l or decorative. This is established when the bystanders of the town state "it were well if we stripped Madame Hester's rich gown off her dainty shoulders" which illustrates that the town bystanders view the symbol as something beautiful and worthy of admiration (Hawthorne, 40). By the end of the twelfth chapter of the novel a letter "A" seen in the sky is interpreted as to mean "Angel." This adds to the current ambiguity of the symbol, and compels the reader to reconsider its true meaning. Hawthorne also characterizes the symbol as something referring to "Ableness" rather than "Adultery" and states that, "the scarlet letter had the effect of the cross on a nun's bosom"(Hawthorne, 111). The different meanings that the symbol takes on throughout the course of the novel reinforce its significance and coerce the reader to contemplate over the true meaning of the symbol, which largely prevents the reader from only focusing on the narrative as whole. Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne consistently emphasizes the importance of the scarlet letter as a symbol in terms of its ambiguity. His revelations in regard to the nature and meaning of the symbol coerce the reader to consistently focus attention on the symbol. Hawthorne also makes evident in The Custom House that the discovery of the symbol is the foundation for his entire narrative. Hawthorne's advocation of individuality over tradition, which is also manifest in The Custom House, illustrates his support of a more liberal ideology over one of classical conservatism. Hawthorne thus attacks classical conservatism by undermining its central tenet that the whole of society is superior to the sum of one or more of its parts analogously by elevating the importance of one of his narrative's elements, symbolism, over that of the entire narrative itself...
