The Scarlet Letter

In the Custom House, Hawthorne called the piece of scarlet cloth a treasure, a riddle, and a mystic symbol. How do these references prepare the reader for the novel that is to follow.

I have to create a inference and I do not even know where to begin!

Asked by
Last updated by jill d #170087
Answers 1
Add Yours

In this section, the meaning of the scarlet cloth is mysterious. In describing the cloth as a treasure.... a mystic symbol, the reader is misled as to its true meaning. A treasure is something to cherish... something valuable, something we perceive as good, when in fact, its true meaning is neither.

Source(s)

The Scarlet Letter