THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SYMBOLS
IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S
THE SCARLET LETTER
SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI
Student Number: 074214045
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
i
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SYMBOLS
IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S
THE SCARLET LETTER
SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI
Student Number: 074214045
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
iii
iv
.
“Do the Best and Let God Do the Rest”
v
This Undergraduate Thesis is dedicated to
My Great Jesus Christ,
My beloved mother,
My father,
vi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Cicilia Faida Eka Rosita Sari
NomorMahasiswa : 07 4214 045
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul
The Significance of the Symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
Seen from Historical Perspectives
Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan
kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,
mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan
data mendistribusikan secara terbatas dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau
media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya
maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya
sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal : 26 Agustus 2011
Yang menyatakan.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Jesus Christ for His love and blessing so that I could
finish this undergraduate thesis. He stays with me and never leaves me alone. He
raises me up when I want to give up writing this undergraduate thesis.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan
Wijanarka, M.Hum. and my co- advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum. for
their patience, for their guidance and suggestion during the process of writing this
undergraduate thesis. My gratitude also goes to all the members of lecturing and
secretariat staff of the English Letters Department. They have helped me to solve
my problems during lecturing.
I thank my parents for everything they have given to me. Especially for
my mom, thank her so much for her understanding, her prayer, and her support.
Also to my only sister, Yohanna Fransisca Meilyna Dwi Cahyani, I realize that I
cannot be a good older sister to her, but she has to know that I love her so much.
I would also like to thank my best friends, Florentina Yuliana Rafles,
Karina Prisdiani, Mustika Sari, Christa Nastasya, Maria Rosetha Simbolon, and
also Grace Melia Kristanto for their support. I am lucky to have some funny and
good friends like them. Friendship is everything, finally “I did it, girls!” The last
but not the least, I thank my dear boyfriend, Ardhy Sigit Permana Putra for his
patience, understanding, support, and prayer.
viii
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... vi
ix
ABSTRACT
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SYMBOLS IN NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER
SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2011.
The Scarlet Letter is a novel about Hester Prynne, a married woman who commits adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale. The setting takes place in the 17th century puritan society. Puritan society is the society that is based on Christian principles, and those principles are based on the Bible. Adultery is considered as a sin and the people who commit adultery get effects of their act. Literature is one of the media for the study. There are some components in a literary work that can be used as the media for studying. One of them is symbol. The Scarlet Letter is chosen as the object of this study because it contains some symbols.
The aim of this research is to find out the significance of the symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter seen from historical perspectives. There are two problems that must be answered in this study, the problems are: (1) what are the symbols found in The Scarlet Letter andwhy can they be called symbol?, (2) What is the significance of those symbols seen from historical perspectives?
Sociocultural-historical approach is applied in this study. Sociocultural- historical approach is an approach on the social environment in which a work of literature was created. This study takes library research. Library research is a research which uses only written sources like articles, reviews and books, both printed and electronic. The primary source of this study is the novel itself, while many sources like articles, reviews, and other books are acceptable.
x
ABSTRAK
CICILIA FAIDA EKA ROSITA SARI. THE SIGNIFICANCES OF THE SYMBOLS IN NATANIEL HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER
SEEN FROM HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. Yogyakarta: Program Study Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2011.
The Scarlet Letter adalah sebuah novel tentang Hester Prynne, seorang wanita yang telah menikah yang berselingkuh dengan Arthur Dimmesdale. Cerita ini berlatar belakang di jaman kaum Puritans pada abad ke- 17. Kaum Puritans adalah kaum yang menganut prinsip Kristen protestan, dan prinsip tersebut berdasar pada Alkitab. Perselingkuhan dianggap sebagai dosa and orang yang berselingkuh mendapat dampak dari apa yang dia lakukan. Karya Sastra adalah salah satu media untuk pembelajaran. Ada beberapa komponen dalam karya sastra yang dapat digunakan sebagai media pembelajaran. Salah satunya adalah simbol.
The Scarlet Letter dipilih sebagai sasaran penelitian karena novel ini memiliki beberapa simbol.
Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mencari makna simbol- simbol di novel
The Scarlet Letter yang dilihat dari pandangan sejarah. Ada dua rumusan masalah yang harus dijawab dalam penelitian ini. Kedua rumusan masalah itu adalah: (1) simbol apa saja yang terdapat dalam The Scarlet Letter dan mengapa mereka dapat disebut simbol?, (2) Apa makna dari simbol- simbol tersebut dilihat dari pandangan sejarah?
Pendekatan sosial-budaya sejarah diterapkan dalam penelitian ini. Pendekatan sosial-budaya sejarah adalah pendekatan dilihat dari sejarah dalam lingkungan sosial dimana karya sastra tersebut dibuat. Penelitian ini adalah sebuah studi pustaka. Studi pustaka adalah penelitian yang hanya menggunakan sumber- sumber tertulis seperti artikel, ulasan, dan buku baik yang tercetak dan yang elektronik. Sumber utama penelitian ini adalah novel tersebut, sementara banyak sumber seperti artikel, ulasan, dan buku lain yang juga digunakan.
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Literature cannot be separated from the life of human beings. Generally,
literature describes human life. Literary works usually tell about people’s
experiences or events in life. Writers sometimes write about politics, economics,
social life and culture that happen in this era. Thus literature and reality actually
are related.
There are many reasons why the researcher chooses a novel for the study.
In her opinion, she can see what the author wants to say to the readers by reading
a novel. According to Abrams, novel is a great variety of writings that has
common only the attribute of being extended works of fiction written in prose. As
an extended narrative, the novel is distinguished from the short story and from the
work of middle length called the novelette; its magnitude permits a greater variety
of characters, greater complication of plot, more exploration of character and
motives than do shorter and more concentrated modes (1993: 130).
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne tells about the history of human in the
17th century Puritans as discussed by Frederick Newberry in his review entitled
“Tradition and Disinheritance in The Scarlet Letter”:
Puritan society is the society which is based on the Protestant principle,
and that principle is based on the Bible. Law of God is the rule of nation. If the
nation keeps the law of God, it will be blessed. If it breaks the God’s law, it will
be punished. Morality is based on the Bible law, and that is the key to success. It
can be proved by the quotation from Foeister’s book entitled American Poetry and
Prose:
We are to conceive of the bible as a rule by which to measure ourselves and our essential knowledge and proper action, a rule superior to any that human experience might devise (1960: 7).
