Religious Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter
The Importance of Religion in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Book
Aug 20, 2009
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter is full of symbols about society as well as religion. Through the use of numerous symbols, Hawthorne was able to effectively communicate his feelings on the way religion influenced decisions and society for the Puritans. By using symbols, Hawthorne was able to criticize religion and its role within society in a way that was subtle yet very effective.
The Role of Nature in The Scarlet Letter
Puritans regarded nature as a force of evil; the Garden of Eden had been the site of the fateful fall of mankind, and they perceived that Satan was often at work in nature. Thus, there are many scenes in The Scarlet Letter wherein nature is described using ominous or eerie language.
When Pearl and Hester Prynne meet Arthur Dimmesdale in the forest, the woods are described as being dark and forbidding – a place of unholy passions. It is in these woods where Pearl felt most at home; she too was a symbol of evil, being more in touch with nature than with society.
Nature has another side, however: the permissive feeling that pervades some scenes, especially those where sunshine is emphasized, as when Hester passionately lets down her hair in the woods, is Hawthorne’s way of symbolizing that nature is not a totally evil force. In this way Hawthorne can criticize the narrowness of Puritanical views on nature.
Arthur Dimmesdale as Sin and Redemption
Dimmesdale, Pearl’s father and Hester’s lover, is spared Hester’s shame and the mark of the scarlet letter. However, his secret sin causes him more pain and guilt than Hester’s scarlet letter ever does her. As a minister, Dimmesdale is an ideal symbol for the hypocrisy of his situation.
Outwardly, Dimmesdale represents every aspect of a proper Puritan minister. His goodness and wisdom are frequently praised by the townspeople. Inwardly, however, Dimmesdale is consumed by his secret guilt. This contradiction between appearance and reality – and between holiness and sin – is a symbol for the religious conflict of most religious souls.
Through his eventual confession, an actual and symbolic act, he not only frees himself from his guilt, but he allows Pearl to become fully human; within the Puritan society, Hester’s daughter was never regarded as whole since her paternity remained unknown. By his actions, Dimmesdale fulfills his role as a symbolic religious figure and allows Pearl to assume her own humanity.
Darkness and Light in The Scarlet Letter
Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is representative of darkness and evil throughout The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne’s use of the name Chillingworth even suggests cold calculation and wickedness. Despite his status as the cuckolded husband, everyone who knows Chillingworth knows that he is evil. The darkness that pervades Chillingworth’s existence allows him to function as an antagonist to Dimmesdale’s religious struggle and as a visible force of evil within the larger structure of the novel.
Darkness and light are also used throughout the novel to represent good and evil. Nature is often represented as being dark, but its occasional contrasting lightness gives it balance. Unlike Chillingworth, who is almost uniformly dark, many of the symbols involving darkness and light within The Scarlet Letter are balanced.
The book opens with a description of a dark time, and yet offers the hope of “some sweet moral blossom” to the reader. When Hester is released from jail, she squints in the daylight; likewise, Dimmesdale confesses to his part in their affair at noon. Daylight is a time of exposure, where shadows and darkness are associated with secrecy and guilt, as well as passion. (Source: Cliffsnotes)
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