There is no question that the letter has darkened her future. When Hester and Dimmesdale are in the forest with Pearl, with see that light is associated with love and hope. We are told, "No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest . . .Here seen only by her eyes, Arthur Dimmesdale, false to God and man, might be, for one moment true" (188). Goodness and light are associated with Pearl. We read that she is "very brightest little jet of flame that ever danced upon the earth" (95). In contrast, Chillingworth is associated with darkness. One of the most compelling scenes that demonstrates this is at the conclusion of the novel when we are told about the change that had taken place. Chillingworth looses his strength and energy and shriveled away, "like an uprooted weed that lies wilting in the sun" (251)....
While Hester is perceived as the guilty party in the novel, she loses the light in her life, which symbolizes that she has lost her goodness. Her daughter is perceived as good in the novel and becomes the strong force in her mother's life. At the end of the novel, she is responsible for bringing light to her father's eyes. Chillingworth is associated with darkness because his character is despicable. These symbols are significant because they allow us to connect characters and moods appropriately.
Work Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New Jersey:…
