet Letter in order to demonstrate the failure of the oppressive Puritan society. Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman, moved to New England while her husband stayed behind in England. While she was alone, she had an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale and they have a daughter named Pearl. In the Puritan society, Adultery is one of the utmost sins that can be committed. When it became known that Hester was an adulteress, she was sentenced to prison and public punishment. Due to the oppressive nature of the Puritan society, Hawthorne writes of the Puritans’ forcing Hester to wear a scarlet “A” upon her chest to make her sin aware to everyone. Through his use of contrasting symbolism, Hawthorne …show more content…
Within The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne continuously uses dark imagery when Puritan confinement is in place and light imagery when freedom is achieved. As Hester removes herself from Puritan constraint, Hawthorne symbolically writes “she undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter” then “threw it to a distance among the withered leaves” (Hawthorne 210) and furthermore “took off the formal cap that confined her hair” and with the letter off and her hair down, “light in its abundance” (Hawthorne 211-12). Through Puritan restrictions, Hester was forced to wear the cap and “A.” These restrictions did not allow for truth in society, for one to be herself and as Hester lifts herself from this constant the light shines upon her, thereby advocating that she has found truth. As Hawthorne contrasts dark and light imagery, he is able to convey that Hester is being forced to be someone she is not by the Puritans’ refusal of truth, therefore proving his argument that a society will become distorted when truth is not