The Black Man in The Scarlet Letter
...he characters. Hawthorne uses the "Black Man" to convey these negative emotions into everything that is dark in the world. The compromise of purity and darkness all lives in the symbol that brings shivers to all. The Black Man’s presence can be felt only in the bottom of those hearts who have been punished with the idea of sin. He brings a certain darkness to the story, that not even Hester can escape. When Hester and Pearl meet Dimmesdale in the forest, Pearl notices that, "Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom."(126). This darkness, when compared to light, can often represents death and destruction. Many believe, that the Black Man does not only represents evil and sin, but Satan himself. This is not a hard comparison to make since both bring a sense of hatred and an almost sinister feeling to the novel. Through-out whenever there are signs of darkness, or the mention of the scarlet letter, but black man is behind it. Since Satin is suppose to bring evil to the world and punish those who are good, the Black Man does that same. The Black Man took a good person, Hester, and punished her with a sign of sin, the scarlet letter. The sign drives people so much to hate her, that many believe that she doesn’t even deserve the right to live. Since Pearl is usually the one who notices the Black Man, she may be the only on that is pure enough to not know evil. This is a coinci...