ScarletLetterResponses

They symbol of the scarlet letter changes from being a curse at the beginning to becoming nothing but a legend at the end. “On the other hand, a penalty which, in our days, would infer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule then be invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself.”//(pg 35)// When Hester Prynne stands on the scaffold in the market place displaying her scarlet letter people look at her with disgust. She is a disgrace and a cheat in everyone’s eyes. However as the tale unfolds the A seems to change in meaning from adulteress to able as Hester does good deeds such as delivers food and sewing beautiful works. “Dost thou know thy mother now, child//?”(pg 145)// Her daughter, Pearl, starts to identify her mother with the scarlet letter and when she takes it off in the forest Pearl doesn’t recognize Hester and refuses to go to her until she puts it back on. By the end of the story the A is nothing but a legend, something that the townspeople discuss and tell stories of and women facing same trial as Hester go to speak with her. Upon Hester’s death she is buried in a Puritan cemetery next to Dimmsdale. Though there graves are far apart so their dust won’t mingle they share a tombstone. “Yet one tombstone stood for both. All around were monuments carved with armorial bearings, and on this simple slab of slate…”On A Field, Sable, The Letter A, Gules””pg 180 This quote tells us that even A is on Hester’s tombstone, she is a true legend. || Also another thing with the scarlet letter is the different things it means to different people. It is guilt for Dimmesdale, curiosity for Pearl, motivation for revenge for Chillingworth, and shame of course for Hester. So depending on the person depends on how they interpret what it means to them. So for each person in the story the letter means something different to them and what at the beginning was a symbol of shame was later looked at as a token of being a strong women. || Pg. 37 Pg. 109 Pg. 111 ||
 * Response Number || Paragraph Response ||
 * 1 || How does the symbol change in meaning throughout the story? In a well-developed paragraph, discuss the development of your symbol throughout the story.
 * 2 || In the novel __The Scarlet Letter,__the actual scarlet letter is probably the most important symbol. This symbol changes its meaning throughout the course of the novel, even switching the character it represents. In the beginning the letter “A” was a put there for public humiliation of Hester Prynne and so she can always have proof of the sin, shame and guilt she should feel. “But the point which drew all eyes, and, as it were, transfigured the wearer--so that both men and women who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time--was that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself.” (pg. 37) Everybody who looked at Hester from then on knew what she had done and looked down on her for that reason alone. The townspeople were harsh to her because they thought that the letter represented the fact that Hester was a sinner. It began to define her as a person especially to her daughter, who never knew her mother without the letter “A” on her chest. As time goes on Hester worked really hard to get people to view her as something other than the wearer of the scarlet letter, at first it was unnoticed but then the people began to regard the "A" as meaning Able. “Many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it mean Able.” (pg. 111) The new symbol of the "A" was that through Hester's strength she good go back to being good. At the end when Dimmesdale reveals his sin and guilt of having participated with Hester's sin, the original meaning of shame and sin returns. "...a SCARLET LETTER--the very semblance of that worn by Hester Prynne--imprinted in the flesh." (pg. 176) The scarlet letter is a symbol that is prominent throughout the entire book but changes it meaning. ||
 * 3 || The scarlet “A” that Hester has to wear on her chest is a dynamic symbol, which means it changes throughout the story. In the beginning of Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter that Hester wears on chest symbolizes the sin that she has committed and the shame she has to endure. When she is on the scaffold, she tries to hide it in shame. “…seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom…as that she might thereby conceal a certain token…” pg. 36-37. It begins as the identity of Hester and what she did to deserve it. As the story progresses the weight for her punishment lessens and she is not as much of an outcast as she was. She sews things for people. The only thing that she does not sew is brides veils, which makes the color of a pure brides blush. Then as time goes on in the story people forget about her past sins, or rather don’t care as much. They see her as a helpful person who cares about others. They say that the “A” no longer stands for Adulterer, but rather as Able. “…Such helpfulness was found in her, so much power to do and power to sympathize.” pg. 111. The Indians who see her think the “A” is a sign of great power and respect, because they are not accustomed to seeing such a token of sin on a person's chest. Even her daughter Pearl doesn't think of her as the same person without the scarlet letter on her chest. In the forest with the Reverend, when Hester takes off the “A”, Pearl wouldn't go near them until she put it back on, because she was so unused to seeing her mother without it. The power of the scarlet letter on Hester's chest changes dramatically throughout the story. In the beginning it was about her sin, but in the end it was for her willingness to move on, and help people. ||