The researcher is interested in the way the author tells about the sin that is
made by Dimmesdale, a priest who has affair with Hester Prynne, a married
woman. Everyone all over the world surely has ever made mistakes that are not
proper with their conscience during their lives. They have ever made mistakes,
whether they are men or women, important or just ordinary people, even religious
people. No one is sinless.
The other reason why the researcher chooses this novelto be analyzed is
because The Scarlet Letter becomes one of the most successful novels written by
Nathaniel Hawthorne. There are also many people who have discussed this novel
in their thesis so that the researcher can learn and find some interesting views
about this novel.
There are some components in a literary work that can be used as the
media for studying. One of them is symbol. According to Abrams, a symbol is
anything which signifies something, in this sense all words are symbols. However,
event which in its turn signifies something, or has a range of reference, beyond
itself (1993: 93). Stanton in Introduction to Fiction also states that symbol may be
anything from an egg to the story’s setting, a single object, a physical type of
object, a physical substance, a repeated type of object, a shape, a gesture, a sound,
a fragrance and so forth. It means that symbol can be anything inside the literary
work (1965: 31).
Symbol is chosen as the object of this study because there is no story as
filled with the symbols as The Scarlet Letter. This study will analyze the symbols
found in The Scarlet Letter, for example the scarlet letter itself, the forest, and the
ship. Those symbols are important because the author mentions them several
times. After finding the symbols in The Scarlet Letter, the researcher will find the
significance of those symbols which are seen from historical perspectives.
B. Problem Formulation
The researcher formulates two problems that lead her thesis into a further
explanation of the analysis:
1. What are the symbols found in The Scarlet Letter and why can they be called
symbol?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study will focus on finding the significance of the symbols seen from
historical perspectives. The aim of this study is to answer the questions stated in
problem formulation. First, this study will focus on finding the symbols and also
the reasons why they can be called symbol. This description will answer the first
question. After finding the symbols in this novel, the next objective of this study
is to identify the significance of those symbols. The researcher will identify the
significance of those symbols which is seen from historical perspectives.
D. Definition of Terms
There are three things that need to be clarified in this study. They are
symbol, significance, and historical perspective.
1. Symbol
In the book A Glossary of Literary Terms Sixth Edition, Abrams defines
symbol as anything which refers to something else that is significant. In this case
‘anything’ can be all words. He says that symbol is applied to word or phrase that
signifies an object or event which has a variety of reference, beyond itself.
2. Significance
Based on Longman: Dictionary of English Language and Culture, the
meaning of the word ‘significance’ is the quality of being significant; importance,
meaning or value (Della Summers ed, 1992:1230). While according to The New
Oxford American Dictionary 2nd Edition, the significance means the quality of being worthy of attention, importance (Erin McKean ed, 2005: 1579). From those
two quotations, the researcher can conclude that the word ‘significance’ means the
quality of being worthy of importance, attention, meaning or value.
3. Historical Perspective
In Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus, perspective means point of
view, viewpoint, standpoint, prospect, vantage point, position, angle (Erin
McKean ed, 2003: 1114). Then, in Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary of English
Language, historical means based on or suggested by people or event in the past
(Simon ed, 1989: 863). From the above explanation, the researcher concludes that
historical perspective means viewpoint that is based on the people or event in the
6 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
In this section, the writer will refer to some criticisms of Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The followings are some critical reviews on the
symbols from many different sources.
Carol Joy Fider in his review entitled “Moral and Ethical Issues in The
Scarlet Letter” states that Hawthorne is not overly concerned with the sin that has
been committed, but he is more concerned with the results of the sin, with its
effect on the persons involved. However, in the Christian view, the sin as well as
its effects is to be considered. God regards man's motives. He who sees and
understands the intents of the heart knows all about the spring from which man's
actions flow. Motives are important to Him. Furthermore, the Bible condemns sin
in all its forms (http://www.aiias.edu/ict/vol_24/24cc_117-135.htm, accessed in
21 July 2011).
There are many critical viewpoints of The Scarlet Letter as discussed by
Hyatt Howe Waggoner’s review entitled “Three orders: Natural, Moral, and
Symbolic” in the book The Scarlet Letter: An Authoritative Text Essays in
Criticism and Scholarship Third Edition. Waggoner states that the closing words
of the chapter make the metaphorical use of color explicit. He says that the author
moral blossom, that may be found along the track or relieve the darkening close of
a tale of human frailty and sorrow (1988:315).
Bailey Shoemaker Richards (2009) in his review entitled “The Importance
of Religion in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Book” states that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
book The Scarlet Letter is full of symbols about society as well as symbolic
religion. Through the use of numerous symbols, Hawthorne is able to
communicate his feeling on the way religion influences decision and society for
the Puritans. By using symbols in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne is able to
criticize religion and its role within society in a way that is subtle yet very
effective
(http://www.suite101.com/content/religious-symbolism-in-the-scarlet-letter-a141006
,
27 September 2010).
Review by Henry F. Chorley entitled “Severity, Purity, and Sympathy”
from the book The Scarlet Letter: An Authoritative Text Essays in Criticism and
Scholarship Third Edition states:
The Scarlet Letter is badge of Hester Prynne’s shame, we ought to add that we recollect no tale dealing with crime so sad and revenge so subtly diabolical, that is at the same time so clear of fever and of prurient excitement. The misery of woman is as present in every page as the heading which in the title of the romance symbolizes her punishment (1988: 184).
In his review, Chorley states that the scarlet letter is badge of Hester
Prynne’s shame because she does a crime. He says that the scarlet letter is the
symbol of her punishment presented in every page on the story. Then it becomes
Daniel G Hoffman’s review entitled “Hester Double Providence: The
Scarlet Letter and the Green” also discusses about the letter ‘A’ on Hester’s
breast. This review is taken from the same book with Henry F. Chorley’s review:
The Scarlet Letter they condemned her to wear was a self evident judgment: A for Adultery. Giving up her individuality, she would become a general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman’s frailty and sinful passion (1988: 343).
