The Scarlet Letter - Symbolism

Symbolism Many authors use symbolism in their work to offer a hidden meaning, or a deeper insight into their characters. Some symbols reveal inner feelings of characters, while others show the reader double meanings to events or objects in the story. A great example of symbolism would be in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. One example of how Hawthorne uses symbolism would be the actual letter “A” that is worn throughout the story by …

…did. Many authors use symbolism in their work just like Hawthorne to get across deeper meanings to their readers. These symbols give the reader a deeper understanding of what is occurring in the story and/or how a character feels about certain issues within the story. Try and look for these symbols as you read, as they can give you an overall better grasp of the events taking place and the overall meaning of literature.