The symbols used in the "Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter is a classic novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the more famous authors. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes about Puritans, their lives, and beliefs. The story begins in 17th century Boston. In the beginning of the story, Hester Prynne, an adulterer and the main character of this story, is led from the town prison to a scaffold, where she is to stand and made an example of to those who sin. In her …

…story, the rosebush is used constantly. Another instance in where the rosebush is used is when Pearl and Hester are at the Governor's garden. In the present world, a rose or rosebush symbolizes something that is pretty but dangerous such as pretty women that marry for one's money a.k.a. society's "gold diggers." A "gold digger," like a rose, is pretty, but might be dangerous, like a rose's thorns, to oneself especially one's wallet.