After reading some reviews from the previous studies above, the
researcher can get a deeper understanding about The Scarlet Letter. The
researcher agrees with all reviews from the other researchers above. Those can be
used to strengthen this study because the researcher wants to discover the symbols
more deep so that the researcher comes into the further understanding about
symbols. In other words, this study can develop the previous studies.
In this study, the researcher is going to find out the symbols and why they
can be called symbols. The descriptions will give better understanding about the
symbols then just mention it directly what symbols in found in The Scarlet Letter
is, without knowing why those objects can be called symbols. In this study, the
researcher does not only use the real meaning of certain object, but also the
meaning based on the context of the story. This study differs from the previous
studies since the researcher compares it with the sociocultural-historical
background of the 17th century Puritans. The meanings of those symbols have the
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Symbol
In order to be able to go deeper to the analysis of this novel, the researcher
needs to have strong foundation to the discussion. The researcher needs some
theories that will be the basic guidance for this study. There are some theories of
symbol that will be discussed and those can be used to answer the problems
formulated in the problem formulation.
In the book A Glossary of Literary Terms Sixth Edition, Abrams states that
symbol is anything which signifies something else, in this sense all words are
symbols. In discussing literature, the term symbols is applied to a word or phrase
that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something, or has a
range of reference, beyond itself (1993: 93). While, in A Handbook to Literature
by C. Hugh Holman and William Harmon, a symbol is something that is itself and
yet stands for or suggests or means something else, a symbol is like an image that
evokes an objective reality and has a meaning that suggests another level of
meaning (2009: 539-540). Then, based on Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, a
symbol is anything from an egg to the story’s setting, a single object, a physical
type of object, a physical substance, a repeated type of object, a shape, a gesture, a
sound, a fragrance and so forth. They may represent a face of a human
personality, the indifference of nature to man’s suffering, human responsibility,
Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz in their book entitled Literature:
Reading and Writing the Human Experience 7th Edition states that there are two kinds of symbols. They are public symbol and contextual symbol.
Public symbols are those objects or events that history has invested with rich meanings and associations. Contextual symbols are objects or events that are symbolic by virtue of the poet handling of them in a particular work- that is, by virtue of the context (1998: 12).
Public symbols are those objects or events that have invested with rich
meanings and associations. The example of public symbols is rose. Rose has long
been a symbol of love. In Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway, the husband
communicates his love by proffering this public symbol: “He was holding out
flowers- rose, red and white roses. But he could not bring himself to say love her
in so many words.” Similarly, a poem about the cross would probably be about
Christianity. In contrast, contextual symbols are object or events that are symbolic
by virtue of poet’s handling them in a particular term. Contextual symbols are
created by the author, there is no exact meaning behind the contextual symbols.
The meaning behind the contextual symbols depends on the context of the story
that is created by the author. In other words, it depends on the context that is made
by the author.
There are some ways to emphasize the symbol. In Literature for
Composition Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Sylvan Barnet says that the
author emphasizes the symbol by doing some ways like by describing them in
some length, by introducing them at times when they might not seem necessary,
and by calling attention to them repeatedly (2005: 231). The problem is how to
Introduction to Fiction states that the author gives the clues to the reader to find
the symbol. The clue is by making it in conspicuous detail. It may be conspicuous
because it repeats or resembles certain other details. Details may also be
conspicuous because they contrast with one another. The ways to make something
conspicuous are by describing it more fully than its factual importance deserves,
by making it unusual for no apparent reason, by mentioning it in the title, or by
some other means (1965: 32).
Symbol in fiction has three usual effects depending upon how it is used. In
An Introduction to Fiction, Stanton states that a symbol that appears during an
important moment of the story underlines the significant of the moment. Second, a
symbol is repeated several times to remind us. Third, a symbol that recurs in
varying context helps to define or clarify the theme (1965: 31-32). Moreover,
Robert Stanton also states that there are three ways of interpreting symbols. They
are noting the symbol’s connotations, comparing it to its context, comparing its
contexts to one another (1965: 32- 33).
C. Review on the Puritans and Puritanism
Based on Marsden’s book Religion and American Culture, early in the
17th century some Puritan groups separated from the Church of England. Among
these were the Pilgrims, who in 1620 founded Plymouth Colony. They left their
homeland to find an alternative land in order to built new society which was based
on Puritan principles. The society was the Massachusetts Bay Colony known as a
rule. Puritan rule is fundamental protestant principle, that their bible should be
their supreme guide (1990: 16).
In the 17th century Puritans that is based on the Christian Principle,
adultery is considered as sin because it breaks the law of God. She or he who
commits adultery gets punishment from the Puritans. People who commit it can
be sent to die or punished publicly with the intention of causing shame and
humiliation because it breaks the moral and religious marriage contract. The
following quotation proves the statement.
In Puritan society, adultery was considered the ultimate sin, a moral violation of God's will. Adultery was a capital offense, and people who committed it could be put to death. Adultery was punished publicly, with the intention of inflicting shame and humiliation, because it was a clear breaking of the moral and religious marriage contract between husband and wife. By threatening the bonds of marriage, the Puritans also viewed adultery as a threat to societal order (Johnson, accessed in 7 September 2011).
In the America Poetry and Prose (1960), there was a chapter entitled “The
Puritan Age”. It is about a man and woman who commit adultery in the 1644.
Although they had felt guilty, they were executed death penalty because adultery
was considered as a sin and both of them were dead very penitently. Based on
B.A.K.E.R Encyclopedia of the Bible Volume 1 (1989: 495), Scarlet was used as
the figure of sin. The following quotation becomes the proof that adultery was
considered as a sin and she or he who committed adultery was sent to death.
was death by God’s law. They were both executed, they both died very penitently (1960: 24).
The researcher found another source about the crime of adultery. It told
the story of Mary Latham an eighteen year old girl who was condemned the
penalty of death. John Winthrop wrote the plight of Mary Latham in his diaries.
The following quotation became the proof.
This is the story of Mary Latham an eighteen-year-old girl who strayed from the moral path of her Puritan community and paid for her transgression with her life. This was the start of Mary's misfortunes, for the Massachusetts colony had that very year constructed its first code of laws and among these was the penalty of death for the crime of adultery. John Winthrop was the first Governor of Massachusetts Colony. He describes the plight of Mary Latham in his diaries: "At this court of assistants one James Britton, a man ill affected both to our church discipline and civil government, and one Mary Latham, a proper young woman about 18 years of age, whose father was a godly man and had brought her up well, were condemned to die for adultery” (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/adultery.htm, accessed in 9 September 2011).
