.

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Symbolic Characters in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

emblematical Characters in The red-faced Letter   Symbolic characters are very historic in most powerful novels. One classic that uses characters as symbols is The Scarlet Letter. This novel is about a wo homo in Puritan society, Hester, who commits fornication with her minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. She has a daughter, Pearl, and is forced to wear a scarlet letter the relievo of her carriage. Arthur hides his sin and becomes extremely troubled. Hesters husband, Roger, takes it upon himself to judge and punish Arthur for his sin and becomes like the devil. common chord characters in the novel are symbolic Roger Chillingworth, the small wo soldiery, and Pearl.   One character in the story that is symbolic is Roger, Hesters husband. He is the symbol of a life consumed with retaliation. When the reader first meets Roger, he is a mostly normal man.   He was small in stature, with a furrowed visage, which, as yet, could hardly be termed aged. There was a remarkable in telligence in his features... (p. 56)   The only laughable trait of his is a slight deformity of the shoulder. He is an intelligent man who spends most of his time reading. When Roger finds out that Hester has been unfaithful to him, he vows to take revenge on the man who sinned with her. Later he finds out that the man is take care Arthur Dimmesdale and meticulously plots revenge. His life becomes consumed with the carrying out of his revenge. He himself sins as he tries to abrogate Arthurs soul. Roger soon comes to resemble the devil. He even notices this similarity in himself. He says, I have already told thee what I am A dickens (p. 158) Hester also says that she pities him, ...for the villainy that has transformed a wise and just man to a fiend. (p. 159) Each of them recognize that Rogers life centered around hatred and revenge have made him like the devil. The symbol working in Roger, living to destroy, shows that tearing down another person causes as often damage to ones own life. Roger is the symbol of a life consumed by believe for revenge.   Another symbolic character is the kind young woman. She is symbolic of look forward to in the story. Surrounded by people criticizing and being self-righteous the young woman alone has kind words to say to and about Hester Prynne.

No comments:

Post a Comment