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Loneliness And The Forrest In The Scarlet Letter

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Settings known as the town, which means lawfulness and purity, and the forrest, which means loneliness and purity. Both give great importance, and plays a key part. The story of The Scarlett Letter revolves around a young women named Hester Prynne, who commits the sin of adultery. She is punished for her sin with time in prison. After her time in prison is done, she starts a new life outside of the town with her daughter Pearl. There are key settings that are described in The Scarlet Letter; the town, which means lawfulness and purity and the forrest, which means darkness and evil. Setting is of great importance, as it plays a key part in the meaning of the story.
Setting establishes the meaning of the story through time, place and social environment. Setting plays a key role in creating the mood of the story. The Scarlett Letter takes place in the mid 17th century in a Puritan community. This community is religiously pure and very strict. This is evident in the quote, "In either case, there was very much the same solemnity of demeanor on the part of the spectators; as befitted a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical, and in whose character both were so throughly interfused, that the mildest and severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and …show more content…

It represents loneliness and evil. Loneliness is demonstrated in the quote, "And in the deep forest, where only the old trees can hear, and the strip of sky see it, he talks with thee, sitting on a heap of moss!"(Hawthorne 209) There is no one to hear her despair and she has no one to talk to or share her feelings with. Evilness is found in the quote , "Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the forest round us? Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?"(Hawthorne 71) The forrest is evil. The black man is symbolic of the devil. He is lurking in the forrest and wanting to destroy Hester's

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