Historically, the forest signified frightening place. It became frightening
because the Puritans considered it as a kind of hell. It was a kind of hell because
they regarded the forest as a place which was haunted by the devil. It also became
a frightening place because the forest was a place where the Indians lived. The
Puritans considered the Indian to be devil-worshippers, so it was appropriate to
the Puritans’ opinion which regarded the forest as a place which was haunted by
the devil. In addition, the Puritans believed that witches held their rites in the
forest. It was also suggested by Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter. It can
be proved by the following quotation.
believed, as Hawthorne's story suggests, that witches held their rites in the forest (Heyrman, accessed in 8 September 2011).
There was another quotation saying the same thing about the forest. It was
said that no Puritans have the positive ideas about the forest because the Indians
lived there. The Puritans assumed that the Indians were devil worshippers.
Witches who were involved in the devil also hold their ritual there. So, the
Puritans saw the forest as a sort of hell and the devil would be there.
Puritans had all sorts of ideas about the forest...none of them putting it in a positive light. The Indians lived in the woods, which the Puritans assumed were devil worshipers. Witches also held their covens in the woods, who were involved with the devil as well. Therefore, as we see in evidence such as Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown," (which may be the source of your question) the Puritans saw the forest as a sort of "hell," and the devil would (of course) be there (Karma, accessed in 9 September 2011).
The ship had a close connection with the people in the 17th century
Puritans. Based on The Oxford Dictionary of the American People, in 1620,
Plymouth colony was founded by the Mayflower pilgrim, who brought Puritanism
in one of its purest forms to America (1965: 61).
Mayflower was the name of a ship. It brought Puritans to leave their
homes and begin to live in the America. Whatever motive they might choose to
emphasize, most of them thought of themselves as refugees from tyranny and
persecution. Based on A Short History of American Life, the seventeenth century
was a period of political and religious ferment. On the British Throne from 1630
to 1688 sat four Stuart Kings, each in his way attempting to continue the strong
monarchial authority that is exercised by the Tudors during the previous century.
absolutist policies of the Crown opposed to the strength of country gentlemen and
city merchants. Particularly, it was heated because of the controversy over
religion. James I and Charles I took their side on the Elizabethan settlement. They
supported the Church of England and enforced intermittently the laws which
required religious conformity. By this policy they opposed the wishes of the
Catholics, who wanted each Christian congregation to enjoy independence. The
influence of this situation upon the settlement of America was great. There were
much more numerous and influential Puritans, who believed in an establishing
Church but wanted radical changes in church government and practice. The
Mayflower brought many Puritans who left England because they insisted on
worshipping God in their bare and solemn meetinghouse instead of attending the
service of the Church of England (1952: 3). So, the ship was used by the Puritans
D. Theoretical Framework
Some reviews from the related studies will be used to strengthen this
study. Those can support the data in developing previous studies. This study can
develop the previous studies since this study also talks about symbol.
Theory of symbol is needed to answer problem number one. All the
theories of symbol from many writers are beneficial in this thesis. Theories of the
symbol by Abrams, Stanton, Hugh Holman and William Harmon lead the
researcher to understand about symbol. Those theories give the definition of
symbol so that it can help the researcher to find many symbols in the novel.
Theories of symbol by Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz, Sylvan Barnet, and
Stanton give some factors that must be considered to find out more about the
symbol. It is important to know about the relation between the social historical
backgrounds and the literature since the idea of this study has the relation with
people and social environment at that time. Here, theory on the historical
17 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The Scarlet Letter was a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1849.
This research was based on the fourth printing on May 1961 by A Signet Classics.
The novel contained 255 pages and is divided into 24 chapters.
The Scarlet Letter was considered Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous
novel and the first essentially American novel in style, theme, and language. It
also became popular after the publication because it had the good fortune of
becoming one of America's first mass-published books. Before The Scarlet Letter,
books in America usually were handmade, sold one by one in small numbers. But
Hawthorne's novel was copied from a machine press, and its first run of 2,500
copies sold out immediately.
The Scarlet Letter had been adapted many times on film, on television, and
on the stage. The first film was a 1917 black and white silent film, while the most
recent film version opened in 1995 starring Demi Moore and Gary Oldman. That
movie had the same title with the novel “The Scarlet Letter”. It was directed by
Roland Joffé and released first in the USA on October 13th, 1995. Then it was
become wider in many countries for example USA, UK, South Korea, Spain,
B. Approach of the Study
This study applies sociocultural-historical approach. Socio cultural
historical approach by Mary Rohrberger and Samuel Woods in Reading and
Writing about Literature can be defined as follows:
The sociocultural-historical approach insists that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it. They define civilization as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people and point out that literature takes these attitudes and action as its subject matter (1971: 231).
From that quotation, the writer concludes that sociocultural-historical
Approach is an approach on the social environment in which a work of literature
was created. It is because literature represents ideas that are significant to the
culture that produce it.
Sociocultural-historical approach is used to answer the problems in this
study since the problems here have a connection with people and their ideas of a
sin. The writer has to know about the history, the attitudes, social condition, and
also problem of the civilization in which the story takes where the events in the
novel happen. The writer has to understand about extrinsic elements of the work
such as the History of American Society and the religion at that time especially
about the Puritans in the 17th century which exist in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The
C. Method of the Study
In order to be able to discover the element of the symbols, the writer takes
library research to gather the data. Sociocultural-historical approach is applied to
answer the problem since the main focus of the analysis has connection to the
social environment and history of people and their ideas. This study takes library
research because the writer only uses written sources like articles, reviews and
books, both printed and electronic. The primary data of this study is the novel
itself, while many sources like articles, reviews, and other books are also needed
as the additional data to support the study.
There were some steps used to work on this analysis. The first step was to
choose a literary work that was going to be analyzed. In this step, the writer chose
a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne entitled The Scarlet Letter. There were
many reasons why the writer chose The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter was one
of the most successful novels written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. There were also
many people who had discussed this novel in their studies so that the researcher
can learn and find some interesting view about this novel. The second step was
reading the novel for several times in order to understand the content of the novel
deeply. The researcher found that there were some symbols in The Scarlet Letter.
