Pathetic Fallacy In The Scarlet Letter

731 Words3 Pages

Hawthorne intentionally chooses the setting for chapters 16-19 to be set in the forest. The forest is Hester’s and Dimmesdale’s secret hideout. In the woods, they are able to shut out society and secretly focus on their love for each other. The forest has elements that gives Hawthorne the ability to include pathetic fallacy into the story and manipulate how he tells the story. After many years, Hester is finally happy, but she only expresses this feeling when she is around the only people who she truly loves and cares about, which is Pearl and Dimmesdale. In contrast, Hawthorne mentions how the Brook represents sadness and depression, which develops symbolism and theme into the story.
The feeling of happiness that a character feels is represented …show more content…

When Hester first introduces the idea to leave Boston and start a new life elsewhere, Dimmesdale becomes anxious. Later on, he starts to considered her idea, and realizes that it seems possible. He catches himself falling more in love with Hester. He realizes that he cannot live without her and she is the only one he can trust. Immediately, his chest starts to glow. His chest glows because the thought of running away with Hester and Pearl makes him happy. This creates theme, because the readers notice the love between Hester and …show more content…

Pearl is the product of the A, thus when she sees Hester without the A, she gets upset. When Pearl is in the forest, she spends most of her time near the Brook. Hawthorne uses the brook as a symbol of sadness. The brook symbolizes the release of all the guilt and sins committed. Hawthorne mentions how the brook reflects Pearl’s image. On the outside, Pearl is this beautiful and happy little girl, but on the inside she represents the hostilely and violent part of the scarlet letter. The brook also divides Pearl and Hester, one side receiving the sunlight and the other does not. The imagery that is created with the brook, develops a central theme, which is, where there is happiness, there is also