Question

What are some examples of imagery in Chapter 7 that Hawthorne employs in The Scarlet Letter?

Accepted Answer

Imagery is the painting of visual pictures with words, and if Chapter Seven is examined we can see that there are many examples of Hawthorne's imagery here. Perhaps one of the most striking examples of imagery is how Pearl is now described. Consider the following description, and think about how Hawthorne uses words to present a very visual picture of what Pearl now looks like:

We have spoken of Pearl's rich and luxuriant beauty; a beauty that shone with deep and vivid tints; a bright complexion, eyes possessing intensity both of depth and glow, and hair already of a deep, glossy brown, and which, in after years, would be nearly akin to black. There was fire in her and throughout her; she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment.

Note, amongst other details, the reference to "fire." Her life, her description, seems as if it is a direct result of her unplanned and unorthodox coupling of her two parents. Phrases such as "vivid tints" and "bright complexion" serve to create a very clear verbal picture that gives the reader a distinct impression of what Pearl looks like and how she is presented in this novel.

The Scarlet Letter

What are some examples of imagery in Chapter 7 that Hawthorne employs in The Scarlet Letter?

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