Then,it also contains interesting story, themes, moral values, message, etc.
The third step was formulating the problems. Since the researcher was
interested in the symbols, she focused on finding some symbols in the novel. The
researcher collected sources from others books, reviews, analysis, also social and
symbols. By combining all of the materials and the fact, the writer found the topic
to study. The writer also looked for the references and also the theories related to
the theory in literature.
The fourth step was doing the analysis. The researcher analyzed symbols
found in The Scarlet Letter and why they can be called symbol. Then, the
researcher analyzed about the significance of those symbols that was seen from
historical perspectives. After the researcher knew about the significance of those
symbols, the last step was making a conclusion. The writer concluded the result of
21 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part explains the symbols
found in The Scarlet Letter and why they can be called symbol. The second part
tells about the significance of those symbols.
Puritans is the major thing discussed in this novel. During the whole
period of Puritanism, it has direct impact on both religious thought and cultural
patterns in Boston, Massachusetts. The rule of Puritan society is very strict and it
makes people live under pressure. The story of The Scarlet Letter focuses on the
sin made by Hester Prynne, a married woman, and Arthur Dimmesdale because
they commit adultery. As a woman who commits adultery and is considered as a
criminal, Hester Prynne feels that she lives in hell. She gets a lot of sufferings and
punishments there.
Hester Prynne does not reveal the name of her partner in committing
adultery. She does not want Arthur Dimmesdale, her partner, a minister who is
respected by the Puritans, loses his fame. Besides, actually Dimmesdale wants to
reveal the truth that he is the father of Hester Prynne’s child. He wants to reveal
the truth because he suffers from covering this secret. Although, he does not get
any punishment from the Puritans like what Hester gets, he feels devoid, despair,
A. The Symbols in The Scarlet Letter and Why They can be Called Symbol.
This part contains some symbols found in The Scarlet Letter and why they
can be called symbol. It discusses the symbols and the reasons why they can be
called symbol.
1. The Scarlet Letter “A”
Based on Stanton’s theory an object can be called a symbol because it is
repeated several times (1965: 32). The scarlet letter is a suitable object to that
theory because it is also repeated several times. The next quotation proves it.
A blessing on the righteous Colony of Massachusetts, where iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine! “Come along, madam Hester, and show your scarlet letter in the market!” (1961: 62).
Then, the author repeats the word “the scarlet letter” in the second
quotation. “It was whispered, by those who peered after her, that the scarlet letter
threw a lurid gleam along the dark passage way of the interior” (1961: 75). Once
again, the author repeats it on page 78. “As he spoke, he laid his long forefinger
on the scarlet letter, which forthwith seemed to scorch into Hester’s breast, as if it
had been red- hot” (1961: 78).
Those three quotations show that the scarlet letter is repeated several
times. When the object repeats several times, the author may call the reader’s
attention to the object. The purpose is to remind the reader to the scarlet letter and
to emphasize that the scarlet letter is important in this novel. It has other meaning
besides the basic meaning. It must symbolize something else.
The scarlet letter also becomes a symbol because the author describes it in
statement. “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an
elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter
“A” (1961: 60). Then, the author also describes it in the following quotation:
They averred that the symbol was not mere scarlet cloth tinged in an earthly dyepot, but was red hot with infernal fire, and could be seen glowing all alight whenever Hester Prynne walked abroad in the nighttime (1961: 91).
From that quotation, the researcher knows that the author wants to
emphasize the detail description of the scarlet letter. The author describes its
color, its shape, and its appearance in detail. On page 61 and page 66, the author
once again describes the scarlet letter in detail and in some length. The next two
quotations show the other descriptions of the scarlet letter.
But the point which drew all eyes and, as it were, transfigured the wearer- so that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time- was that Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself (1961: 61).
Lastly, in lieu of these shifting scenes, come back the rude market place of the Puritan settlement, with all the townspeople assembled and levelling their stern regards at Hester Prynne- yes, at herself- who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, and infant on her arm, the letter “A” in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom (1961: 66).
Then, based on Stanton’s theory of symbol in An Introduction to Fiction
(1965: 32), the author gives the clue to the reader to find the symbol. The clue to
make something symbolic is by making it in a conspicuous detail. One way to
make something conspicuous is by mentioning it in the title. In this novel, the
author not only mentions the word “the scarlet letter” in the story but also makes
scarlet letter can be called symbol. Moreover, in the story Hawthorne makes it
clear that it is a symbol. The next quotation can prove this statement.
They averred that the symbol was not mere scarlet cloth tinged in an earthly dyepot, but was red hot with infernal fire, and could be seen glowing all alight whenever Hester Prynne walked abroad in the nighttime (1961: 91).
When the strangers looked curiously at the scarlet letter-and none ever failed to do so-they branded it afresh into Hester’s soul; so that, oftentimes, she could scarcely refrain, yet always did refrain, from covering the symbol with her hand (1961:89).
2. Forest
Based on Barnet’s theory of symbols (2005: 231), an author emphasizes
the symbol by doing some ways like by describing them in detail and in some
length. The forest is also described in detail and in some length, so it can be one
of the symbols because it is suitable with Barnet’s theory of symbol. The
following quotation becomes the proof of this statement.
It straggled onward into the mystery of the primeval forest. This hemmed it in so narrowly, and stood so black and dense on either side, and disclosed such imperfect glimpses of the sky above, that, to Hester mind, it imaged not amiss the moral wilderness in which she had so long been wandering (1961: 175).
The above quotation describes forest as place which is full of mystery. The
forest separates the road with very high, black and dense trees until the sky above
is rarely seen. Based on Stanton’s theory, the clue to make something symbolic is
by making it in a conspicuous detail. There are some ways to make something
conspicuous, one of them is by making it unusual for no apparent reasons. In the
novel, Hawthorne describes the story which takes place in the forest in 3 chapters.
author puts the same setting in three chapters because he wants to make the forest
conspicuous. If the author does not want to make the forest conspicuous, he will
not use the forest as the setting in three chapters. It shows that forest is important
in the novel.
Based on Stanton’s theory, an object can be called a symbol when it is
repeated several times (1965: 32). Hawthorne mentions forest more than one time.
