Red is a color that often evokes strong emotions and associations. Throughout history and across cultures, the color red has developed rich symbolic meanings. In literature, the use of the color red can have multiple meanings and effects. Writers use red descriptions to create specific moods, highlight themes, and reveal attributes about characters. Understanding the symbolism of the color red in literature provides deeper insight into the messages and intentions of the author.
Passion, Love, and Romance
One of the most common symbolic meanings of the color red is love, passion, and romance. Red is associated with the heart, and descriptions of red objects or clothing often symbolize love or passion. Writers use red to represent romance, sexual attraction, strong emotions, and intimate connections between characters.
For example, in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the rosebush outside the prison and the embroidered red “A” represent the passion and secrecy in the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale. The red letter symbolizes the adulterous love that produced their daughter Pearl.
In literature, red often represents scandalous love affairs,
forbidden romance, and dangerous passion outside of marriage.
It can also represent healthy romantic feelings, like in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice where Mr.Darcy’s intense love for Elizabeth is symbolized through his purchase of a red piano just for her use.
Anger, Aggression, and Violence
While red can symbolize positive concepts like love and passion, it also has connotations of anger, aggression, and violence. The color red evokes blood, rage, and physical force. Writers often use red to represent destructive emotions, cruel actions, bloody scenes, and violent characters.
In Shakespeare’s play Othello, red comes up repeatedly in
scenes related to anger, aggression, and murder. Iago
talks of Othello’s face turning red with rage, red is the color of blood when Othello kills Desdemona, and red berries stain the white handkerchief that leads to false accusations of adultery. The recurring image of red underscores the violent passions that drive the
tragic outcome of the play.
Charlotte Bronte uses red to symbolize Bertha’s insane anger and cruel nature in Jane Eyre. The “red-room” represents Bertha’s madness, and Jane’s childhood trauma in the red-room foreshadows
her encounter later in life with Bertha’s fiery rage.
The redness depicts Bertha’s fiery, uncontrollable anger.
So while red can show romance, it also frequently appears
when destructive anger and violence arise in literature.
Courage, Sacrifice, and Redemption
While red holds connotations of both love and anger, it
can also symbolize positive qualities like courage,
sacrifice, and redemption.
In literature, the “red badge of courage” is a phrase used
to represent honorable wounds acquired in battle. When
characters willingly suffer violence or make
sacrifices that result in the shedding of red blood,
their actions may take on a redemptive quality.
For example, in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf the Grey
falls into the depths while fighting the Balrog demon.
He returns transformed into Gandalf the White, reborn
and more powerful after the trial of sacrificial “red fire.” His red sacrifice results in
a more courageous and pure resurrection.
Red is also often associated with acts of courage and
selflessness. Characters who show red blood while
performing brave, virtuous acts demonstrate redemptive
and honorable qualities. The red wounds symbolize their
integrity and willingness to suffer for the greater good.
Sin, Corruption, and immortality
While red can symbolize positive qualities, it also has
connotations of sin, corruption, degradation, and immorality in literature.
Descriptions of red often accompany characters who are corrupt, degenerate, or caught in
immoral situations. Red lights in seedy districts,
red-painted lips, or a woman in a red dress can represent
the sinful allure of sexuality, deception, even evil.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the red “A”
represents the sin of adultery. Hester wears the red symbol as a mark of disgrace, and it represents the moral and social corruption of her affair with Dimmesdale.
In Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Tess’s mouth is described as “red, ripe strawberries” when she is with Alec, who rapes and impregnates her. The redness conveys how Alec has corrupted her innocence.
Red can thus symbolize human weakness, moral degradation, and the loss of purity in literature. It underscores moments when characters succumb to immorality.
Revolution, Defiance, and Radical Change
The bold vibrancy of red makes it an energizing color, associated with radical change and revolution. Literature may use red to represent revolutionary ideas to overthrow oppressive establishments.
In George Orwell’s 1984, the defiant posters with a “bold
red and black” design reflect the underground revolutionary sentiments of Winston and Julia against the totalitarian state. Their forbidden love embodies radical rebellion.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the
description of a red rosebush outside the prison could
also hint at defiance against the Puritan establishment
and its rigid rules. Hester’s scarlet “A” embodies a
refusal to conform to society’s judgment of her affair.
Other associations of the color red with socialism, communism, and left-wing politics can further connect it to revolutionary upheaval and the upending of traditional power structures in literature.
Warning, Danger, and Death
As the color of blood, red can also symbolize danger, wounds, violence, and death in literature. Red is a stimulating color that signals urgency and demands attention. Writers may use red to create an ominous mood and sense of impending peril.
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the vampire’s red eyes symbolize his bloody, murderous nature. Blood oozing from a buried box and the red scarf of one of Dracula’s victims represent his threat.
In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, the red flag hoisted on the back of the Pequod signals blood and carnage to come, foreshadowing the doom of Ahab’s quest to kill the white whale.
Flashing red lights, blood-red moons, red omens in dreams, and even red sunsets can symbolize approaching danger, violence, death, or the supernatural in literature. A character’s red wounds after a tragic battle can solidify the gravity and bloodshed of war.
So red often serves as a visual warning cue associated with blood, wounds, violence, and death in literature. It creates an ominous atmosphere of imminent doom.
Power, Prestige, and Nobility
In contrast to its associations with sin, red can also
symbolize power, prestige and nobility in some contexts. In medieval societies and monarchies, red was a color tied to kings, nobles, and cardinals. The natural rarity and brilliance of the dye resulted in red clothing being synonymous with status and wealth.
In Shakespeare’s plays like Henry V and Julius Caesar, the red blood of noble characters like King Henry and Caesar represents their sovereignty and high rank. Their lives have added significance due to the prestige of their red blood.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the sumptuous red embroidery of the letter “A” attracts attention to Hester’s nobility as “lady-like” despite her sin, reminding the reader of her original status.
Descriptions of red flags with coats of arms, red robes at Harvard graduation, or a red carpet at a gala can similarly evoke a mood of regal pomp and honor in literature.
Spirituality, Divinity, and Ritual
As the most intense hue in the spectrum, red has spiritual symbolism in literature ranging from love and sacrifice to wrath and ritual.
In Christianity, red holds ambivalent meanings. It represents the blood of Christ and sacrifice, but also wrathful judgment. In Buddhism, red is associated with serenity and clarity. In Hindu culture, married women wear red to symbolize auspiciousness and prosperity.
Rituals, magical objects, and characters in literature may incorporate red to denote their spiritual potency. Zoroastrian and Greek/Roman mythologies believed red held mystical protective powers.
In Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See, the luminously red stone rumored to grant immortality to its holder connects to ancient spiritual beliefs in its powers. Red has mystical associations of fate and magical abilities across world religions and myths.
Conclusion
In summary, red is a complex color that symbolizes a wide gamut of meanings in literature. While associated with love and passion, it can also denote anger, violence and sin. Red conveys courage and redemption, but also danger and death. It represents prestige alongside moral corruption. Red is bold and energizing, mysterious and mystical. Ultimately red is vibrant with life, emotion,
and symbolic depth in literature.