 * 4 || Throughout __The Scarlet Letter__, the letter A takes on different meanings from shame to ability. At first the A symbolizes the public shame associated with sin. The Reverend Mr. Wilson said “That thy repentance may avail to take the scarlet letter off thy breast.” (pg. 47) This quote tells that the letter was a symbol of her sin. Another quote that shows the scarlet letter as a symbol of Hester’s sin is, “the symbol was not mere scarlet cloth, tinged in an earthly dye-pot, but was red-hot with infernal fire, and could be seen glowing all alight, whenever Hester Prynne walked abroad in the night-time.” (Pg. 60) This says that the letter was a symbol of the ruin of her soul from the sin. The scarlet letter is also the way thatPearl recognizes her mother. “But the first object of whichPearl seemed to become aware was- shall we say it?- the scarlet letter on Hester’s bosom!... Then, gasping for breath, did Hester Prynne clutch the fatal token, instinctively endeavouring to tear it away.” (pg. 66) As Hester recovers from the seclusion associated with her public shame, she becomes an aid to the poor in the society. The A on her chest comes to symbolize Hester’s ability to do good after turning away from God. “The scarlet letter had the effect of the cross on a nun’s bosom.” (pg. 112) It showed her capacity to do good works. “Many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it mean Able.” (pg. 111) When Dimmesdale’s sin is admitted publically, the A on Hester’s bosom takes on the original meaning. It again reminds the community of her sin. “Now, at the death-hour, he stands up before you! He bids you look again at Hester’s scarlet letter!” (pg. 174) The letter A develops from a sign of public shame, to a sign of ability, and then back to a sign of her sin. ||
 * 5 || In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, he has only a few key symbols to represent the major themes in the book. The symbol I will be talking about is the scarlet letter itself. Not only does the meaning of the scarlet letter change from the beginning of the book till the end, what the scarlet letter means to different people varies. The scarlet letter is first introduced to the reader in chapter two when Hester walks out of the prison wearing the letter A on her clothing. During the first few years of Hester wearing the scarlet letter it is a daily reminder of shame. But later on in the story people start to forget that the scarlet letter means adulterer and they say that it means ‘Able’. Meaning Hester was strong or a women with great strength. So really the job that the scarlet letter was suppose to do which was to being shame to Hester doesn’t truly work because Hester and Dimmesdale plan to skip town and move to England with Pearl. If she had truly learned anything from the scarlet letter like it was meant to do she would have known better then to run away with a man that was not her husband. So people’s views and thoughts of the meaning of it changed to make Hester out to be a better person and if the letter had truly worked that wouldn’t have been the case.
 * 6 || The symbol of the Scarlet Letter itself in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter drastically transforms in meaning throughout the novel. In the beginning of the story Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter A is a symbol to represent a sinning adulteress. “She would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and n which they might vivify and embody their images of a woman’s fragility and sinful passion…Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her chest…the reality of sin” (pg. 54) But, as the plot wears on we come to find that the Puritan citizens no longer look at Hester and her letter as they had before, that is, “that the symbol was not a mere scarlet cloth… but was red-hot with infernal fire, and could be seen glowing all night, whenever Hester Prynne walked abroad at nighttime.” By the middle of the story we lean that Hester is no longer the spectacle of the town that she once was. By the end of the story the reader comes to the realization that the Puritan people are now accepting of Hester and find a more fitting meaning for her scarlet letter. Eventually Hester’s letter comes to be the symbol of a strong and able bodied woman; therefore the people say that the A stands for Able. “They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” (pg. 111) Also, in the story of the story the letter appears on the chest of Dimmesdale as a symbol of guilt for his sin of fathering Hester’s child, “on the breast of the unhappy minister, a scarlet letter…imprinted in the flesh.” (pg 176) Overall, the scarlet letter A transformed in meaning throughout the novel from a sign of Hester’s sin, a sign of Dimmesdale’s immense guilt, and into a sign of Hester’s able bodied strength. ||
 * 7 || The scarlet letter changes in symbolism throughout the story, “The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It symbolizes a terrible and shameful brand, a part of Hester’s identity, and a new perspective of what the letter could mean, given the chance. At the beginning of the story, the letter is a symbolism of pure shame and disgrace. The townspeople look down upon Hester because she is considered a harlot and is basically an outcast of the town. “…so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne, 37). The scarlet letter doomed Hester to a life of solitude. She was forced to live by her lonesome because of her evil deed. The book even states that, “…the scarlet letter, - which it was her doom to wear” (Hawthorne, 57). Everywhere she went and everyone she knew judged her. No one could see past it, and she was constantly ridiculed. The letter comes to be the way many people recognize her. The scarlet letter is consistently associated with Hester, and it is as if she is not the same person if she is not wearing it. Even her own daughter did not recognize her when Hester took off the letter. “…in the midst of all, still pointing its small forefinger at Hester’s bosom” (Hawthorne, 144)! When she sees her mother without the