The scarlet letter is Hester's passport into regions where other women dare not to tread for fear of being ostracized by the Puritan community. This is one symbol used in The Scarlet Letter to illustrate how society affects individuals' actions and beliefs. Some symbols have a greater impact than others because they hold a deeper, more direct meaning. Through the use of symbols, such as the scarlet letter, the scaffold, and Pearl, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes …showed first 75 words of 1197 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1197 total…symbols and the conflicts that occur. In doing this, he makes it known that these ideas are deeper than they are shown and aren't only true in Puritan society, but also relate to life today. In the writing of this novel, Hawthorne teaches that in order to prosper in life, individuals can question man-made rules, yet must outwardly conform to society. This is a lesson that, for centuries, people have not yet learned to follow.