The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne - 1726 Words

Hester’s righteous battle against the villagers in defending her name does nothing more than display her courage and respectability. Throughout the novel, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter,† Nathaniel Hawthorne manages to implement various symbols in order to add meaning and understanding of certain aspects of the novel. In the novel, many symbols, such as the â€Å"Black Man,† are conflicted in the idea of meaning between the Puritans of the society and Hawthorne, but at the same time, some uses of symbolism represent similar ideas, as conveyed by the author. Hawthorne’s uses of symbolism represent the same religious idea as in comparison between Hawthorne and the Puritans, but some contrast the Puritan beliefs and rather are presented to foreshadow†¦show more content†¦Within the novel, both Hawthorne and the Puritans bring up the idea and relevance of the black man and what he represents. Hawthorne and the Puritans of the society both have religious af filiations pertaining to the â€Å"Black Man.† The significance of the black man within the novel is immense because as the novel progresses the belief of who truly is the black man differentiates among individuals in the story. Through the eyes of the Puritans, the â€Å"Black Man† is a representation of the devil himself; however, in the novel the â€Å"Black Man† and his meaning changes. Hawthorne initially uses the â€Å"Black Man† to represent the devil, but later, he associates the â€Å"Black Man† with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Mistress Hibbins. This is relevant because he is emphasizing the change in each individual to the point in which they are a spiritual representation of the devil to an extent. The â€Å"Black Man† essentially means evil. As a result, he uses the phrase to describe Dimmesdale and Chillingworth because of their neglection of their love ones, they are thus being evil. Chillingworth’s evil stems from hi s obsessive behavior towards his revenge against Dimmesdale for stealing his wife away. Therefore, his continuous envy and rage developed him into a man of pure evil, not caring what is good or bad but simply what he wants. In