The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne used the colors red and black and used the states of darkness and light, to express character's emotions and the state of their spirit. Red portrayed passion and sin while darkness represented a poor state with self-denial, as well as representing simply evil. Light symbolizes a state of enlightenment, a refreshed spirit, as well as purity and freedom. The color black also represented evil, a state of rejection, and a state …

…the truth for the society. Frequently Hawthorne makes references to darkness turning to light, suggesting darkness as a state of hiding or where one is unsure about their own state of life. Hawthorne explains black weeds growing from a sinner's grave as evil coming out and dying hope. The Puritan's describe Satan as the Black Man in the forest. Black is used to symbolize the worst and most evil part of an object or person.