Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The Scarlet Letter
The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but
instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester. The
letter’s meaning shifts as time passes. Originally intended to mark
Hester as an adulterer, the “A” eventually comes to stand for “Able.”
Finally, it becomes indeterminate: the Native Americans who come
to watch the Election Day pageant think it marks her as a person
of importance and status. Like Pearl, the letter functions as a
physical reminder of Hester’s affair with Dimmesdale. But, compared
with a human child, the letter seems insignificant, and thus helps
to point out the ultimate meaninglessness of the community’s system
of judgment and punishment. The child has been sent from God, or
at least from nature, but the letter is merely a human contrivance. Additionally,
the instability of the letter’s apparent meaning calls into question
society’s ability to use symbols for ideological reinforcement.
More often than not, a symbol becomes a focal point for critical
analysis and debate.
The Meteor
As Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl
in Chapter 12, a meteor traces out an “A” in the night sky. To
Dimmesdale, the meteor implies that he should wear a mark of shame just
as Hester does. The meteor is interpreted differently by the rest of
the community, which thinks that it stands for “Angel” and marks
Governor Winthrop’s entry into heaven. But “Angel” is an awkward
reading of the symbol. The Puritans commonly looked to symbols to
confirm divine sentiments. In this narrative, however, symbols
are taken to mean what the beholder wants them to mean. The incident
with the meteor obviously highlights and exemplifies two different
uses of symbols: Puritan and literary.
Pearl
Although Pearl is a complex character, her primary function
within the novel is as a symbol. Pearl is a sort of living version
of her mother’s scarlet letter. She is the physical consequence
of sexual sin and the indicator of a transgression. Yet,
even as a reminder of Hester’s “sin,” Pearl is more than a mere
punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing. She represents
not only “sin” but also the vital spirit and passion that engendered
that sin. Thus, Pearl’s existence gives her mother reason to live,
bolstering her spirits when she is tempted to give up. It is only
after Dimmesdale is revealed to be Pearl’s father that Pearl can become
fully “human.” Until then, she functions in a symbolic capacity as
the reminder of an unsolved mystery.
