The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet A Multiple meanings and discussion providing insight into the letter The letter “A” was to be worn as a punishment, to be worn in shame, to be worn as “adulteress.” This may not have been clearly and directly stated to the reader, but throughout reading the book, you gather possible hidden meanings of Hester’s scarlet letter. Although the sense of the meaning “adulteress” is constant, the metaphoric, emotional, and moralistic meanings of …

…through other likely answers to the riddle of Hester’s A, such as atonement, ability, acceptance, and angel, we are given much insight as to exactly what Hawthorne was creating as he built up the layers for the meaning of the scarlet letter. In conclusion, Hester’s scarlet letter shows that the universal idea that there is more than one way to view things is not only a truth, but also a complexity in itself.