All 8 Uses of

reflect

in

The Scarlet Letter

That look of naughty merriment was likewise reflected in the mirror, with so much breadth and intensity of effect, that it made Hester Prynne feel as if it could not be the image of her own child, but of an imp who was seeking to mould itself into Pearl's shape.
p. 73.1

reflected = shown (a scene back)

Just where she had paused, the brook chanced to form a pool so smooth and quiet that it reflected a perfect image of her little figure, with all the brilliant picturesqueness of her beauty, in its adornment of flowers and wreathed foliage, but more refined and spiritualized than the reality.
p. 140.3

reflected = showed (an image back)

In the brook, again, was the fantastic beauty of the image, with its reflected frown, its pointed finger, and imperious gesture, giving emphasis to the aspect of little Pearl.
p. 141.4

reflected = shown back

The child turned her eyes to the point indicated, and there lay the scarlet letter so close upon the margin of the stream that the gold embroidery was reflected in it.
p. 142.2 *

reflected = shown (back)

I know not that I especially needed the lesson, either in the way of warning or rebuke; but at any rate, I learned it thoroughly: nor, it gives me pleasure to reflect, did the truth, as it came home to my perception, ever cost me a pang, or require to be thrown off in a sigh.†
p. 24.3

It would not reflect, or only with miserable dimness, the figures with which I did my best to people it.†
p. 29.1

It throws its unobtrusive tinge throughout the room, with a faint ruddiness upon the walls and ceiling, and a reflected gleam upon the polish of the furniture.†
p. 30.2

Letting the eyes follow along the course of the stream, they could catch the reflected light from its water, at some short distance within the forest, but soon lost all traces of it amid the bewilderment of tree-trunks and underbrush, and here and there a huge rock covered over with gray lichens.†
p. 125.8

Definitions:

(1) (reflect as in: reflect in the mirror)
show an image back (on a mirror or other shiny surface)
(2) (reflect as in: reflect American Values)
to show something -- such as to demonstrate, express, or represent
The exact meaning of this sense of reflect depends upon its context. For example:
- "She says the immorality in the movie reflects American values." -- expresses or represents
- "It reflects the selfishness she had seen growing for years." -- demonstrates
- "She did not reflect the panic that surrounded her." -- demonstrate or show indication of
(3) (reflect as in: I want to reflect on it.)
think carefully -- possibly aloud or in writing
(4) (reflect as in: reflect poorly on the school)
influence opinion

This word is often used in a phrase like "reflect poorly on/upon...." Although we define this meaning of reflect as "influence opinion", the use of "upon" or "on" might feel more natural if you think of it as "casting a shade of good or bad upon/on" something.
(5) (reflect as in: reflect the light/heat/sound)
bounce back (rather than absorbing)