Hawthorne consistently uses light and dark imagery and symbolism throughout his American romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter. Light, associated with good and sacred characteristics or attributes, demarcates the Pearl, as well as repentance and admission of sin. On the other hand, darkness is linked to evil and immoral elements. The beliefs of Romanticism distrust society and strict norms, while the puritanical view, the setting in which the novel takes place, and strict religious rules provide the foundation of society. This contrast between romanticism and puritanism could very well reflect the theme of good versus evil created by Hawthorne. Romantics believe that God exists in nature; God controls the sun. Through the use of light and dark symbols in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays the characters as either good or evil. In one of the first scenes of the book, Hester emerges from the dark prison into the light. While all who knew her in the city “expected to see her obscured and obscured by a disastrous cloud,” Hawthorne, in acknowledging her sin, asserts that “her beauty shone and formed a halo” (62). By using the word "halo", the author makes Hester appear saintly, which contrasts with Puritan ideals, considering that Hester committed adultery. On her chest, the letter “A” serves as a constant reminder to her and all the townspeople who stare at her with their mouths agape. Thanks to her confession and the scarlet letter she carries, Hester becomes pure in the eyes of Hawthorne and God, through the symbol of light. Chaves 2The forest, seen as a dark symbol throughout the novel, highlights Dimmesdale's immorality. The weather in the forest, often described as gloomy and gloomy, contributes to the mood. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest to hatch a plan to escape from ...... middle of paper ...... rth's immorality. However, Hester also redeems herself from this second sin. She decides to reveal her second secret to Dimmesdale. The darkness of Chillingworth's nature reveals this second sin on Hester's part (Haugh 270). In conclusion, Hawthorne explores the morality of the character in the use of light and dark symbols. Pearl, the more moral character, has the sun shining on her, while Chillingworth turns out to be the vilest character, lurking in the shadow of his vengeance. Dimmesdale and Hester fall somewhere in between. The moral desert in which humans wander (can't make a good argument for this either) Works Cited Haugh, Robert. Academic English, Vol. 17, No. 5. National Council of Teachers of English, 1956.Journal.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2004. Print.