Often in a literary work, the author strives to use literary devices in order to convey certain points to a reader on a different level. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses several literary devices to give his novel The Scarlet Letter depth. One of these devices is symbolism. Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to convey certain points or themes to the reader by using ordinary objects. Three of the elements he uses as symbols are the settings of the Puritan town and the forest and weather. The first of the two main settings is the Puritan town which includes the prison and the scaffold. The Puritan law is based on their religion. The town maintains a sense of strict moral values and disciplin