An Analysis of Symbolism in "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is generally considered to be the first American symbolic novel. A symbol is something which is used to represent something broader in meaning. The most obvious symbol in the novel is the actual scarlet 'A' which both the criticism and I agree upon. This 'A' is the literal symbol of the sin of adultery. The letter A then appears in many different forms throughout the novel. The gold-embroidered A …

…bemoan with goodness from their own heart. The Scarlet Letter is a book filled with symbolism. I feel the symbolism helps to relate a situation to a position the reader knows about. The critic which I based this on feels that there is voluminous accounts of symbolism, even too much. I must disagree with this. Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is an amazingly written book for its time with just the right amount of powerful symbolism.