letter, Pearl begins throwing a fit. It is as if without the letter, Hester is not really her mother. The letter is a part of Hester’s identity. Another instance in which the scarlet letter’s symbolism changes throughout the story is when Hester begins to help ill people by being a nurse to them. In this environment the sick people do not see her as a shameful outcast of society, but as one of them. This was one of the only places she could be surrounded by people and not be judged. “…that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that is meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne, 111). In this instance people could look past Hester’s sin. People accepted her. Perhaps that is the reason as to why she was so loving and tender towards these patients. Hester’s scarlet letter was originally the symbol of her shame and sin. However, by the end of the book, it became a part of her, and she realized that it was not the basis of what people could judge her. Everyone messes up. She accepts her place and realizes she is not perfect nor will she ever be. In the closing, she is resolved with the scarlet letter, and decides that it no longer has the power to define her character; only she has that power. ||
 * 8 || The scarlet letter begins as a symbol of sin and weakness, however, Hester slowly begins to realize that the scarlet letter should not hold her back and keep her captive; the townspeople will later see it as a symbol of being able to do something extremely challenging. For example, the text explains, “… so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself.” This shows how different and alienated Hester was treated. In the middle of the story, the letter changes from something to be shunned, to acceptance of the wearer. “Here was the iron link of mutual crime, which neither he nor she could break.” This quote from the middle portion of the story shows how the letter, and recognition of her sin, becomes more accepted and tolerated. Her neighbors and fellow community members began to acknowledge that she has paid her dues and should now be forgiven for her sin. Towards the end of the story, the letter becomes viewed as standing for the word “Able.” “They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” This shows how they view Hester as a strong woman, capable of standing up to such hardships such as being labeled by her sin for her entire life. Although the scarlet letter is first viewed as a sign of weakness, and being full of sin, it slowly morphs over time to be something to be proud of because of the strength it represents.
 * 9 || In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the meaning behind the scarlet letter that Hester is forced to wear changes throughout the novel. In the beginning of the book, the letter “A” that is sewn onto Hester’s wardrobe is meant to stand for “adultery”. The ridicule that Hester faces is based off the initial negative opinion that society formed about the scarlet letter. At the start of the novel, the quote on page 38, “Come along, Madame Hester, and show your scarlet letter in the market-place!” shows that the sole purpose of the punishment was so society would see the scarlet letter as a symbol of shame for her crime. By the middle of the story, when the Native Americans come to the Election Day pageant, they mistake Hester as being “an important person because of the elegant A” that is embroidered on her shirt. The mistake of the Native Americans shows that the “A” can symbolize whatever a person sees it as. By the end of the novel, the scarlet letter has become overlooked as a symbol of shame and begins to be seen as representing “able”. Since Hester continued her life being strong and supportingPearldespite society’s attempts to publically ridicule her, she had managed to change the meaning of the scarlet letter. Hester’s quote on page 138, “The past is gone! Why should we linger upon it now? See! With this symbol, I undo it all and make it as if it had never been!” shows that instead of society determining how Hester was going to be seen, Hester set the example by herself. ||
 * 10 || Throughout the story, the meaning and symbol of the Scarlet Letter changed dramatically. In the beginning of the story, the Scarlet Letter symbolized shame, and the sin of being an adulterer. At the end of the story, the scarlet letter “A” didn’t stand for adulterer, it was looked at as meaning “able.” People gathered in the market place just so they could see the scarlet letter and insult Hester. Because she wore the scarlet letter, Hester was looked down upon and seen as a bad person. When Hester and Pearl walked by little kids threw things at them, and called them names. When Hester and Pearl were in the forest, Pear said to her mother, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom… It will not flee from me; for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” (pg.126). This implies that something about that letter is evil, scaring away the sunshine and inflicting darkness on Hester. After seven years, people began accepting Hester for who she was. Hester began doing charity work, and she was helpful to anyone who needed her. On page 111, the story states that, “Her breast, with its badge of shame, was but the softer pillow for the head that needed one.” Not only does this state that she is nice to other people, but other people trust her enough to go to her when they need a shoulder to lean on. Also on the same page, it states that, “they said it meant Able; so strong was Heater Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” The scarlet letter’s meaning changed throughout the story and over time, because the town’s people grew accustomed to seeing the “A” and they accepted Hester for a real person, not a sinner. Hester went from being looked down upon, and being an adulterer to a saint, and an “able” woman that people grew to trust. ||