“A true symbol is substantial, not accidental. You cannot avoid it; you cannot remove it.” Saul Bellow Write an essay showing why the scarlet letter A is or is not a “true symbol.” The Letter A, Gules Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many strong symbols through out his novel The Scarlet Letter to convey his ideas, themes and morals. All of Hawthorne’s symbols are very deliberate and concrete. His prevailing symbol in the novel is the …showed first 75 words of 994 total…

…showed last 75 words of 994 total…was a true symbol. It was substantial in that it could convey more than one quality, and even symbolize main ideas and conflicts rather than one word attributes. It was the most predominant and effective symbol in the Hawthorne’s novel. The scarlet letter A takes it’s place a symbol for the entire story and the story’s ideas when Hawthorne puts its image on the shared tombstone between Hester and Dimmesdale. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**