Scarlet Letter- Did You See That
DID YOU SEE THAT?
Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter reflections are used to depict certain ideas or thoughts. These reflections are in many objects that are shiny or even in someone's eyes, or a type of water. There are mainly reflections of Pearl and the scarlet letter A. Hawthorne uses them to make many different points, such as pearl has no friends or that the greatest part of Hester's life is the scarlet letter.
One reflection of the scarlet letter A is in the Governor's Hall. "Hester looked, by way of humoring the child; and she saw that, owing to the peculiar effect of this convex mirror, the scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance."(p72) In this Hester saw that the scarlet letter was the greatest part of her outfit. Hester's whole life was the scarlet letter and there was no way to hide from it. Another reflection in the Governor's Hall is when Pearl looked at the "polished mirror of the breastplate."(p72) She had spent sometime staring at it. This would most likely be because something had caught her eye, such as the scarlet letter. Also in the Governor's Hall, "Pearl pointed upward; smiling at her mother, with the elfish intelligence that was so familiar an expression on her small physiognomy. That look of naughty merriment was likewise reflected in the mirror, with so much breadth and intensity of effect, that it made Hester Prynne feel as if it could not be the image of her own child, but that of an imp who was seeking to mould itself into Pearl's shape."(p73) This is probably symbolizing that the scarlet letter is always on Hester's mind. Also, that the reflections can distort what someone or something looks like or what they truly are. This reflection shows that Pearl has two sides to her and the other side is mostly brought out when she is talking about or pointing out the scarlet letter.
More reflections take place in...
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