What is the significance of the letter "A" on Hester's gown in The Scarlet Letter?
Simply, the letter A on Hester's gown brands her as an adulteress for all the world to see. Her sin/crime has been exposed, and wherever she goes, people will know what she has done. It also serves to brand Pearl as the product of adultery.
In The Scarlet Letter, how is the "A" reinterpreted and why is this significant?
In chapter 13 "Another View of Hester" from The Scarlet Letter we see how the town's view of Hester and her ignominious letter has changed over the past seven years.
Because she has sinned, she has the ability to not only see it in her fellow Puritans, but she is also able to support and comfort them. The letter still stands out to the town, but it has begun to serve as a lighthouse for those searching for comfort and a place to find solace.
There glimmered the embroidered letter, with comfort in its unearthly ray. Elsewhere the token of sin, it was...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
the taper of the sick-chamber. It had even thrown its gleam, in the sufferer's hard extremity, across the verge of time. It had shown him where to set his foot, while the light of earth was fast becoming dim, and ere the light of futurity could reach him.
Unlike those who were so quick to turn their backs on her, she was willing to offer a shoulder to cry on. By calling her a "self-ordained Sister of Mercy," Hawthorne is showing the reader how Hester has taken it upon herself to tend to the sick, help the poor, and listen to the brokenhearted.
In such emergencies, Hester's nature showed itself warm and rich; a well-spring of human tenderness, unfailing to every real demand, and inexhaustible by the largest. Her breast, with its badge of shame, was but the softer pillow for the head that needed one. She was self-ordained a Sister of Mercy; or, we may rather say, the world's heavy hand had so ordained her, when neither the world nor she looked forward to this result.
Unlike the harsh gossips who judged and criticized her in Chapter 2, she has the power to sympathize and listen to her fellow man. Surprised by this change, the town begins to stop regarding her letter as a symbol of her "adultery" and more a symbol that she is "able."
The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her,—so much power to do, and power to sympathise,—that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength.
What are the different forms of the letter "A" in The Scarlet Letter and their significance?
A in the beginning simply stands for adultery. It is the mark that is put upon Hester which alienates her from the community, earning her their condemnation and disrespect.
When Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl are on the scaffold late at night, they see an A shining in the sky. The members of the community see that A as being a sign of "angel". Dimmesdale is seen by the community as being that angel, but in truth, it is Hester that is the angel. Although she has been alienated, she is not a hypocrite. She is true to herself and to Dimmesdale, not revealing his name even though it would help her. She is helpful to the town members, even though they ridicule her. She is sorry for her sins, and makes atonements for them.
Finally, as time passes, the A that is on Hester's chest begins to stand for "able." This is because of her ability to help others and to stand strong in the face of discrimination.