Rough Draft Symbols and Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter

Jeana Vasconcellos

English 1B

Final Essay

                     

                      Symbols and Symbolism in Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter

          Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most profound symbolists in American

Literature. Hawthorne uses many things for symbolism and the key to

understanding his novels is to study his symbols. According to the Nathaniel

Hawthorne, a symbol is something used to stand for something else. A symbol is

most often a concrete object used to represent an idea, often moral, religious,

or a concept of value. An allegory in literature is a story where characters,

objects and events have a hidden meaning and are used to present some

universal lesson (Hawthorne 453). The Scarlet Letter is an ideal example for

symbols because the Puritans saw the world through allegory. The Puritans saw

patterns like the meteor in the sky and objects such as the scaffold as religious or

moral interpretations for human events. Hawthorne’s symbols change

throughout the novel- particularly his characters, the scarlet “A”, light and

darkness and the settings of the forest and village all serve a symbolic purpose.

            In the beginning of the novel, Hawthorne describes the letter A on Hester’s

bosom as a symbol of adultery. Hester is made to wear the letter A for the

town’s people to see that she had committed adultery by bearing a child with

someone other than her husband Roger Chillingworth. Hester is brought out to

publicly display what is embroidered on her chest, “When the young woman-

the mother of this child stood fully revealed before the crowd… on the breast of

her gown in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and

fantastic flourishes of gold thread,” (Hawthorne 40).  Most of the town’s people

were in shock and amazed by her beauty even though the big red letter A on

her chest stood for adultery.

            In the novel the letter A has a variety of meanings and as the story

unfolds, this letter comes to mean other things to Hester and the people. As the

novel progressed the meaning of the letter A changed from having a negative

meaning of adultery to a positive meaning of Able. Hester has given many hours

to the sick, poor and the troubled and she began to gain the town’s people

acceptance and respect. “Such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to

do and power to sympathize-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A

by its original signification. They said it meant Able…” (Hawthorne 158).  The

letter A appears in many places other than on the bosom of Hester Prynne. At

night while Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold he sees the scarlet letter in the

sky as a reminder of his own guilt or a sign that the Governor Winthrop has

become an angel. The Puritans initially saw the A as Hester’s mark of adultery

and a symbol of her guilt. Later Hester helps the sick and poor the A is seen to

represent “Able”; this has changed her in the eyes of the community.

            According to Erick Musick, a founder of the Hawthorne Society Club, Pearl

is another important symbol in the novel, The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is the strongest

of these allegorical images because she mostly represents symbolism and little

reality. Pearl is the scarlet letter in human form and a living version of the

physical consequence of sexual sin. Yet, even as a reminder of Hester’s sin, Pearl

is more than a punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing. Pearl gives Hester

is reason to live, lifting her spirits when she is tempted to give up. Pearl senses

and knows things she should not, making her a symbol and she is also the symbol

that ties Hester and Dimmesdale together. “In her was visible the tie that united

them. She had been offered to the world, these seven years past, as the living

hieroglyphic, in which was revealed the secret they darkly sought to hide,- all

written in this symbol, - all plainly manifest-had there been a prophet or

magician skilled to read the character of flame! And Pearl was the oneness of

their being.” (Hawthorne 141). Growing up Pearl is not accepted by anyone

and screams at other children knowing they do not accept her.

            According to Professor Carl Bumgarner who studies oyster biology, a pearl

is actually an oyster irritant. Pearls are created in the stomach of an oyster when

an irritant manages its way into the shell of the mollusk. To protect itself form

intruders, the oyster produces liquid known as Nacre. Nacre is secreted over and

over into layers enveloping the irritant making it smoother and this continuation

of this process creates a pearl. In most cases, the oyster irritant can be rejected

by the oyster and the oyster dies. The name Pearl in The Scarlet Letter is a symbol

to an actual pearl from an oyster. Pearl Prynne is rejected by the Puritan society

the way a pearl or “irritant” is rejected by an oyster.

