The Scarlet Letter Group

Question:


nanni
Student
High School - 11th Grade

In The Scarlet Letter, what two possible symbols does the rose have for the reader?

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Posted by nanni on Wednesday February 4, 2009 at 6:24 PM and tagged with rose, symbolism, the scarlet letter.

Answers:


  1. cmcqueeney Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    At the end of chapter one, the narrator points to the rosebush that grows beside the prison door.  He speculates that the rosebush might have sprung up from the footsteps of Ann Hutchinson - a woman persecuted, like Hester will be.  He does directly tell us, however, in the final line of the chapter that the rose symbolizes a "sweet moral blossom" to "relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow."  In other words, the narrator tells us that the rose will symbolize a lesson to be learned in the midst of this tragic tale.  The narrator confirms this idea of a moral coming from the story in the final chapter.  He says one of the morals that can be learned from the story is "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!"

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/scarlet/chapter-1-summary-analysis

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    Posted by cmcqueeney on Thursday February 5, 2009 at 6:21 PM


  2. litelle209 Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    The Rosebush is definitely worth a closer look. Note also where it grows: next to the prison. It symbolizes nature's endurance and impartiality in contrast to human affairs. In a narrative that has such dark undertones of  sin (Hester and Dimmesdale) and evil ( Chillingsworth) and their respective impact on the human condition, the rose is indeed a "blossom" that has enduring neutrality while the whole Puritan community is judgemental.

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    Posted by litelle209 on Tuesday February 24, 2009 at 4:10 PM

  3. tbalsh
    tbalsh Student
    High School - 11th Grade

    I see the rose representing first and foremost Hester, the mother figure. Pearl says she was plucked from a rose bush (which breaks off into many other directions as well). Also, in the garden at one point, Pearl reaches for a rose and cries when Hester tells her no. She wants to feel secure in motherly arms.

    Another symbolization would be that the garden aforementioned represents the Garden of Eden, and the rose bush is the Tree of Knowledge. Pearl, aka Eve, wants to get the "apple" on the tree, which is a sin.

    In this Garden, Hester tells Pearl, Eve, not to take the rose, apple, and is therefore in the shoes of God. This is also shown on the scaffold, where Hawthorne describes Hester as having a halo.

    However, we have already established that the rose represents Hester, and the rose represents the apple, which is sin/temptation/evil.

    Therefore, Hester is the epitome of sin/temptation/evil. This puts Hester in the role of Satan. So Hester is now both God and Satan.

    This leads to the theme that in everything good, there is something evil.

    But that's just my thoughts :)

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    Posted by tbalsh on Monday October 26, 2009 at 11:45 AM