By mentioning the forest more than one time, Hawthorne wants to emphasize to
the reader that the forest is important place. The forest can be one of the symbols
in The Scarlet Letter because it is suitable to Stanton’s theory. The following
quotation becomes the proof.
It might be Antinomian, a Quaker, or other heterodox religionist, was to be scourged out of the town, or an idle and vagrant Indian, whom the white man’s firewater had made riotous about the streets, was to be driven with stripes into the shadow of the forest (1961: 57).
In that quotation, the word “forest” comes for the first time in chapter 2.
The story takes place in the market place when the puritans gather to see the
execution of a woman who does a crime. They guess who she is. But, whoever
that person is, she or he will be driven to the forest which is dark. Here forest
becomes important. It must signify something.
The word “forest” is repeated in the conversation between Hester Prynne
and Roger Chillingworth in chapter 4 “Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the
forest round about us? Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of
my soul?” (1961: 81). Hester asks Chillingworth whether he is like a Black Man
that haunts the forest or not. The word “forest” is mentioned again in the
“Wilt thou go with us tonight? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well- nigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one (1961: 116).”
“Make my excuse to him, so please you!” answered Hester, with a triumphant smile. “I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood! ” (1961: 116).
Hibbin offers Hester to go with him in the forest to meet the Black Man
because there will be a merry company there. But, Hester says that she will come
to the forest if the people take Pearl from her. The forest becomes important in
this event because it is a place where the Black Man lives. The forest has many
different meanings to each character. In the Scarlet Letter, the forest symbolizes
more than one which is imagined. Each person brings out a different side of the
forest. For the Puritans, the forest may be a place of frightening thoughts. It means
that for the Puritans, they think that the forest is a frightening place. Based on the
story, the Black Man is evil. That is why there are no people who dare to go to the
forest.
In The Scarlet Letter, the forest also has the different meanings in the
different characters. The Puritans consider it as a place where the Black Man
lives. It can be seen in the conversation between Hester Prynne and Mistress
Hibbin that is explained in the previous analysis. The Black man brings a big and
heavy book with the iron key. If the people sign that book with his or her blood, it
means that he or she gives his or her soul to the Black Man. It will cause bad thing
to him or her. While, to Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, the forest is place
of happiness and freedom. No one knows about their meeting so that they will not
know that Dimmesdale, a minister who is respected and loved by the Puritans is
Hester’s partner in committing adultery. Hester does not want to reveal the name
of her partner, because she wants to keep Dimmesdale’s good image. In the forest,
they are free to discuss their problem. They can talk about their future and arrange
a way to escape from the Puritans who have given them punishment. The forest is
like hiding place where they can share love and freedom for both Hester Prynne
and Dimmesdale. It will be explained further in the problem number two.
3. The Ship
The ship is a large vessel that travels in ocean. It is used for carrying
people or goods across the sea. In the novel, the ship has function as the usual
ship. It will travel from Massachusetts to Bristol. Besides the basic meaning of the
ship, it has other meaning. It symbolizes something inside the story. The ship
becomes the symbol because it is described in some length. It is suitable with
Barnet’s theory. According to Barnet’s theory, the writer emphasizes the symbols
by describing them in some length. It can be proved by the quotation from the
novel.
In furtherance of his choice, it so happened that a ship lay in the harbor; one of those questionable cruisers, frequent at the day, which, without being absolutely outlaws of the deep, yet roamed over its surface with a remarkable irresponsibility of character. This vessel had recently arrived from the Spanish Main, and within three days’ time would sail for Bristol (1961: 203).
That quotation tells about the description of the ship. The ship is lying in
three days, it will sail to Bristol. At that time, the ship usually has no clear
identity.
The other reason why the ship becomes the symbol in The Scarlet Letter is
because it is repeated several times. An object is repeated several times to remain
the reader about that object. The following quotations can prove that the ship is
repeated several times
“But though shalt leave it all behind thee! It shall not cumber thy steps as thou treadest along the forest path; neither shalt thou freight the ship with it. Leave this wreck and ruin here where it happened” (1961: 188).
“So, Mistress,” said the mariner, “What with the ship’s surgeon and this other doctor, our only danger will be from drug or pill; more by token, as there is a lot of apothecary’s stuff aboard, which I traded for with a Spanish vessel (1961: 220).”
“Then tell her,” rejoined he, “that I spake again with the black-a-visaged hump-shouldered old doctor, and he engages to bring his friend, the gentleman she wots of, aboard with him. So let thy mother take no thought, save for herself and thee. Wilt thou tell her this, thou witch- baby? (1961: 229).”
Those three quotations show that the ship is repeated several times.
Hawthorne makes the ship repeatedly in order to call attention to the readers
toward that object. By doing this way, Hawthorne wants to emphasize that the
ship symbolizes something else. In other words, Hawthorne wants to say that the
ship is not only the usual ship but also a symbol. It is suitable with Stanton’s
theory of symbol. Stanton says that the author helps the reader to clarify the
symbol by describing the symbol in some length and repeating the object several
times.
The ship is a large vessel that travels in ocean. It is used for carrying
about the literal meaning of the ship. It means that the researcher does not
examine the meaning of the ship in the everyday usage. But, this study observes
the meaning behind that object.
Based on the context of the story, the ship will be used for Hester Prynne,
Pearl and Arthur Dimmesdale to go to the Old England. Hester and Dimmesdale
make a plan to escape from the Puritans when they meet in the forest. They talk
about the way to get out from the Puritans. The Puritans has punished them
because of committing adultery. Hester is punished through the scarlet letter, it
makes her get a lot of sufferings. To Dimmesdale, the Puritans also have punished
him although they do not know that he is Hester’s partner. Dimmesdale suffers
because he hides a big secret to the Puritans who have respected him as a minister.
He feels guilty because he covers that secret. Besides, Chillingworth, Hester’s ex-
husband also haunts him. When Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest, they
make a plan to go to Old England to start a new life. They will go there by the
ship after three days when they meet in the forest. The ship is used to escape from
B. The Significance of the Symbols Seen from Historical Perspectives
This second part of the analysis contains the significance of the symbols.
All the significance of those symbols is related to the context of the story. It will
also relate to the historical perspectives of the 17th century Puritans.