            Pearl Prynne is her mother’s most precious gift and her only reason to go

on in life, but also priceless treasure purchased with her life. The product of

Hester’s sin and agony, Pearl was a painfully constant reminder of her mother’s

violation of the seventh commandment: Thou shall not commit adultery (Musick

5). Hester herself felt that Pearl was not only a blessing, but also a punishment

worse than death. Hester is tormented by her daughters teasing and questioning

about the scarlet A and it’s relation to Minister Dimmesdale. Pearl is mentioning

this forbidden and painful secret and unwillingly inflicts agony upon Hester. Pearl

is truly the human symbol for the sin of adultery. Not only is Pearl a symbol for

Hester but for Dimmesdale also. More important Pearl leads Hester and

Dimmesdale to accept their sin. Hester’s only tie to the Minister Dimmesdale is

Pearl and Hester treasures Pearl for that. Pearl is the only one who demands that

Dimmesdale holds hands with Hester and herself in public and to recognize

them. Pearl does not want her mother to run away from her sin, she wants her

mother to face her sin. Pearl also wants Hester to realize that she is not the worst

person in the world. In Pearl’s eyes she will not accept Dimmesdale as her father

until he acts like it. In order for Dimmesdale to act like her father, he must accept

his sin and make it known to the public. ‘“Doth he love us?’ said Pearl, looking

up with acute intelligence into her mothers face. ‘Will he go back with us, hand

in hand, we three together, into town?’” (Hawthorne 145).

            Pearl serves as a messenger from God and as a symbol of all the

happiness and content in Hester Prynne’s life. In the end, Dimmesdale stands on

the scaffold and announces his sin in the light of day. The confession finally gives

Dimmesdale a sense a peace. Pearl who kisses Arthur Dimmesdale as he lies

dying on the scaffold, after admitting his sin in public.  Pearl is transformed when

Dimmesdale makes his confession and has longed for his love and acceptance

in the open public. Pearl is free to become a human being. All along, Hester

knew their was a redeemable nature in her daughter, and here she sees her

faith rewarded.

Annotated Bibliography

                       Annotated Bibliography  

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Scarlet Letter" and Other Writings: Authoritative Texts, Contexts, Criticism. Ed. Leland S. Person. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. Print.

This book has Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and other writings that pertain to the Scarlet Letter.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Obliquity of Signs: The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. Ed. Leland S. Person. 2005. 451-63. Print.

This is a section in The Scarlet Letter that explains the different terminology for the words symbol or symbolism.

Musick, Erick. "Scarlet Letter- Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter." Http://erichmusick.com/writings. Web. 27 May 2011<http://www.hawthorne.org>.

This website contained in depth information on the novel The Scarlet Letter.

Bumgarner, Carl. "Facts and Biology about Oysters." Oyster Biology. Web. 27 May 2011. <www.oysterfacts.org>.

This website contains biology facts about how oysters produce pearls.

Difficulty Paper

It is tough of me to decide what part of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathanial Hawthorne was difficult for me to understand. I would have to say the language in certain parts was a little challenging but I was able to decipher the meaning. While reading The Scarlet Letter, I did notice that anywhere there was a footnote, I read it to get a better unerstanding of the story. Reading the footnotes gave the story more of a background and was able to understand the story better. When I heard we had to do a difficulty paper on The Scarlet Letter, I thought this book was going to impossible to read, but really it wasn't that bad. I really didn't have a hard time reading it, I had a hard time coming to terms of why these people would do this to this poor woman.
This woman Hester Prynne marries Roger Chillingworth although she did not love him, but I don't know why. Perhaps it was Roger Chillingworth himself. I think the name says it all Roger Chillingworth. The name sounds like this person is cold or cruel. A line from the book suggest this is true, "His twisted, stoop, deformed shoulders mirror his distorted soul". From what I gathered in Roger Chillingworth's earlier years with Hester he was a difficult husband. He ignored her for most of the time, but he expected Hester to shower him with affection when he did finally pay attention to her. Hester has a husband who ignores her for long periods of time, he is away on business trips, Hester is probably lonley and as stated earlier in the book she doesn't love Roger. I would say this is the perfect recipe for an affair. This doesn't surprise me that Hester did have an affair considering the era, but as stated in the book, Hester is a strong-willed and impetuous woman whose parents had to restrain her incautious behavior.
This story takes palce in the 17th century and I can understand why the Puritans would want to punish Hester, she had an affair and she had given birth to a child as a result of the affair and refuses to name her lover's identity. Now that I think about it her punishment of wearing the scarlet A along with the public shaming, it wasn't that bad. It could've been worse such as death and being burned at the steak. I think what really bothered me was the involvment of the baby. Not only was Hester publicly shamed but so was her baby Pearl. Pearl is innocent despite how she came into the world. Pearl is a direct result of her mother's affair, a constant reminder. Pearl is a living replica of her mother's scarlet letter.

