Nature and Society In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The...", for example, the scarlet letter is meant to be a punishment inflicted on the main character, Hester. This is also an example of a problem triggered by corrupt society that has a deeper meaning. She is forced to wear the symbol as punishment for her cowardly behavior. With the symbol "A" comes a life of misery as anyone who sees it begins to stare and gossip. Although the scarlet letter is a symbol of the sin of adultery, Hawthorne creates an image in the reader's mind that is entirely different. "On the breast of her dress, of fine red cloth, surrounded by elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter 'A'. It was so artistically done, and with such fertility and magnificent luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a final and appropriate decoration to the clothes she wore and which was of a splendor consistent with the taste of the time, but well beyond that which; was permitted by the sumptuary regulations of the colony” (Hawthorne 2). The scarlet letter begins as a gigantic symbol that hides her, just as her feelings are hidden behind her sin. But in fact, the scarlet letter becomes a representation of an opportunity for her to be a person since she stands out with the letter on her chest. As a result, she can express what she feels and not repress herself.

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