1. The Scarlet Letter “A”
The scarlet letter is contextual symbol. Contextual symbols are object or
events that are symbolic by virtue of poet’s handling them in a particular term.
Contextual symbols are created by the author, there is no exact meaning behind
the contextual symbols. The meaning behind the contextual symbols depends on
the context of the story that is created by the author. In other words, it depends on
the context that is made by the author. The researcher analyses it based on the
context of the story and also from the historical perspectives.
The scarlet letter is a letter “A” which is made of red cloth surrounded
with a gold thread. The letter “A” stands for adultery because Hester Prynne is
forced to wear the scarlet letter “A” because she commits adultery. It is worn by
Hester Prynne as the punishment of committing adultery. She is punished to stand
in the platform while showing the scarlet letter in her chest. The reason why the
author uses the color of scarlet because based on B.A.K.E.R Encyclopedia of the
Bible Volume 1 (1989: 495), scarlet is used as the figure of sin. The letter “A” and
the color represent what she has done. In the 17th century Puritans that is based on
the Christian Principle, adultery is considered as sin because it breaks the law of
God. She or he who commits adultery gets punishment from the Puritans. People
causing shame and humiliation because it breaks the moral and religious marriage
contract. The following quotation proves the statement.
In Puritan society, adultery was considered the ultimate sin, a moral violation of God's will. Adultery was a capital offense, and people who committed it could be put to death. Adultery was punished publicly, with the intention of inflicting shame and humiliation, because it was a clear breaking of the moral and religious marriage contract between husband and wife. By threatening the bonds of marriage, the Puritans also viewed adultery as a threat to societal order (Johnson, accessed in 7 September 2011).
The memorable character of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The
Scarlet Letter is condemned to wear the scarlet letter "A" which symbolizes the
word "adulteress" for the rest of her life. The Puritans have marked her with the
scarlet letter because she does a sin. No one sympathizes with her because she is
sinful. It can be proved by the following quotation.
How strange, indeed! Man had marked this woman’s sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself (1961:91- 92).
In the America Poetry and Prose (1960) which is written by Norman
Foeister and Robert Falk, there is a chapter entitled “The Puritan Age”.
Historically, it tells that in the 1644, there are a man and woman who commit
adultery. Although they have felt guilty, they are executed death penalty because
adultery is considered as a sin and both of them die very penitently. The following
quotation becomes the proof that adultery is considered as a sin. She or he who
commits adultery is sent to death.
was death by God’s law. They were both executed, they both died very penitently (Foeister, 1960: 24).
The researcher finds another source about the crime of adultery. It tells the
story of Mary Latham an eighteen year old girl who is condemned the penalty of
death. John Winthrop writes the plight of Mary Latham in his diaries. The
following quotation becomes the proof.
This is the story of Mary Latham an eighteen-year-old girl who strayed from the moral path of her Puritan community and paid for her transgression with her life. This was the start of Mary's misfortunes, for the Massachusetts colony had that very year constructed its first code of laws and among these was the penalty of death for the crime of adultery. John Winthrop was the first Governor of Massachusetts Colony. He describes the plight of Mary Latham in his diaries: "At this court of assistants one James Britton, a man ill affected both to our church discipline and civil government, and one Mary Latham, a proper young woman about 18 years of age, whose father was a godly man and had brought her up well, were condemned to die for adultery” (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/adultery.htm, accessed in 9 September 2011).
Mary is like Hester Prynne who is punished because of committing
adultery. The difference is that Hester is forced to wear the scarlet letter as long as
her life as the punishment. At first, she is also sentenced death penalty, but
because at that moment people think that her husband dies in the sea and she still
has a little baby, the punishment is changed. The magistrates think that she is not
wrong at all. It is called adultery if the husband of the sinner is still alive and she
has affair with another man who is not her husband. Moreover, the magistrates
have great mercy and tenderness of heart. It can be proved by the following
quotation.
remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom” (1961:69).
In chapter two, it tells that there are a large number of the inhabitants of
Boston gather to know what kind of punishment that is given to Hester Prynne.
Some of them say that she should be dead because she has brought shame upon all
Puritans, while the others say that she should be marked with the hot iron in her
forehead. Finally, the magistrates decide to mark her with the scarlet letter “A”.
She has to stand in the scaffold and shows the scarlet letter to the all Puritans in
market place. She also has to wear it as long as her life, so that the Puritans know
the consequences of doing sin.
A lane was forthwith opened through the crowd of spectators. Preceded by the beadle, and attended by an irregular procession of stern-browed men and unkindly visage women, Hester Prynne set forth towards the place appointed for her punishment (1961:62).
“She hath good skill at her needle, that’s certain,” remarked one of her female spectators; “ but did ever a woman, before this brazen hussy, contrive such a way of showing it! Why? gossips, what is it but to laugh in the faces for our goodly magistrates, make a pride out of what they, worthy gentlemen, meant for a punishment (1961: 61).
“Open a passage; and, I promise ye, Mistress Hester Prynne shall be set where man, woman and child may have a fair sight of her brave apparel, from this time till an hour past meridian. A blessing on the righteous Colony of the Massachusetts, where iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine! Come along, Madam Hester, and show your scarlet letter in the market place!” (1961:62).
Those quotations show that the scarlet letter is punishment that is given to
Hester Prynne. Her punishment is showing the scarlet letter to the public while
standing a certain times upon the platform. The people look at her with the scarlet
letter in her breast, Hester feels as if they throw her hearth in the road in order to
punishment. She thinks that day by day will bring temptations to her. Each day
with its own temptation, but it will be still the same with what she has to bear now
with the sorrow.
The days in the future will toil onward still with the same burden for her to
take up and bear along with her, but it never flings down. Throughout them all,
she will become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist may point,
and in which they may picture their images of woman’s weakness and sinful
passion. And over her grave, the scarlet letter that she must carry will be her only
monument. It makes her more suffer than she is sentenced death penalty.
It is appropriate to the historical perspectives of the 17th century Puritans
society. The punishment of the people who commit adultery is condemned to die
or punished publicly with the intention of inflicting shame and humiliation
(Johnson, accessed in 7 September 2011). Hester gets the second one, she is
punished publicly with the intention of inflicting shame and humiliation. So, the
scarlet letter “A” signifies punishment. Hester Prynne is punished because she
commits adultery. According to the Puritans, adultery is considered as a sin.
