Symbolism In Puritan Society

Hawthorne displays images of the forest that stand in stark contrast to the images given to Puritan society. The narrator describes Puritan culture as the “black flower of civilized society” (43). This picture gives the setting a sense of cold confinement because of the strict Puritan culture and ideals. Within the novel, the narrator portrays this civilization as strict and orderly, requiring religious obedience from all its citizens. However, the forest is “wild, heathen,” and “never subjugated by human law…” (186). This contrast shows the wild and untamed side of society that the Puritans attempt to prohibit and control. Hester and Arthur Dimesdale plan to escape the grasp of Puritan civilization, and Hester exclaims that the farther they go, the more the “‘yellow leaves will show no vestige of the white man’s tread’” (180). She goes on to describe to Dimesdale that: “‘So brief a journey would bring thee from a world where

The forest contains much light and symbols of freedom, but the narrator provides evidence of its fallen qualities through images such as the broken and fallen trees in the brook. When Mistress Hibbins sees Hester Prynne, she wonders whether or not Hester will be “‘merry company in the forest for the Black Man’” (105). The forest offers protection from the eyes of religious scrutiny, allowing sin and darkness to establish a solid ground of influence. Similarly, the narrator often depicts Chillingworth “emerging from he perilous wilderness,” (106) or picking herbs along its boundary. As seen in his relationship with Arthur Dimesdale, Chillingworth desires to tap into the power of the forest in order to control people. The narrator states that the forest is “never subjugated by human law,” (186) and therefore permits the wildness of fallen human