Symbolism and the Scarlet LetterSymbolism is traditionally a sign or token of something. When it comes to literature, the definition of the literary device, symbolism, is more complicated. Symbols in literature are generally metaphysical. The main symbol of The Scarlet Letter is the red "A" that Hester Prynne was condemned to wear on her chest. Nathaniel Hawthorne's intention was to make the meaning of the crimson token worn on HesterPrynne's breast very ambiguous. In this he succeeded. Although the "A" means "adulterer" to the people of Boston, to the reader the "A" can have other meanings such as "American" or "able." To the townspeople, the author, and the reader, the original intent of the “A” was clearly to mean “adultery.” When Hester Prynne became pregnant while her husband was away, she was accused and convicted of adultery. Her sentence was to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her chest to let everyone know that she was an adulterous woman, forever. Because of her one sentence, everyone knew that she was actually an adulterous woman and people treated her that way. Society condemned her for her sin, knowing nothing else. Hester was forced to live alone on the outskirts of town. She was a seamstress, but had very little work. When she used her skills to decorate the "A", things only got worse. People felt like she was trying to show that she was an adulterer or that she was proud of it. Hester's daughter, Pearl, was constantly ridiculed by the other children for being a "mean", "evil" child. This was clearly the first intention of the toreve symbol! al that Hester Prynne was an adulterous woman. Although the primary intention of the "A" is to refer to Hester Prynne as an adulterous woman, it also has other, more abstract meanings. The letter has something to do with the word “American”. The “A” in Hester Prynne reflects an “American” meaning in various ways. On the one hand, America is a melting pot of many peoples and ideas, just like Hester's "A." She got that “A” in some situations. She was in a loveless marriage. She had been separated from her husband for 2 years. She thought maybe he was at the bottom of the sea. She was in love with another man. She was perceived and punished under a strict puritanical eye. As with the development of America, many conditions led to the development of Hester's "A." Another way that Hester Prynne's "A" symbolizes America is that they were both shaped by past actions. No matter how much Hester had changed since her act of adultery, at no time