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The Forest In The Scarlet Letter Essay

580 Words3 Pages

THE FOREST

Even though the Puritans believe the wilderness is an evil place, Hawthorne shows that the forest is not dark as the Puritans think and that the Natives' habitat is not evil. Hawthorne depicts the wilderness based on his own experiences as a relaxing, forgiving place that contrasts with the strict and persecuting town. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the forest as a symbol of freedom, in contrast to the town to criticize the persecuting stringent Puritan laws.

From the Puritan perspective, the forest or wilderness refers to "wild, heathen Nature of the forest, never subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth" (Hawthorne 194). The Puritans unsuccessfully attempt to segregate their town from the heathen forest, but Boston lays on "the wild outskirt of the earth" (Hawthorne 72). Since the townspeople perceive wilderness as a dark and evil place, filled with dangers, uncertainty, seclusion, evil spirits, witches, …show more content…

Hawthorne depicts the forest as a place of happiness and freedom from the Puritan society for Dimmesdale and Hester to escape from reality where only natural law rules apply. Hester Prynne and Minister Dimmesdale seek refuge and shelter from the Puritan society and judgment in the forest being as far away from society as possible (TSL 169). The forest allows Dimmesdale and Hester the freedom to express their feelings and emotions openly to each other and to plan their future together. The forest frees Hester and Dimmesdale from the corrupted strict Puritans’ law. In this world, Hester can relax and discuss her future with Dimmesdale away from Puritan law, values, and judgment. Therefore, the forest symbolizes freedom from the Puritan laws. By contrasting nature with Puritan society, Hawthorne successfully criticizes the

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