ipl-logo

The Forest In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

488 Words2 Pages

In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, the forest was negatively portrayed as an equivalent to hell. The townspeople never spoke of it, but it was a mutual understanding that it was filled with evil. The mysterious forest was the home of the Black Man, a symbol of Satan. In the Puritan mindset, the Black Man was evil and their pristine lifestyles struggled with allowing such darkness to be spoken in their lives. The geographic layout of the land had a deeper meaning than what meets the eye. Hester and Pearl lived outside of the city and outside of their home was the forest. Pearl struggled her entire life with never being able to fit in with the Puritans. She was a product of her mother’s sin, which made her evil in the eyes of the townspeople, yet she was not the one who committed the act. Much like the layout of the land, Hester and Pearl were stuck between the Puritans who criticized them and the mysterious forest. After Hester nearly loses custody of Pearl, Mistress Hibbins tries to convince Hester into going into the forest with her (Hawthorne 66). We later come to find that she is a witch, wanting to bring Hester into the dark and evil forest while she was in a vulnerable state. Hester and Pearl go into the forest in hopes to find Dimmesdale while he was on a walk like her normally does. While they are there, Pearl sees a glimpse of sunlight which she suggests to be running from Hester because of the scarlet letter on her …show more content…

Although the efforts of Dimmesdale and Hester to keep their secret under wraps, the truth came out eventually. The forest changed in Hester’s eyes throughout the story. In the beginning, it was frightening and evil, however in the end, she desired to be there so that should could get the chance to speak to her one true love. Work Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Lexington: n.p., 2016. Print
Hawthorne 66
Hawthorne 106
Hawthorne

Show More
Related

What Are The Similarities Between The Scarlet Letter And Their Eyes Were Watching God

678 Words | 3 Pages

When Dimmesdale, Hester’s secret lover, lets down Hester’s hair in the woods it was to symbolize the release of her

Read More

Hester Prynne Guilt Quotes In Scarlet Letter

934 Words | 4 Pages

Several days later, Hester meets Dimmesdale in the forest, where she removes the scarlet letter from her dress and identifies her husband and his desire for revenge. In this conversation, she convinces Dimmesdale to leave Boston in secret on a ship to Europe where they can start life anew. Renewed by this plan, the minister seems to gain new energy. Pearl, however, refuses to acknowledge either of them until Hester replaces her symbol of shame on her

Read More

Symbolism Of The Weeds In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

229 Words | 1 Pages

By analyzing Hawthorne’s use of the juxtaposition of Pearl’s mannerisms and the symbolism of the weeds, it is evident that he conveys a disapproval of the rigidity of the Puritans, which establishes his blatant romanticism as an author. Preceding the following passage, Hester Prynne, an adulteress, is given a punishment by the inflexible Puritans of public shame in the form of a red A, which is then represented in the product of that sin, her daughter, Pearl. Hawthorne, after using the symbolism of the rigid, solemn trees and Pearl’s disdain for them, goes on to compare the weeds to Pearl; “...the ugliest weeds of the garden were [the Puritan] children, whom Pearl smote down and uprooted unmercifully” (Hawthorne 98). Pearl exemplifies wildness

Read More

Juxtaposition In The Scarlet Letter

426 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the passage from The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Hester’s baby, Pearl, to illuminate the theme of beauty in a dark place. Once released from prison, Hester, an adulterer, becomes a public spectacle. Through this hard time, Hester has her daughter Pearl to soothe her and to bring her strength and hope for a better future. By using vivid imagery and juxtaposition, Hawthorne depicts Pearl as Hester’s happiness, light, and beauty during a sad and lonely time. While in Prison, Hester is all alone and depressed.

Read More

Comparison Of Hester And Dimmesdale In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

299 Words | 2 Pages

Hester and Dimmesdale have a very unique love for eachother. Their love is reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet in the way that they are not able to pursue it. They are people who have been hardened and hurt by their past mistakes. They share that connection with each other unlike anyone else. Hester and Pearl go to meet up with Dimmesdale in the forest in complete effort to keep their relationship a complete secret.

Read More

How Does Hester Change Throughout The Scarlet Letter

686 Words | 3 Pages

As two main characters in The Scarlet Letter, which is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester and Dimmesdale are committed adultery, therefore, the scarlet letter is patched on Hester’s chest. Accordingly, Hester and Dimmesdale have some similarities and differences. Both of the characters have the same sin, love each other, love Pearl , and indeed, they have been changed by their sin. On the other hand, the way that Hester and Dimmesdale deal with their sin is totally different, and it brings them to different ending as well. Hester and Dimmesdale love each other deeply, even though they have changed totally since their identical sin has revealed.