Critical Analysis of "The Yellow Wallpaper"

I chose to do the Feminist theory response of "The Yellow Wallpaper". Feminist theory response is a feminist viewpoint of the story that pays close attention to the description of both male and female characters and try to determine the underlying power asscociated with these descriptions. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a story of how women were treated in the early 1900's. If women display or have been diagnosed  with a mental illness the treatment is "rest cure". Rest cure is bed rest for months at a time and is restricted any form of mental stimulation. The narrator is diagnosed with a nervous disorder which is what we call today Post-Partum Depression. She is not allowed to read, write, or even see her baby. To carry out this treatment, the woman's husband John takes her to a country house where she is kept in a former nursery decorated with yellow wallpaper.
The plot is based around her mental illness and the progression of the illness through the state of the wallpaper. The theme of "The Yellow Wallpaper", is the subordination of women in marriage. The woman is forced to be passive, forbidden to exercise her mind in any way. It is apparent in the story that the woman allows herself to be inferior to men, in particular her husband John. Being a physician he orders her to stay in bed, surpress her imagination and most importantly to discontinue her writing. The symbolism of this story is that her mental state is characterized by the encounters with the wallpaper in her room. The woman's illness is displayed throughout the state of the wallpaper. The wallpaper itself is symbolic of the mental perseption that men portray of women in the early 1900's. The color of the wallpaper is yellow which is associated with sickness and weakness.
The narrators husband John, a physician forbids his wife from doing any type of work and does not allow her to see her baby. The narrator believes that work, excitement, and change would do her good, but her opinion does not matter. She likes to write, which is forbidden and secretly keeps a diary doing so exhauts her as does trying to oppose her husband. The woman decribes her writing as "Such Relief", but because of John's constant observations of her as well as her low energy level she must direct her imagination elsewhere, so she begins to fantasize about the wallpaper. The wallpaper, when first introduced sets the scene between the woman and her illness. The paper is being described as being, "dull enough to confuse the eye in the following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide-plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions," (Gilman,7). What makes this story a feminist theory is why the woman narrator is unknown but the husband is given a name?

Rough Draft

Jeana Vasconcellos                                                                                                    Vasconcellos 1

English 1B

Mrs. Knapp

13 March 2011

                                                                     Flower Power

            In the book The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb, the character Sylvia Bravo is a single

mother who is struggling to make it on her own and raise a teenage son named Sonny. Sylvia is

an unconventional woman. She works consistently and doesn’t seem to have time for cooking

and cleaning. Sylvia uses her looks to attract men and is more concerned with her social life then

being a mother figure for Sonny, “It was that my mom, if she wasn’t at her job, was out on dates

and whatever”, (5). Men base their opinions of Sylvia by her appearance, she looks pretty on

someone’s arm or looked at as a sex object, “I was always seeing how men looked at her, how

pretty she was in the way men are flipping through pages of dirty magazines”, (10). Sylvia is

stuck in a male chauvinistic world that views her in two ways, a traditional housewife because of

her Mexican heritage and a sex object.

