In the iconic book The Scarlet Letter the reader comes across a vague understanding of what it means to be an adulterer. A person who truly represents and shows a sin that most believe to be the absolute uncrossable line that should not even be spoken of unless necessary. Very few readers and fans of the novel understand what it means to be beautiful. A rosebush is merely a beautiful masterpiece created by nature. And in The Scarlet Letter the rosebush represents just that but with a different twist on it. The Rosebush symbolizes hope and beauty and even though it only shows up very little in the book it is still a powerful symbol and should not taken lightly or misunderstood for only beauty.
The opening chapter in the of the Novel the Scarlet Letter shows the rosebush in a interesting light. A light which an average reader wouldn’t understand unless having prior experiences in their or any other association to the matter. It says “ It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow”(Hawthorne, 2). The first part of the quote says it serves to let us hope meaning the rosebush is not just a symbol in the book. It's more than that it’s like a motive or like a way out, salvation if you will. The rosebush serves as a reminder to the reader and the characters in the book that society is not lost yet and that there’s still reasons to keep going to keep pushing forward. As there was for jesus to die for all sins for all people even though there may have been no hope for us. And that even though it may have seemed to be no hope left he saw a reason to keep going as the prisoners entering the jail in chapter one saw the rosebush and then continued onward walking into what seemed to be a guaranteed death.
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The second part speaks of relieving the sorrow basically uplifting the stress off of someone in other words giving them a way out which ties back in to the original point being made in the previous argument that the rosebush is serves as a reminder that society is not lost, in that speck of history called the puritan age it almost was but a rosebush gave everyone then a reason and still gives them one now to keep going. Think about it still at the end of the day the reader finds out that everything still ended not good but better than it could’ve been right? Pearl ended up rich, Hester became a widow and just walked away from everything, Dimmsdale died, Chillingworth died. Now that sounds bad but it’s a better ending than it could’ve been for example Chillingworth could’ve found out for sure who hester was with and done something that most readers wouldn’t enjoy as an ending to the book. Second in the book it says “ Pearl?-Ruby, rather!-or Coral!-or Red rose, at the very least, judging from thy hue!”(Hawthorne, 61). The old minister said this about pearl comparing her to a red rose. Now why would he of all people in the story do that well judging by the way he said it the reader can infer that he wasn’t talking to pearl at all in fact he was talking to Hester probably trying to tell her something. What he was trying to tell her was that was her way out of whatever mess she was in at the time. See what he was trying to tell her was Pearl was like the rosebush near the prison and that though times may have seemed bad for Hester at the moment Pearl was to serve as a reminder for hester a reason to keep going and to hold on to the secret she was keep from Chillingworth and to find a way for her Pearl, and Dimmesdale to get out and finally have peace.
Thirdly the rosebush is meant to be seen as a symbol of Hesterś passion which is a sin even though it became something of value towards the end of the book. It was pearl the wild rose untamed. Pearl was the only character in the book that could fit this symbol in the book, she is the only one uncultivated unlike the rest of the puritan children she was not well behaved at all. For example ¨ a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion¨ (Hawthorne 41). “Out of the rank”, the word rank meaning normal this is suggesting Pearl wasn’t your typical puritan kid. What is Hester’s passion? Hester’s passion is Dimmesdale. She loved him even though she was already married this in the polite puritan society is considered a sin. This being Pearl and Dimmesdale was hester’s passion even though it was wrong and that there was no taking it back. Yet in a weird way to the reader it may be seen as beautiful.
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The Symbol of Rosebush in The Scarlet Letter.
(2022, July 08). Edubirdie. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/the-symbol-of-rosebush-in-the-scarlet-letter/
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2022 Jul 08 [cited 2024 Nov 4].
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