Hester Prynne committed a crime that is difficult to discuss. He has sparked a huge scandal in the small community he comes from. He committed the crime of adultery. She was tried and sentenced to wear the scarlet letter “A” which stands for adultery. She is forced to be publicly shamed for what she did. The scarlet letter "A" is an important symbol in this story. It symbolizes a different thing, something different for each of the characters in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It's a huge symbol for Hester; it all starts with her. So the scarlet "A" means many things to Pearl, many of which are different from her mother. Ultimately the letter means something entirely different to Dimmesdale, the father of Hester's adulterous child. The Scarlet Letter is the backstory of the entire book-novel. It is one of the most symbolic symbols in the entire book. It really makes us understand what the book is about. It makes a person really use their head and think what the purpose of the letter is. The scarlet letter is a symbol for many things in the book and means many different things to different people. For Hester, the book's main character, it means more. Hester begins the book, everything begins with her. Because of her actions she is what causes the Boston community to invent the scarlet letter A. To her the letter means a couple of different things. For example, it is a symbol to the public of the crime she committed. It will be with her for the rest of her life and always haunt her. They make her wear it to cause pain to her and the child's father. It is also to always cause pain and suffering to Pearl. He will always remind people in the community, now and later, of what he did. They will never let her forget what she did. The public was ashamed