            Sylvia decides that she wants to have a better life for herself and her son by marrying a

man named Cloyd Longpre. Sylvia wants Cloyd to take care of her and Sonny with the idea of

not having to work for a living and being a traditional wife and mother. Sylvia decides that she

was going to do what all housewives are expected to do, take care of the family, home and cook

and clean. Sonny doesn’t know what to think when he sees his mom doing chores around the

house, “My mom never picked up after me at home, before we moved here, except maybe every

few months, if somebody was gonna come over. For a minute she did almost everyday. She even

made my bed”, (37). Sylvia gives Sonny the notion that she either wants the best for Sonny or

she is using Cloyd to get the best for him. Sylvia asks Sonny, “You don’t like the TV in your

room?” (73), because Sonny never watches TV in his room therefore Sylvia thinks the TV isn’t

                                                                                                                                   Vasconcellos 2

good enough. “You want me to make him get you a better one?” (73).

            Sylvia plays into the role of traditional housewife but she didn’t think Cloyd would hold

her to it. “She was fixed up like behind the stove door wasn’t enchiladas but one of those too-

dark restaurants she expected to be taken to before she was married,” (51). Sylvia is trying to

maintain her role as a traditional housewife and because of her heritage Cloyd expects more out

of her. Cloyd constantly boasts about Sylvia, “I love to eat them tacos, and how I even got

myself married to a pretty Mexican gal,” (51). Cloyd wants Sylvia to make food by scratch and

Sylvia has no problem letting him believe so, “Cloyd complimented her on the chili salsa. He

might as well have complimented her on the tortilla chips, because she bought them at the store

too,” (51). Sylvia goes as far as to pretend to make salsa to keep her image as a traditional

housewife. “He doesn’t even know I buy este chile at the grocery store, he thinks I make it. He

tells everybody I do,” (76).

            Sylvia acts inferior to Cloyd and tries to make Sonny act the same way. Sylvia puts Cloys

on a pedestal and she doesn’t want to do or say anything that will make Cloyd upset. It seems

that Sylvia puts Cloyd first before her own son, “Don’t eat those!” Those are for him and his

client,” (79). Sonny gets upset with his mom because Cloyd was supposed to pay him for the

work he is doing and Sylvia doesn’t want Sonny to say anything for the fear it will upset him.

“He said he was gonna pay me for that work, I want to be paid,” (81). Eventually Sylvia grows

tired and unhappy of being a housewife. “ I am not happy here, what do you watch, meaning the

TV. I’m trying to like TV,” (73). Sylvia decides that she needs to get out of the house and tells

Sonny she is going shopping. “I just need to get out some, it helps me to go shopping,” (141).

Sonny has to suffer for Sylvia actions. Sylvia goes “shopping” and Sonny has to deal with

Cloyd’s and his drunken rage. Sylvia may want to be married to Cloyd for a chance at a better

life, but I think she got more than she bargained for.

Blog #2 Character Description

When reading the next fifty pages Sylvia's character gets my attention. Sylvia lets Sonny know for the first time how she feels about Cloyd when Cloyd complains about the toliet paper. "He cars about the toliet paper, how much is used", (50). Sylvia couldn't believe that Cloyd was making such a big deal about how much toliet paper was being used."I don't think I ever know anything like this", (50). Sylvia decided to cook to make Cloyd happy and because of her ethnic background she like to cook, Mexican food in particular. "I knew something was more messed up when Cloyd complimented her on the chili salsa. He might as well have complimented her on the tortilla chips, because she bought them at the store too", (51).
I think Sylvia wanted to really try to be a housewife but she is unhappy and bored. "I'm bored", (72). Sylvia is even trying to make herself  enjoy watching TV because she is bored. "What do you watch? she asked, meaning the TV". "I"m trying to like TV", (73). I do think that Sylvia has mixed feelings about her daughter Ceci because at one point Sonny asks his mom, "Don't you wonder how she is?", (74). Sylvia doesn't reply directly and ignores the question. "I've called everybody", (74).

