Light, Darkness, and the Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne's bold novel, The Scarlet Letter, effectively employs three major symbols: light, darkness and the scarlet letter. The novel relies heavily on the symbolism of light and darkness to represent the eternal struggle of good versus evil. An example of the effective use of light and dark symbolism occurs when Hester and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: Mother, the sun does it. I don't love you. He runs away and hides because he's afraid of something on your chest. Now see! There we go, we're playing, we're far away. Stay here and let me run and catch it. I'm just a child. He will not flee from me, because I have nothing on my chest yet (192). Hester tries to reach out into the circle of light, but the sun disappears (192). She then suggests that they go and rest in the forest (193). This short scene actually represents Hester's daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the light represents Hester's constant refusal of acceptance. Hester's lack of surprise and her quick suggestion to go to the forest, where it is dark, shows that she did not expect to be admitted and is resigned to her place in life. Another way that light and darkness are used in symbolism is how Hester and Dimmesdale's escape plan is doomed to fail. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the forest with a dark sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss their plans for the future (200). The gloomy weather and the shadows illustrate that they cannot escape the repressive force of their sins. This is later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold instead of leaving with Hester and going to England (269). A final example concerns how Hester and Dimmesdale cannot acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in the woods, they feel that “No golden light was ever so precious as the darkness of this dark forest (206). This emotion predicts that they will never openly last together because their sin has separated them too much from normal life. The Scarlet Letter also takes many different forms in the novel. The first and clearest form the letter A takes is "Adultery"..