Nathaniel Hawthorne

Persecution within puritan community Witchcraft trials in the 17th century were a

deeply troubling yet significant phenomenon within the Puritan community.

In 1542, the English Parliament made witchcraft a capital offense.

A witch was supposed to be someone who performed evil deeds in the service of Satan. Witches were often identified by strange marks on their bodies. They were believed to have “familiars” or animals that would do evil for them. The biggest witchcraft hunting took place in Salem in 1692.

About the author

Hawthorne took residence for a few years in Concord, with Emerson and Thoreau as his neighbors, but he was really a native of Salem, Massa.

His works The Scarlet Letter (1850) The House of Seven Gables (1851) The Blithedale Romance (1852) The Marble Faun (1860)

What are the symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter A in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter?

Hester as an “Adulterer”. The letter A comes to stand for “Able” or “Admirable”. “A” is also a symbol of the words “Alone” or “Alienation”.

For Dimmesdale, The scarlet letter “A” also can be seen the symbol of “Adam” —an archetypal vice suggestive of original sin.

Arthur Ambition

The letter A to Chillingworth means “Avenging” and signifying his physical appearance “Aged”.

As to Pearl, Hester’s illegitimate daughter, the letter A suggests that she is baby sent by God, “an Angel”.

Three sinners 1). Hester Prynne—repentant sinner—visible scarl

et letter 2). Dimmesdale—hidden sinner—invisible scarlet l

etter 3). Chillingworth—unpardonable sinner—the make

r of scarlet letter 4). Pearl—a living version of the scarlet letter

Hawthorne’s style 1). The use of symbols 2). Revelation of characters’ psychology

like interior monologue to reveal their mind: he probes into the human mind. His character tend to have complex psychologies

3) The use of supernatural mixed with the actual

4). His stories are parable/allegorical—to teach a lesson

5). Use of ambiguity to keep the reader in the world of uncertainty—multiple point of view