Read More

Syntax In The Scarlet Letter

1592 Words | 7 Pages

The syntax in The Scarlet Letter mimics the previously mentioned dark yet romantic and descriptive tone of the novel. Maintaining its seriousness and formality, Hawthorne uses additions such as imagery, personification, metaphor, and symbolism to keep the book’s underlying flowery and romantic storyline. This complex writing style required Hawthorne to utilize very long and illustrative sentence structure. His dedication to detail is seen in his use of comparison to portray both beauty and ugliness. In fact, the only time we see short and choppy sentences is character dialogue and conversation.

Read More

How Arthur Dimmesdale's 'Transforms Hester In The Scarlet Letter'

1006 Words | 5 Pages

How the Scarlet Letter Transforms Hester In The Scarlet Letter, when Hester is first brought out on the scaffold to by publically shamed for her ignominy, Arthur Dimmesdale pleads with her to name him as her fellow sinner so that he will not have to reveal himself when he exclaims, "Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life.” Hester refuses him and Dimmesdale goes unnamed and unpunished until the very end of the story. While Dimmesdale refuses to accept responsibility for his sin, Hester embraces the shame of the community. It is this difference which causes Dimmesdale enormous amounts of guilt and pain while Hester in able to find peace with herself and with her situation.

Read More

How Hester Prynne Changes In Scarlet Letter

941 Words | 4 Pages

We are all sinners, no matter how hard we try to hide our faults, they always seem to come back, one way or another. Written in the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows us Hester Prynne and how one sin can change her life completely. Hester Prynne changes a great deal throughout The Scarlet Letter. Through the view of the Puritans, Hester is an intense sinner; she has gone against the Puritan way of life committing the highest act of sin, adultery. For committing such a sinful act, Hester must wear the scarlet letter while also having to bear stares from those that gossip about her.

Read More

Archetypes In Scarlet Letter

1099 Words | 5 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne's romantic novel The Scarlet Letter depicts Hester and Dimmesdale, sinners who deserve punishment by the oppressive Puritan society. Dimmesdale, however, avoids punishments through Hester’s silence, and Hester suffers through the punishment alone, broken. Hawthorne presents archetypes of darkness, color red, and star-crossed lover to establish tragedy within the contrasting characters of Hester and Dimmesdale. Hawthorne further informs the readers that consequence depends on the attitude towards punishment.

Read More

Dimmesdale's 'Judgment In The Scarlet Letter'

690 Words | 3 Pages

“The child’s own nature had been born amiss, —the effluence of her mother’s lawless passion, —and often impelled Hester to ask, in bitterness of heart, whether it were for ill or good that the poor little creature had been born at all” (Hawthorne, 541). This shows how much she has internalized the judgment of her peers. In many other chapters, Hester perceives Pearl as a positive outcome of her sin, but in this particular quotation, Hester is questioning if it was even worth it at all. These dark thoughts and feelings continue in this chapter when Hester contemplates

Read More

Societal Pressures In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

722 Words | 3 Pages

The sunlight entering the dark forest casting joy and rejuvenation upon the shadows parallels the emotions that come with casting something off that has defined her for so long. The relief is felt within Hester when the conflict is resolved between social obligations and personal feelings. The release Hester feels comes from and end of fighting her responsibility to the community by wearing the scarlet letter and being defined by her sin. All her life in the puritan community had been a struggle to keep her spirited personality against the community trying to brand her as a bad person and once she is free from the community’s judgements, represented by the letter, the pleasure felt comes from the release of her life long

Read More

Symbolism Of Pearl In Scarlet Letter

744 Words | 3 Pages

As stated in chapter six, "Her [Hester] only real comfort was when the child lay in the placidity of sleep. Then she was sure of her, and tasted hours of quiet, sad, delicious happiness; until—perhaps with that perverse expression glimmering from beneath her opening lids—little Pearl awoke!" (Hawthorne X) Pearl is Hester 's greatest treasure, but she cost Hester everything. Because of Pearl, Hester has no chance at a happy life, but Pearl brings her happiness. Pearl is almost like a paradox.

Read More

Reading Response To Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

1146 Words | 5 Pages

This effects her every day life going out in public and getting ridiculed by all the towns people she is surrounded by. Hester Prynne doesn’t just have to live with a mistake right on her shirt, but people also help her remember past. She does have her daughter or her “sole treasure.” The young girls name is pearl and she is not exactly like the others. It isn't easy because her and her mother are considered different in the community so she is lonely but very

Read More

Hester And Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter

743 Words | 3 Pages

Some of the differences between these two characters are also what makes them alike, as well as setting them apart from the rest of the characters in the book. Hester and Dimmesdale’s need to repent and face their punishments in their own ways leads the reader through the book with surprises at every turn. The characters face challenges from holding in a secret, and facing a punishment all relating to the same actions taken before the book begins. Hester, the mother of Pearl ,as well as the main character, was

Read More

More about The Forest In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Related Topics

Open Document