The Scarlet Letter Symbolism

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is considered to be one of the greatest and foremost symbolic novels of American Literature. This narrative tells the dramatic tale of Hester Prynne, an adulteress who lived in Puritan New England; and also shows a complex view on the effects and significance of sin, truth, and salvation. Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in the novel is what makes this tale so unique. By utilizing characters, settings, objects, and colors, Hawthorne allows the reader to progress and understand the hidden themes of the plot. His great accomplishment was portrayed with his symbolic use of darkness and light in relation to truth and sin. This use of colors in The Scarlet Letter is one of the more obvious symbols in the plot.
Even in the present time, darkness is stereotyped as evil, wicked, and immoral. Hawthorne used the color black as the color of the devil and sin. Darkness is synonymous with sin, and concealment. Dimmesdale, being a priest, wears black as...