in the forest. Black is used to symbolize the worst and most evil part of an object or person. Hawthorne employs white and light to oppose darkness as a state of self-containment. White most clearly symbolizes purity. Pearl, who has not committed any great sins nor does he hold herself back from anything, is always portrayed with the light shining on her. When Hester removes her scarlet letter and faces her sin and pride, the sunlight shines on her for the first time. The sunshine is used to express a moment of enlightenment and change.Hawthorn uses reds, darkness, and light to express character’s emotions and the state of their spirit. Red is passion and sin. Darkness represents a poor state with self-denial, as well as representing simple evil. Light symbolizes a state of enlightenment and a refreshed spirit, as well as purity. The color symbols in The Scarlet Letter help to transfer certain themes and ideas to the reader, as they are easily recognized and identified. One of the main themes is that suffering results from sin and sin results from suffering. Roger Chillingworth evolves from a man capable of love, into a devil only capable of revenge. He commits two sins in this story; the result of his first leads to his second. By marrying Hester, he makes her suffer; her suffering results in adultery, causing him to suffer. I felt that The Scarlet Letter is a great piece of literature, and there are many things to learn from it. Each character created the situations they were put into. However, some chose to benefit from it. Hester’s trials gave her insight, compassion, and made her a good mother. Dimmesdale never stopped trying to please and honor his God throughout the whole ordeal. Knowing when sin happens and being able to come out of situations even stronger are two of the lessons taught by The Scarlet Letter. People should be able to leave the past behind them and start over, yet that never s...
