The Scarlet Letter: The Symbolic Scaffold Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the powerful scaffold setting three times throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter to portray the themes woven into his tale of sin. The title of Hawthorne’s novel alludes to the fact that the scarlet A, the symbol of Hester Prynne’s adultery, plays a main role in the plot of the story. Each scene that takes place on the scaffold includes the symbolic letter. The Scarlet Letter has three powerful scenes, each one being more climactic than the previous, and each taking place on the scaffold. Hawthorne opens the novel with a main character, Hester Prynne being led out of a prison and then taken to th