1. REVIEWING THE SCARLET
LET TER THROUGH IMAGES
AP Language and Composition

2. MOOD, TONE, SYMBOLISM,
THEMES
 Throughout our reading of the novel, I’ve tried to provide you with
images to help you access the work
 For your culminating assignments on The Scarlet Letter, you will
complete an assignment on each of the following terms:
• Mood and Tone
• Symbolism
• Irony
 To help you review these terms and what they look like, look at the
following images

3. MOOD AND TONE
 Mood is the feeling you get
through the description of setting
• This picture has a solemn, or
dreary mood. This is
attributed to the colors, the
darkness of the painting, the
gauntness of the characters
 Tone is the emotion of the
piece

4. MOOD
 This opening scaffolding scene
would appear to have a solemn, serious
mood at first
• This is reinforced by the
darkness of the clothing of the
crowd, their expressions, the
emotions on their face
• You then have Hester standing
out, and above them in bright
red, with Pearl displayed in
pure white
 What feelings does this give you?

5. MOOD
 Think about the physical
setting of the novel
• Why would Puritans have
feared the woods?
• Puritans placed towns, places
of safety behind stockade
walls that were supposed to
keep them safe/separated
from the dangers that existed
beyond
• The devil
• Indians

6. SYMBOLISM
 This woodcutting of the opening
scaffolding scene is dominated by the
pillory (stock) that frames not only the
picture, but Hester
 The rest of the scene is indistinct
and blurry, but the pillory is clearly
rendered and the shadowing makes it a
frame
• It represents the many facets
of Hester’s punishment

7. SYMBOLISM
 Here in the scene from the
opening of the book, we have
three separate symbols:
• The scarlet letter
• Pearl
• The rosebush