Symbolism Of The Meteor In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Billy Bales Mr. Ward English III CP 13 December 2011 Symbolism of the Meteor in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter has so many parts that are symbolic like the Letter, Pearl, and the Meteor. " The appearance of the meteor at that particular moment in the book contributes to the plot in many ways" (Roberts). The meteor flying across the sky is a big part of how the book ends up. The meteor also changes characters, and their interactions in particular relationships. When the meteor is spotted there are many different interpretations. The interpretations come from different views of the people in the book, and how a certain person is affected. Many elements and characters of the book are symbolized by the meteor; like Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, Hester, Pearl, and character views change; the meteor definitely changes how the book plays out. In the few hours before the flashing of the meteor, Govenor Winthrop had passed away in his death bed. "We impute, therefore, solely to the disease in his own eye and heart, that the minister, looking upward to the zenith,…show more content…
Dimmesdale had done speaking, a light gleamed far and wide over all the muffled sky" (Hawthorne 139). For Reverend Dimmesdale, when the meteor is spotted tracing across the sky, he believes the message is not for anyone but himself" (Sparknotes: The Scarlet Letter: Themes, Motifs, & Symbols.") When Dimmesdale realizes that meteor takes the shape of the letter "A", he automatically assumes it is meant for him and he holds his hand over his heart. "The Reverend's conscience is picking at him, and he wants to punish himself for his sin since the townspeople can't punish him for a sin of what they are unaware of" (Roberts). The meteor for Reverend Dimmesdale was close because he almost revealed the mark above his heart that he received from the sin he had commited. The meteor was a symbol because his conscience pushed him to reveal the unconfessed sin he was

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