Symbolic Characters in The Scarlet LetterSymbolic characters are very important in most powerful novels. A classic that uses characters as symbols is The Scarlet Letter. This novel tells the story of a woman from Puritan society, Hester, who commits adultery with her minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. She has a daughter, Pearl, and is forced to wear a scarlet letter for the rest of her life. Arthur hides his sin and becomes extremely troubled. Hester's husband Roger takes it upon himself to judge and punish Arthur for his sin and becomes like the devil. Three characters in the novel are symbolic; Roger Chillingworth, the young woman, and Pearl. A symbolic character in the story is Roger, Hester's husband. He is the symbol of a life consumed by revenge. When the reader first meets Roger, he is a fairly normal man. He was short, with a wrinkled face, which could still hardly be described as old. There was a remarkable intelligence in his features... (p. 56) His only unusual feature is a slight deformity of the shoulder. He is an intelligent man who spends most of his time reading. When Roger discovers that Hester has been unfaithful to him, he swears revenge on the man who sinned with her. Later, he discovers that the man is Minister Arthur Dimmesdale and meticulously plots his revenge. His life is consumed by the realization of his revenge. He himself sins by trying to destroy Arthur's soul. Roger soon comes to resemble the devil. He even notices this similarity in himself. He said, "I already told you what I am! A demon!" (p. 158) Hester also says that she pities him, "...for the hatred that turned a wise and just man into a demon." (p. 159) Each of them recognizes that Roger's life centered on hatred and revenge has made him like the devil. The symbol at work in Roger, living to destroy, shows that tearing down another person causes just as much damage to one's own life. Roger is the symbol of a life consumed by the desire for revenge. Another symbolic character is the kind young woman. She symbolizes hope in history. Surrounded by people who are critical and self-righteous, the young woman alone has kind words to say to and about Hester Prynne...