The Prison-Door Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the harshness and rigidity of Puritan society in the first chapter of his novel, The Scarlet Letter. Even though no main characters are introduced, “The Prison-Door” serves a purpose by setting the mood and creating the environment in which the story takes place. By using diction, symbolism, and foreshadowing, Hawthorne creates a dark and somber mood that keeps the audience in suspense for the following story. Hawthorne immediately utilizes diction in the opening sentence of “The Prison-Door,” depicting “a throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments, and gray, steeple-crowned hats… assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.” Using words such as “sad-colored” and “gray” to describe the gathering’s clothes, Hawthorne brings a somber and morose

Roses are also most well known to be red -- or scarlet -- which also foreshadows the upcoming story because Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter -- the letter A. The author also mentions that the rose bush could have “sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson,” a Puritan who criticized and protested against the Massachusetts Bay Puritan society for its inflexibility. The Puritans condemned her for these views, and eventually banished her from the colony. Therefore, the rose bush could also symbolize the people who speak out against, or do not adhere to the strict rules that the Puritans put in place, simultaneously alluding to Hester Prynne in the