the significance of colors in the scarlet letter

Hawthorne also gives symbolic meanings to the colors that he
employs in the novel. The dark, sober, sable garments that
Hester wears represent her dull and gloomy life filled with grief,
guilt, and sorrow.

In contrast, she dresses Pearl in bright colors, especially
crimson, in defiance of the scarlet letter and as a symbol of the
child's free spirit. The color of the letter carries special
significance. It is red because that is the color asso...