Ian Coyne
Coyneandbill
The Scarlett Reader
This post focuses on the use of roses displayed in ch. 5-8
Roses and The Scarlet Letter
The color red sure is a key part of The Scarlet Letter. Heck, it’s even in the name of the book! Though it may seem that the scarlet letter itself is the only important red thing in the book, I believe there is something else that has been hinted at since the first few pages. That thing would be roses, which have a tendency of cropping up every few chapters or so. But why does Hawthorne include them? What is he trying to say? I believe I have an answer to both of those questions.
First, let’s define a rose. A rose is a red flower that grows in rose bushes. It’s popular for its beauty as well as its color, but it also has thorns along its stem, a less popular attribute. In the context of The Scarlett Letter, some parallels between roses and the story begin to appear. Hester, much like a rose, is defined (at least by others) by the most prominent physical characteristic: the red letter on her dress. But, just below the surface, she is a complicated individual who is staunch in her beliefs, much like the much-overlooked thorns of a rose. Despite being mostly negative, it is undeniable that Hester shares a popularity, or rather infamy, in the Puritan community, much like a rose’s popularity amongst lovers.
However, Hester is not the only one that can be likened to a rose in The Scarlet Letter. Her daughter, Pearl, has been compared to one as well, like when she “began to cry for a red rose” (Hawthorne, 98) and told Dimmesdale that her mother found her in a “bush of wild roses near the prison door” (Hawthorne, 104). Further comparisons to Pearl and a rose are drawn when she is entirely dressed in red when she is take to the governor’s mansion. These comparisons further show that Pearl is much like the “rose” that her mother is. She is defined by the tincture of her mother’s sin, but below the surface she is intelligent and resistant to opposition.
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29600000/roses-roses-29610910-1920-1200
SOURCES
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Custom House.” The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. 52. Print.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Governor’s Hall.” The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. 63. Print.
The Scarlet Reader 
I really liked this post and how you focused on a symbol that could very easily be overlooked. Not only did you focus on how it applies to Hester but you also take a look into how it applies to Pearl. It is interesting how the rose and the color red seem to keep resurfacing.
LikeLike
Ian, I enjoyed reading your post because I never thought of the rose as being a symbol in “The Scarlet Letter.” I agree that Hester’s most prominent feature is the red letter A on her chest; likewise, the brilliant red color on a rose is its most known/beautiful characteristic. She is a very complex character, and underneath the scarlet A, she is complicated like the thorns on a rose. It’s also ironic that Pearl said that she came from the rosebush when she was talking to Dimmesdale. I like how you supported your position with textual evidence and how you made a parallel between the rose and Hester and the rose and Pearl. Your vocabulary and tone are great and this blog was great. Good job!
LikeLike