Ambiguity in Scarlett Letter

In the world of literature, authors many times strive to create a perspicuous, easy to understand novel. To keep from becoming convoluted, they want to create a novel in which every aspect of the work including the plot, character, and symbols are clear-cut and definite. However, sometimes adding ambiguity provides a positive effect on a novel by allowing readers to interpret the book in their own way. Because readers can have several interpretations, each reader …

…the letter as they please. In addition to the ambiguous meaning, the letter also takes on changing forms. For example, the meteor which flies through the sky the night of the second scaffold scene takes on several interpretations. To Dimmesdale the meteor was another form of the “A”, which illuminated his sins. However the letter has ambiguous meaning for others in the crowd believe the meteor stands for an “angel” after the late General Winthrop.