Writing A Great Essay About Symbolism In Scarlet Letter

You simply need to try this company for valuable tips on how to write about symbolism in Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a good book read by different people for various purposes. It is not the easiest stories to relate to since it is about Puritans in Colonial America. Neither the theme nor the tune is familiar and the author didn’t try hard enough to simplify it, he used lots of lots of symbolism.

As you read through the contents of the book, you need to pick out the symbolism used and understand the meanings. This will help you to understand the novel better and understand the content. This is not an easy task and that is why this company has availed a few tips that will greatly assist you.

You no longer have to sulk when faced with the task of writing about the symbolism in Scarlet Letter. These simple guidelines will simplify this task making it an easy and exciting task.

Understand what you are dealing with

The first step is to understand what you are writing about. Ask yourself “What is symbolism?" If the answer is not clear, then you need go a step backwards and read about symbolism. This is basically a place, a person or a thing that is used in literature to represent an abstract concept. Symbolism is widely used in literature and a clear understanding of the concept will make you very successful in this field.

Symbolism can be a very easy concept but can greatly increase in complexity to the point of some readers not understanding what is going on. In addition, a single symbol can represent a number of ideas so a clear understanding of symbolism is the first step towards a successful essay about symbolism in Scarlet Letter.

The use of colors

The use of colors is a good starting point. The Scarlet Letter has used symbolism in form of color to bring out certain meanings. For you to write an excellent essay about symbolism in this novel, you need to understand the use of colors in the content. The red color symbolizes sin and the black and gray colors represent sin, evil and death.

You can easily discuss the use of colors for a great paper.

Pay close attention to the characters

There are four important characters in this novel:

  • Hester

  • Chillingworth

  • Pearl

  • Dimmesdale

They hold symbolism in the way they are presented by the author. Hester represents independence and goodness, Pearl represents freedom, Dimmesdale hypocrisy and Chillingworth represents evil. You should focus on each of the characters when writing an essay about symbolism in this book. This will help you to create an excellent essay.

The Setting

If you read through the book, you will realize that there are two settings, the Town square which is a sign of the Puritan religious values and the forest representing freedom from the oppressive laws. The setting can be carefully analyzed and scrutinized to develop an awesome essay about symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.


These tips will help you to analyze this literature systematically and give you a hint on where to find the symbolism you are looking for. Remember to refer to the title whenever you are confused.