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In this book an attempt has been made to shed light on symbols, to decode the symbols and to identify the various interpretation it stand for. American literature in general is full of symbols from the days of early settlement to the present day. Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville and Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain all have used symbols in their respective works. In this book Nathaniel Hawthorne has been taken for study. His magnum opus "The Scarlet Letter" has been analysed from different angles. The symbolic significance of several characters and the ever changing meaning of the word "A" have been vividly studied. The effect of sin and its evil ramifications in human mind have also been analysed from Biblical point of view.

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Jayadev Kar , MA(English),M.Phil(English)., is currently teaching English Literature at Govt. Women´s College, Balangir. He is also a visiting fellow at Indira Gandhi National Open University, Balangir study center. His areas of interest are American Literature, Translation Studies and Commonwealth Literature.

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