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Ryan Knippel, Andrew Ochoa, Sydnee Han, Kiersten Harben

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Darkness in the scarlet letter brings a greater meaning to the story because of how it is used. It represents Hester's struggle as well as Dimmesdale's. This shows a greater meaning because of how it elevates the character's emotions to a tangible level.

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Darkness as a symbol represents fear, isolation, the unknown, and even evil. In The Scarlet Letter, darkness is common throughout the plot. The book starts with Hester being trapped in a dark prison. When she is released, it is an emotional experience for her, that Hawthorne describes by saying, her prison door was thrown open and the sunlight came upon her. This made her feel as if it was simply there to show the scarlet letter on her shirt. (Hawthorne 50) Here darkness represents isolation and the people's curiosity about the unknown- Hester's letter. The dark prison of Hester's past shows her isolation from the world because of her criminal status in the Puritan society. This allowed her time to think and be punished for her adultery.

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Later on in the novel, Hester encounters Dimmesdale on the platform where Hester had shown her scarlet letter to the other townspeople, as he stood there visualizing what would happen if he confessed to being Pearl's father (Hawthorne, 148). The symbolism of darkness is present in this scene because Dimmesdale uses the cover of darkness to confess to his "sins", and he chooses to do so because he is wracked with guilt about his connection with Hester. Dimmesdale allows himself to be ostracized, in his mind, by the darkness in this moment. His confession of self-proposed evil is veiled by the darkness of the night, and his imagining of how the townspeople would react to him creates a meaning of underlying fear from Dimmesdale about the whole ordeal. The symbolism of darkness in this scene is how Dimmesdale is shackled by his own fear of his "evil" and isolation by how he has committed his "sins".

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"Without question, she is equally in the dark as to her soul, its present depravity, and future destiny!" (Hawthorne, 168)
Darkness clouds perception and represents oblivion.

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Hawthorne's Pearl: The Origins of Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter

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Hawthorne's Pearl: The Origins of Good and Evil in The Scarlet Letter

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"After he makes this decision, he is possessed by the urge to commit other wicked deeds. He feels a desire to make... to deposit into the soul of a young and virtuous girl 'a germ of evil that would be sure to blossom darkly soon' (Hawthorne, 140)." (Renner,  164)

This observation made in the EBSCO article shows how darkness, or in this case darkly, is often used to as an adjective exaggerate the depths of someone's evil. Specifically in this story, darkness represents how corrupt Dimmesdale is throughout the story.

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"and having also the passes of the dark, inscrutable forest open to her, where the wildness of her nature might assimilate itself with" (Hawthorne, 119)
Darkness gives Hester a potential opportunity to escape Puritan society.

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" So vivid was the expression, or so intense the minister’s perception of it, that it seemed still to remain painted on the darkness after the meteor had vanished, with an effect as if the street and all things else were at once annihilated. " (Hawthorne, 235)
Darkness serves as a backdrop and allows the impact of light to be felt more strongly.