Scarlet Letter

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 11th grade February 2008

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For consuming an apple from the tree that God forbid them to eat from resulted in the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. As a result of their actions, Adam and Eve became aware of their human qualities, that separate them from the divine. Forced to toil and procreate, two ?labors,? Adam and Eve define the human being. In the book, ?The Scarlet Letter,? written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the experience of Hester and Dimmesdale reminds one of the story of Adam and Eve. In both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering, but also provides the knowledge of human meaning. The color red symbolized sin and passion in literature. Adam and Eve sinned by eating a red apple, red meaning sin. The community has forced Hester to wear a scarlet ?A? across her breast, showing the Puritan town of her adultery.

The color red portrays many symbolic features.

For Hester, the designing of the ?A? expresses her free will, her last truly individualist action. This symbol expresses all the ?fertility? of her spirit and imagination, thus Hester?s individuality portrays shame. A rosebush at the beginning of the story symbolizes Hester and her insuppressible spirit. The scarlet ?A? symbolized her sin. She?s required to wear the red ?A? on her bosom for the rest of her life. The townspeople allowed Hester to fashion this emblem herself. She made it from a rich scarlet cloth and embellished it with golden embroidery. Therefore, this signifies the creativity in Hester and proves a sharp contrast to the coarse drab garments that she wears. Besides Hester?s daughter, Pearl, often identifies with the color red, which associates with evil.

Although, she is not an evil child in the true sense of the word, but a reflection of her parent?s...