The Freedom Of The Forest In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Freedom of the Forest The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses on the Puritan culture of Plymouth, Massachusetts during the 1600s. In this story, the main character, Hester Prynne, wears an embroidered “A” on her chest to proclaim her sin of adultery. Her crime shadows her every move and keeps her from living a fulfilling life as the town judges her for her past actions. Her only escape came when she goes to her house in the forest on the edge of town. This forest symbolizes three different sides of freedom – spiritual freedom, social freedom, subjugated freedom – freedom that she endures without the burden of society’s discrimination. Historically, the Puritan belief system places strict rules on its followers that suffocate Hester’s spiritual being. The forest

Hester ranks at the bottom of the class ladder because her sin can be seen by every person that looks at her, yet Dimmesdale is still regarded as one of the best ministers of his time and tops the ladder (Hawthorne, 2003). Even though they committed the exact same sin, the town only looks down on Hester. The letter labels her as the town whore who deserves to be treated as filth. In contrast, when she’s in the forest, the social classes disappear; she wanders freely. Now, Dimmesdale and Hester have the same standing, which gives them the opportunity to act like they once did before the letter. Sin doesn’t divide the two until Dimmesdale remembers the letter carved into his chest (Hawthorne, 2003). He pulls away from Hester as if he’s afraid the townspeople will see them and make the connection that he’s the father of Hester’s child. He yearns to be with Hester, but he cannot get over the thought of losing his position as minister. The class system created by society controls their relationship – a relationship repressed by male figures and disunity of