The Scarlet Letter - SymbolismNathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism several times in the book The Scarlet Letter. Some examples of this are when they talk about the scaffold, the stream, the forest and the sun. The one I'm going to talk about is the sun. Hawthorne uses the sun in the novel to symbolize purity and hope several times throughout the book. In one scene in the book, Pearl asks Hester to get some sun and give it to her to play with. Hester then responds, "No, my little Pearl! You must gather your own sunshine. I have none to give you." (p.104) Hester has no sunshine to give Pearl because she has committed adultery and is not pure. Another example is when Hester and Pearl were walking in the forest when a dark cloud appeared in the sky and Pearl said, “Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sun does not love you. He runs away and hides, because he is afraid of something on your breast. Pearl says it's just playing innocently, not knowing exactly how right she is. She says that the sun fears the “A” and avoids its impurity at all costs, or even its disappearance from the sky. Later in this walk, Hawthorne again shows how the sun refuses to be around Hester and her sin. Hester tells Pearl to run away and catch the sun. So she sets off at a brisk pace and in her innocence she seems to catch it and stands right in the middle of it. Hester arrives and tries to come and bask in the sun and Pearl says, while shaking her head, "It'll be okay now." Hester responds, “You see!” Now I can reach out and grab some,” but “as she tried to do so, the sun disappeared. » This shows how the sun, being pure, adorned the Pearl in her innocence, while avoiding Hester for her impurity. Hawthorne shows the symbol of the sun best in the chapter aptly titled “A Flood of the Sun.” In this particular scene, Dimmesdale and Hester discuss what Dimmesdale will do about the current situation in their relationship. Dimmesdale announces that he will leave the community and that he must do it alone. In the heat of the moment, Hester declares that he won't have to go alone, and she takes off her bonnet and throws the