Idea Paper

My idea paper would be an analysis from the feminist viewpoint on how Cloyd views Sylvia in the role of a traditional wife and mother. Cloyd thinks Sylvia is only capable of being a housewife.I think he only wants her to be a housewife. Maybe he can't handle a woman who works and is independent. Cloyd wants a traditional wife. A wife who stays home that cooks and cleans on a daily bases while her appearance must be well kept. Does this sound familiar? It sounds like I am watching a re-run of "Leave it to Beaver". Cloyd wants Sylvia to mirror June Cleaver's behaviors and romantizies her ethnic background to boast about her cooking.

Blog #4

At first when I received this book, I knew that I was going to enjoy reading it. I liked the front cover, I thought it was colorful, it really got my attention. I know the saying "never judge a book by it's cover", but for some reason the cover of the book really got my attention. I also thought by looking at the cover of the book that the story was going to be about an older woman, not a teenage boy. The next thing I noticed about the novel was the author's name. I thought what an unusual name, but then again I have an unusual name also.      For a second I thought the title of the book was the author's name. I was definitely interested at this point and read the back of the book and a few pages, I was so intrigued I read the first fifty pages right then and there.
When reading the first fifty pages of the book, I noticed several things. One of the things I noticed was the language used in the text. A mixture of foul language, english and some spanish. Luckily, I took two semesters of spanish so I was able to understand. What really got me was the use of foul language. Honestly, I don't care for cussing but it made Sonny's character seem all the more real especially when Sonny expressed his anger. I don't think that "darn" or "shoot" are suitable to express for the situations Sonny finds himself in.
Another aspect of the story that was hard to read was the part of Sonny's dog, Goofy. There was a part in the text where a gut was trying to breakdown Sonny's front door, he came in and Sonny had a knife to protect himself. The guy ended up pinning Sonny to the floor taking away the knife while Goofy was bitting the guys leg."Goofy kept going for his leg until his hard black shoe lifted her jaw and head when he kicked her there really hard, and she whimpered, hurt,"(Gilb, 9). That part was really sad, as an animal lover it is really hard for me to see, hear, or read about animals getting hurt. There was also a part in the text where Sonny and his mom moved in with Cloyd and Sonny finds out he can't have Goofy there because Cloyd doesn't want a dog in his apartment. I thought that was terrible. Goofy is Sonny's best friend and she can't be there and Sonny's mom didn't really do much about it.
I would have to say so far the book is very interesting, an easy read, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out in the end.

Blog #3

      Reading is one of my favorite things to do. I love to read. I always make time to read. I enjoy reading the most when everyone is relaxing and watching tv. I go into my bedroom and get under the covers and read for at least as few hours. Sometimes I only read for a little while because I am tired and can't keep my eyes open. I find this book very interesting and I am enjoying the read, the characters are interesting and spontaneuous. I feel at this point in the book anything can happen and I think that is what is so interesting. It keeps the reader on their toes. I read whenever I get a chance to. Mostly I read in bed (my favorite), or waiting for my next class, during lunch. I am mostly eager to find out what is going to happen next, curiousity gets the best of me. This book is an easy read and I think this could be one of the reasons I am drawn to this book. I don't need a dictionary to figure out the words, but I do think some of the characters need a bar of soap in their mouth.
     I feel it is important to stay current with the reading assignments. I am taking four classes this semester and all of my classes have some required reading. It is very easy to fall behind on the reading and very hard to catch up. It makes it hard to participate in the class lectures. When it comes to reading and writing, I would rather read a lot and write a little. I would rather read 500 pages then write 500 words. I think the hardest part about reading is trying to understand a book that is difficult to read. I really become frustrated and once I do that it is hard for me to continue to read the book. I remember reading a book for my English 1C class, it was King Lear, by Shakespeare. That was a difficult book to read at first, but the more I read, I slowly began to understand what it was I was reading.
     I would say I am good at reading and enjoy it, but the writing assignments not so much. I struggle with this the most. I become really stressed out. I think it is the whole writing process because once I iron out all the details and begin writing I am not so stressed out anymore. Sometimes I struggle when the teacher has us pick our own topic. I find it easier when the teacher assigns the topic. For the most part reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies. It gives me a chance to escape from reality to enter another world other than my own and to view life from a different perspective.

