The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlett Letter

            The Scarlett letter is considered to be one of the best books from early American history. The Scarlett letter contains an immense amount of symbolism of which perhaps the most important are the scaffold, little Pearl and the scarlet letter itself.

            The scaffold is the place for public humiliation. It is a place where all the witnesses are made aware of the crimes that someone has committed; it is effectively, the place for judgment by societies and not by law, as there is no jury. Here Hester is presented to the people in the town as a sinner. Finally, as she is presented a ladder, or standing is shown based on height in which the people, under the scaffold, are the less near god, Hester is in the middle being in the scaffold. Father Timmsdale is on the top, watching from a window.

            Pearl is the embodiment of Hester's sin together with the Scarlet letter. Hester is made to wear the scarlett letter and care for Pearl, the latter one in reality a choice. However, on the exterior none of them are truly ugly as the sin is presented to be. The letter drew Pearls attention at an early age showing its beauty. Meanwhile, aside from her demon-like-child behavior, Pearl is quite beautiful herself also, demonstrated by the splendor of her marriage later on.