Characterization through Imagery and Metaphor in The...

Characterization through Imagery and Metaphor in The Scarlet Letter Throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals character through the use of imagery and metaphor. In the first Chapter of The Scarlet Letter, The Prison-Door, the reader is immediately introduced to the people of Puritan Boston. Hawthorne begins to develop the character of the common people in order to build the mood of the story. The first sentence begins, A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes (Hawthorne†¦show more content†¦(Griswold 352) Throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals character through the use of imagery and metaphor. In the first Chapter of The Scarlet Letter, The Prison-Door, the reader is immediately introduced to the people of Puritan Boston. Hawthorne begins to develop the character of the common people in order to build the mood of the story. The first sentence begins, A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes (Hawthorne 45). Hawthornes use of vivid visual images and his Aaccumulation of emotionally weighted details (Baym xii) creates sympathy for the not yet introduced character, Hester Prynne, and creates an immediate understanding of the harshness of the Puritanic code in the people. The images created give the freedom to imagine whatever entails sadness and morbidity of character for the reader; Hawthorne does not, however, allow the reader to imagine lenient or ch eerful people. Nathaniel Hawthornes eloquent contrast of the jail and itsShow MoreRelatedSummary Of The Scarlet Letter 1919 Words   |  8 PagesMaya Bellomo 8/14/16 The Scarlet Letter Quote Journal â€Å"Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted for too long a series of generations in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth.† (23)-Nameless narrator’s narration As the narrator describes his experience moving to the custom house, he uses a metaphor comparing the conceptualRead MorePoe Hawthorne949 Words   |  4 Pageswriting including symbolism, allegory, suspense, characterization and great use of setting to make it very real to the reader. Both gothic writers set a different mood for the reader in their writings. Symbolism is present in stories to provide depth and insight into the plot. 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