Light and Dark Motifs in The Scarlet Letter

Introduction

Throughout time, punishment has been a defining consequence for people who do not abide by the law. For instance, Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, refused to move from her seat for a white man. Back then, the law required Black people to sit in the back of the bus when a white person did not have a seat. Her defiance against the government ended her up in jail as her punishment, but it helped spark the civil rights movement for the injustices of their society. Similarly, in the 16th century, the Puritans had strict laws prohibiting sinful acts against the Bible and the purification of their society. If a Puritan were to go against the law, there would be severe consequences regarding their crime, such as public punishment. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses on a Puritan woman named Hester Prynne, who has committed adultery in her town. She has a daughter named Pearl and is given a punishment of wearing a red “A” on her chest. The bold scarlet “A” symbolizes shame on Hester for her sin and is a constant reminder of her affair with Reverend Dimmesdale. Through light and dark motifs, Hawthorne displays the harsh Puritan society, criticizing their hypocritical nature and their lack of the need for less conformity.

Light and Dark Motifs in The Scarlet Letter

In spite of Hester’s sin, Hawthorne reveals with the light motif that the punishment of wearing the “A” forced upon her by the Puritan people was the real crime. The Puritan people were adamant in believing that Hester would finally become a shadow in the darkness with the scarlet letter. However, “those who had before known her, ...were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo for her misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped” (Hawthorne, 1850, p. 62). Hawthorne reveals that Hester’s prominent beauty still outshone the darkness that the Puritan citizens tried to place on her by forcing her to wear the scarlet letter. Even with the Puritans’ actions against her, Hester was still able to defy their expectations of someone who has committed such a horrific crime in their eyes. This illustrates that Hawthorne’s emphasis on Hester’s light and beauty details, such as her “halo,” was to further recognize her radiance against the Puritan people. Hester stood her ground and confronted the fact that she committed such horrific crimes within her society. Her truthfulness allowed her bright physical traits to shine even brighter since the rest of her society was not entirely truthful. Not only does Hester have radiating beauty, but her child Pearl has her own “proper beauty, shining through the gorgeous robes... an absolute circle of radiance around her…” (Hawthorne, 1850, p. 62). The Puritans believed that Pearl had inherited Hester’s evil nature to rebel against society. However, Hawthorne revealed that even Pearl was able to outshine through “the robes” because she does not have any dark sin to fall into since she is just a child and was only the product of adultery. The robes symbolize the darkness the society tries to cover regarding Hester and Pearl. Hawthorne reveals that the accusations of Hester and her daughter were incorrect and that even Pearl can have goodness and light within her. Hawthorne conveys that the Puritans were surprised by Pearl’s beauty as they considered her to be the devil’s child in their society, which reveals the hypocrisy in the community against Hester and Pearl. Hawthorne depicts that her “sin” was a mistake any of the Puritans could have done, but the fact that she owned up to her mistakes demonstrates courage.

Impact of Hypocritical Society

Although Hester was able to outshine the darkness that her society believed she would not be able to attain, Hawthorne reveals the negative impact the hypocritical society has on Hester’s mentality through dark motifs. For Hester, negative interactions with the townspeople were a daily struggle. Clergymen would mock Hester and would “pause in the street to address words of exhortation, that brought a crowd, with its mingled grin and frown, around the poor, sinful woman” (Hawthorne, 1850, p. 59). Hawthorne calls attention to the detail that Hester had to suffer through agonizing encounters with the townspeople as they address her as the “sinful woman.” Not only did they want to humiliate Hester with the letter, but they wanted to make her feel vulnerable and weak. The darkness of the society had affected her, which is why Hawthorne points out the flaws within their society as the Puritans try to put others down just to make themselves feel better. With all the scrutinizing criticism of the society, “Hester Prynne had always this dreadful agony in feeling a human eye upon her token…” (Hawthorne, 1850, p. 59). Although Hester tries to not notice the numerous amount of people who look at her for her letter, their eyes act as a daily torture. Hawthorne illustrates that it isn’t the letter Hester cares about, but the unpleasant judgmental nature of her society that makes her feel weakened. She felt as though she needed to escape from her society and away from the consistent criticism. In doing so, “her rich and luxuriant hair had either been cut off, or was so completely hidden by a cap, that not a shining lock of it ever once gushed into the sunshine” (Hawthorne, 1850, p. 112). Hawthorne displays dark imagery of what used to have a light connotation to depict that she stayed in the forest with Pearl just to reduce the amount of hatred she got. In the beginning of the novel, Hester felt rather confident with the letter; however, with more exposure to the Puritan society, she felt more vulnerable. She felt more comfortable staying in the shadows. Hawthorne demonstrates that a toxic society can alter the mindset of one who experiences the most vulnerability.

Hester's Perseverance and Growth

With both the punishment and hypocrisy of the Puritan society, Hawthorne demonstrates Hester’s unwillingness to conform to her unjust society and her perseverance to overcome her fear of her society’s judgments. Although Hester felt weakened by her society as they publicly denounce her for her sins, Hester’s unwillingness to give up her reputation allowed her to build up relationships and gain the trust of people in her community. The people in her community “acknowledge the influence of Hester’s good qualities” (Hawthorne, 1850, p. 137). She used her dark actions from her past and shaped her path for a new beginning, which helped bring light back into her life at last. Her positive influence within her society allowed her to gain trust from others, which demonstrates that Hawthorne feels Hester’s duty is to help others even though she had lost a connection between herself and society. The scarlet letter allowed her to grow and learn more about herself, and “the tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread” (Hawthorne, 1850, p. 137). Through Hester, Hawthorne conveys that with every mistake, you must learn how to grow from it. Hester’s choice to accept responsibility regarding her sin allowed her to gain redemption with herself and the Puritans, something that many other women would not be able to do if they were in her situation. Rather than avoiding the past, she instead attempts to fulfill tasks within her community in an effort to seek forgiveness, such as sewing clothing for other people. Hawthorne exposes the flaws in how Puritans handle sin as they keep their sins hidden and contained, inevitably worse than telling the truth. Hawthorne exposes the Puritans' actions as the scarlet letter’s purpose ended up failing to induce a punishment towards Hester because she was able to gain a sense of freedom knowing that her sins have been revealed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Hawthorne exposes the hypocritical nature of the Puritans with their inability to express themselves. For Hester, she embraced her sin as it was a way of growth within herself. The criticism she encountered throughout her journey made her vulnerable and weak, but she was able to gain strength with her perseverance. This allowed her to take responsibility, accept the consequences, and learn from her mistakes. Hawthorne demonstrates that a “perfect society” that is free from sin is impossible to achieve, as humans will always have flaws and make mistakes. One must never conform to an unjust society. Instead, one has to be the change they want to see in the world.

References

Hawthorne, N. (1850). The Scarlet Letter. Ticknor, Reed & Fields.