People who commit adultery are sent to die or punished publicly. Hester is
punished publicly, she is forced to wear the scarlet letter in her chest as long as
2. The Forest
The basic meaning of forest is a large area of land that is thickly covered
with trees. Each person brings out different opinions of the forest. For some, the
forest may be a place of frightening thoughts. Some people think that forest is a
frightening place where there are many evil there.
In The Scarlet Letter, the forest is contextual symbol. Contextual symbols
are object or events that are symbolic by virtue of poet’s handling them in a
particular term. Contextual symbols are created by the author, there is no exact
meaning behind the contextual symbols. The meaning behind the contextual
symbols depends on the context of the story that is created by the author. In other
words, it depends on the context that is made by the author.
Historically, the forest signifies frightening place. It becomes frightening
because the Puritans consider it as a kind of hell. It is a kind of hell because they
regard the forest as a place which is haunted by the devil. It also becomes a
frightening place because the forest is a place where the Indians live. The Puritans
consider the Indian to be devil-worshippers, so it is appropriate to the Puritans’
opinion which regards the forest as a place which is haunted by the devil. In
addition, the Puritans believe that witches held their rites in the forest. It is also
suggested by Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter. It can be proved by the
following quotation.
There is another quotation stating the same thing about the forest. It is said
that no Puritans has the positive ideas about the forest because the Indians live
there. The Puritans assumed that the Indians are devil worshippers. Witches who
are involved in the devil also hold their ritual there. So, the Puritans see the forest
as a sort of hell and the devil will be there.
Puritans had all sorts of ideas about the forest...none of them putting it in a positive light. The Indians lived in the woods, which the Puritans assumed were devil worshipers. Witches also held their covens in the woods, who were involved with the devil as well. Therefore, as we see in evidence such as Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown," (which may be the source of your question) the Puritans saw the forest as a sort of "hell," and the devil would (of course) be there (Karma, accessed in 9 September 2011).
Based on the context of the story, the forest is like usual forest. It is a large
area which is covered by the trees. The forest separates the road with very high,
black and dense trees until the sky above is rarely seen. It shows that the forest is
full of mystery and considered as a frightening place. It is suitable with the
significance of the forest seen from historical perspectives which are analyzed
before. The description can be seen in the following quotation.
It straggled onward into the mystery of the primeval forest. This hemmed it in so narrowly, and stood so black and dense on either side, and disclosed such imperfect glimpses of the sky above, that, to Hester mind, it imaged not amiss the moral wilderness in which she had so long been wandering (1961: 175).
In chapter 4, Hester asks questions whether Chillingworth is like the Black
Man that haunts the forest or not. In the story, the Black Man represents devil that
haunts the forest. The devil can entice people into a bond that will prove the ruin
“Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the forest round about us? Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?” (1961: 81).
The forest is the place where the Black Man lives. The Black Man is an
evil, once people are trapped, they cannot go out. The following quotation is said
by Pearl, Hester’s child. She delivers what the Puritans think of the forest. The
following quotation shows how the Black Man haunts the forest. It can strengthen
the evidence.
“O, a story about the Black Man,” answered Pearl, talking hold of her mother’s gown, and looking up, half earnestly, half mischievously, into her face.” How he haunts this forest, and carries a book with him- a big, heavy book, with iron clasps; and how this ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to everybody that meets him here among the tress; and they are to write their names with their own blood. And then he sets his mark on their bosoms! Didst thou ever meet the Black Man mother?” (1961: 177).
Moreover, in chapter 8, Mistress Hibbin and Hester Prynne also talk about
the Black Man. Hibbin offers Hester to go with her in the forest to meet the Black
Man because there will be a merry company there. But, Hester says that she will
come to the forest if the people take Pearl from her. The forest becomes important
in this event because it is a place where the Black Man lives. These two following
quotations can be the proof.
“Wilt thou go with us tonight? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well- nigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one (1961: 116).”
Based on the story, the Black Man is devil. The Black man brings a big
and heavy book with the iron key. If the people sign that book with his or her
blood, it means that he or she gives his or her soul to the Black Man. It will cause
bad thing to him or her, so no one is dare to go to the forest. It is appropriate to the
historical perspectives of the 17th century Puritans that regard the forest as a place
which is haunted by the devil. That is the reason why the forest signifies
frightening place according to the Puritans.
This perspective is used by Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale to meet
in the forest. No one knows about their meeting so that they will not know the
scandal which Hester and Dimmesdale involve in. The Puritans does not know
that Dimmesdale, a minister who is respected and loved by the Puritans is
Hester’s partner in committing adultery. Hester does not want to reveal the name
of her partner, because she wants to keep Dimmesdale’s good image. In the forest,
they are free to discuss their problem. They can talk about their future and arrange
a way to escape from the Puritans who have given them punishment. The forest is
like place where they can share love and freedom for both Hester Prynne and
3. The Ship
The ship is used to bring things and people who want to travel from one
place to other place in long distance. In the story, the ship has function as the
usual ship. It has recently arrived from the Spanish Main and will travel from
Boston to Bristol.
The ship is contextual symbol. Contextual symbols are object or events
that are symbolic by virtue of poet’s handling them in a particular term.
Contextual symbols are created by the author, there is no exact meaning behind
the contextual symbols. The meaning behind the contextual symbols depends on
the context of the story that is created by the author. In other words, it depends on
the context that is made by the author. In this study, the researcher analyses the
significance of the symbol by relating the context of the story that is made by the
author and the historical perspectives.
Based on the context of the story in The Scarlet Letter, the ship will be
used by Hester and Dimmesdale to escape from the Puritans. They have suffered
because of the punishment. They used the ship when they want to escape from the
punishment that is given by the Puritans. It can be proved by the next quotation.
“Then there is the broad pathway of the sea!” continued Hester. “It brought thee hither. If thou so choose, it will bear thee back again. In our native land, whether in some remote rural village or in vast London or surely, in Germany, in French, in pleasant Italy- thou wouldst be beyond his power and knowledge! And what hast thou to do with all these iron men, and their opinions? They have kept thy better part in bondage too long already!” (1961: 188).
The following quotation is Hester’s word that is trying to ask Dimmesdale
