Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter

Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, presents to his readers a novel in which there are obstacles to overcome by the main characters. His array of symbolism throughout the novel makes the story seem related to modren times. In the first chapter, Hawthorne introduces the readers to symbolism beginning with the prisonhouse and the rosebush. The chapter begins introducing the prison door as "rustic" and an "ugly edifice." …

…the story is highly symbolic. In Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, he uses three main categories of symbols: natural ones such as the rosebush, Pearl and finally, places like the scaffold. The effect of this is a more unified story, when the reader analyses the work and finds that there is comparable symbolism throughout the book. The reader gets a sense that the story is a whole since the symbols are universal throughout the novel.