Blog #1

Prompt #1

I think at this point in the story a number of things could happen to Sonny. Sonny could possibly get in trouble with the law. Sonny goes into other people's houses to experience how other people live. He looks at pictures or "If I felt like it, if I had the mood, I sprawled out on their couches or lay down on their beds," (Gilb, 2). Sonny admitted that when he snuck into these houses he would take money. It started out with taking loose change, then he moved on to bills, anything Sonny saw laying around. "A dollar, a five, a ten, any of them could be sitting around, folded, piled, like forgotten or nothing to them, or in a drawer or a box under the bed," (Gilb, 49). Sonny also stole two hundred dollars from someone and was also ripping off his mom and sister.
Another thing I think could happen to Sonny is his attraction to Cindy, the married woman who lives in the apartment #3. Cindy is constantly flirting with Sonny and always telling him how cute he is. "The towel wrapped around her was short and her thighs, which I could see a lot of , were still drippy wet too, but I was too uncomfertable to look too long", (Gilb, 40). Sonny found out that she is married and Cindy doesn't like her husband. He also found out that Cindy is almost nineteen. He thought she was older and he lied to her about his age. "I told her I was sixteen, even though I wasn't," (Gilb, 43).
Another thing I think can happen to Sonny is a possible confrontation with Cloyd Longpre. Sonny is not very fond of this man. Sonny thinks it is just a temporary home until his mother comes to her senses. Sonny doesn't like how his mother had changed herself for Cloyd. "My mom was dressed too pretty to take serious, shampoo in her hair and body lotion smell, and she was trying to hard to sound happy. Nobody'd believe her except her," (Gilb, 17). Sonny is not interested in conversating with Cloyd, he only does it because he has to, and to make matters worse Sonny was told that his best friend Goofy wasn't allowed to stay at Cloyd Longpre's apartment. His dog was staying with Cloyd's son. "You mean the dude who stuffs dead animals," (Gilb, 20).
Sonny knows that Cloyd isn't right for them, "All you had to do was look around the apartment to know this Cloyd wasn't right for either of us," (Gilb,19). Sonny didn't like the wasy Cloyd lived. He hated the maple dining room table, "And we never ate dinner at no table before, unless it was at a restaurant," (Gilb, 19). I think Sonny hated the living room the more than the dining room. I don't think Sonny cared for the dead animals on the wall. "He asked if I wanted to hear about the day he shot that buck. I was supposed to say yes. I couldn't stand there nice and listen, could not," (Gilb, 19). Sonny also didn't like the food Cloys liked, such as fish or venison. " I hated deer meat and will always hate deer meat. Cloyd food," (Gilb, 25, 26).

I Am

I am Jeana Vasconcellos. I am orignally from Hayward, California. At tweleve years old my parents moved my sister and I to a town called Rio Vista. It was a very small town (like San Juan Bautista). I lived there until I was twenty and decided to move to Hollister and live with my Aunt (my dad's sister). I got my driver's license and started to take a few classes at Gavilan College. I started working towards my AA degree in 2007. I need two more semesters to graduate and will be the first one in my family to obtain a college degree. I would like to transfer to CSUMB and obtain a bachelors degree and eventually my master's. I would like to be a Special Education Teacher. In my spare time I like to read, I am a huge Twilight fan, but mostly like to read murder mysteries and other vampire novels. I have a weinee dog named Peewee and two nephews Gabriel and James whom I love more than anything. My boyfriend and I recently bought a house together last year and will celebrating our tenth anniversery May of this year. No wedding bells yet!