0;adultery”.Although the letter contains various interpretations, it proves to serve only one purpose: that being to make Hester’s sin of adultery known to everyone. The letter is the revolving element throughout the novel. The Puritans brand Hester with this letter as punishment for her moral straying. The letter flourishes and takes on different meanings. Although the outcome of the situation is not what the Puritans had intended, the letter has served a purpose. The novel opens with the introduction of the letter and when it draws to a close this symbol is still the most important factor. The individual meanings of the letter and the events surrounding and resulting from the letter signify once again and emphasis the importance of the symbolism of the scarlet letter to the overall effect of the novel. Foti 6Works CitedBaym, Nina. The Shape of Hawthorne’s Career. New York: Cornell University Press, 1976, p.283.Fiedler, Leslie A. Love and Death in the American Novel. New York: Stein and Day Publishers, 1966, pp. 217-58.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1962.Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1965....
