Mirror Imagery in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

According to research in the field of psychology, sin manifests itself in many ways. Often those who feel criminalityy see assurances for their whimsey in the action of otherseven when the public has no interest in his or her private life. In a conservative decree, however, rules be oblige upon him or her, barring the person from moving ahead with their life, no motion how insignificant the crime. Michael L. Lasser takes a similar approach, arguing that Pearl is a reverberate image of Hesters guilta constant reminder of her mistake. Lassers argument has chastity because Hawthorne not only uses mirror imagery in relation to Hesters guilt, moreover alike in regards the emotions of all characters.In Mirror Imagery in The ruddy Letter, Michael Lasser argues that Hawthorne uses mirror imagery to reveal a characters innermost secrets and posterior motives. The child Pearl is described as, the scarlet letter in another(prenominal) form the scarlet letter endowed with life Havi ng made this statement, he explains his argument through Hesters ideas of Pearls lookfull of smiling malice. When Hester and Pearl trim the governors mansion, Hester notices a look of naughty merriment in the piffling girls eyes. Hawthorne also mentions a fiend that occasionally peeps out of Pearls eyes.Through his description of Hesters impression of the evil that lurks within Pearl, Lasser comments on the notion that Pearl is evil by using the Puritan statement that no good comes from evil. Since Pearl is prick and the result of an act of sinthe ultimate Puritan evilshe is seen as evil as well. Lasser explains further that Pearl is not only the frame of Hesters sin, but also of her conscience. Lasser explains that Pearl knows her frets deepest feelings in a way unique to a child of her age. Thus, Lasser paleustrates that Pearl is used a symbola mirror for Hesters guilt.Lasser argues that Hawthorne uses similar mirror imagery techniques with Dimmesdale and Chillingworth as he does with Hester. In his final moments, Dimmesdale holds a private vigil by his mirror in which he sees diabolical shapesrepresenting Dimmesdales untold sinangels, and finally Hester and Pearl. The description the brain beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment compares time to a mirror and the soul contemplating its past as the image that appears on the mirror. On the other hand, Chillingworth isa upbraiding of his own malevolence. His warped body represents his inner ill willhis desire to torture Dimmesdale. Hawthorne further describes Chillingworths eyes, saying, Sometimes a climb down glimmered out of the physicians eyes, burning blue and ominous, like the reflection of a furnace, or, let us say, like one of those gleams of blue come alive that darted from Bunyans awful doorway in the hillside, and quivered on the pilgrims baptismal font. Chillingworths eyes are used as a reflection of his evilthe ghastly fire that lives within him. Lasser concludes that Hawthorne uses such imagery to imply certain views upon a reader, leaving the reader to carry this suggestion passim the flooring.If we look nigh at the reactions Hester sees in her child, we can see the characteristics of a guilt-ridden mind. plenty are constantly judging me and their judiciousness is important to me is how someone psychologically bothered by his or her guilt would think. This perception of continuous judgment is very obvious with Hesters reaction seeing even her child demonstrating accusations in various forms. A child does not know how to be cultured and socially appropriate when speaking. Such habits come from years of training. Often due date is judged by the tolerance one develops towards others mistakes. Even her normal reaction of essay to play with her own reflection in water is described with wing to a mirror.The picturesque detail found in the sentence present and there, she came to a full stop, and peeped curiously into a pool, left by the una ssuming tide as a mirror for Pearl to see her governing body in ties in the mirror as one of the objects connected with the story in readers mind. The brook itself is a mirror of Pearl. Hawthorne describes the brook as, Gushing from a well-spring as mysterious, and had flowed through scenes shadowed as heavily with gloom. Pearl, like the brook, springs from an unknown artificial lakeher mysterious parentageand flows through a world filled with gloom and guilt.In addition to making explicit references to mirror and reflections of images, there are many instances where mirror is implied. For example, whenever Hester suffers Pearls playful acts, it is her inner turmoil that is mirrored in the acts of the child. Hester views her child as the product of a crime and, therefore, an evil entity this is no surprise knowing theideas that existed in a puritanical society wherein they sawing machine the child as an extension of his or her parents characteristics. Thus the societys ideas are reflected and perpetuated by even those who are victims.Since such behavior has not been eradicated even in the current, modern society, it is only natural to expect a puritanical society to have brainwashed Hester to feel guilt towards her childs actions. One day, as her mother stooped over the cradle, the infants eyes had been caught by the gleam of the gold embroidery about the letter and, putting up her little hand, she grasped at it, smiling, not doubtfully, but with a decided gleam that gave her face the look of a much older child. Then, gasping for breath, did Hester Prynne clutch the fatal token, instinctively endeavoring to tear it away so infinite was the torture inflicted by the bright touch of Pearls baby-hand. By describing Pearls intuitive grasp of Hesters guilther letter A Hawthorne enforces Pearls role as a mirror of Hesters conscience.My vision was a tarnished mirror, says Nathaniel Hawthorne in his introduction to Scarlet Letter. Michael Lasser picks out such r eferences throughout and shows us the writers mastery in making mirrors an important symbolic artifact, be it the shiny breastplate that magnifies the letter A on Hesters chest or the brook that reflects shadowy and intangible qualities of the characters of this story.BibliographyMirror Imagery in The Scarlet Letter Michael L. Lasser, The English Journal, Vol. 56, No. 2 (Feb., 1967), pp.274-277 National Council of Teachers of English, http//www.jstor.org/stable/811696