Symbolism of the Forest in the Scarlet Letter

Symbolism of the Forest in The sanguine earn In The support of Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, For what other dungeon is so dark as wizards own breast What jailer so brutal as champions self Hawthorne asserts that any individual becomes a hostage of his or her own heart. This idea is queered through egress The Scarlet Letter to portray how Puritans lived under the constant repression of the Puritan fiat. Puritan corporation lived by laws that entirelyowed no means of riddom or felicity and kept their citizens under a strict moral law code.The Puritan nicety imprisons members of society to the point where they be crying out for vindicatedom. Therefore, hostages of his or her own heart embark on a journey to unloosen themselves. This is displayed continuously in The Scarlet Letter through its use of the wood. In the wise the afforest consists of multiple meanings. It serves as a nonher world apart from the Puritan society, and it provides a haven i n which people break still from the social order.Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the forest as a figureic figure to exemplify handsome will, bring out the vivid personalities of the characters, and to represent a dark civilization within the Puritan society. First, the forest is a symbol to epitomize free will in The Scarlet Letter by presenting the forest as a safe haven with no rules or individuals who scrutinize every action being made. Thus, the townspeople approach the forest to reign free with their desires and longings.For example, Hester longs to meet Dimmesdale and determines that the forest is the safest place as she is allowed to meet with him wi yardt the town knowing. As Hester and Dimmesdale greet from each one other, it was like the first encounter, in the world beyond the unplayful, of two spirits who had been intimately connected in their former life, nevertheless now stood coldly (Hawthorne 198). For the first time in seven days they be able to meet with each other in nonpublic without needing to worry about being caught. Surrounded by the twilight in the forest, Hester and Dimmesdale slowly start to o frame up to each other.They freely unhorse to talk about starting a new life with each other as a family, and Hester slowly starts to become blissful. Hawthornes project here is to display how the forest functions as a world of happiness and love, and so the forests role is to create a free world without any fear. The forest allows these two young lovers to freely meet and be happy together. Where else, the rest of the novel surrounds itself in an aura of gloominess, this one scene in the novel permits Hester and Dimmesdale to be filled with love and joy.Also, during her conversation with Dimmesdale, Hester impulsively takes off the A upon her chest. It is the first and only time in the novel where Hester allows herself the freedom to remove the badge of shame. She heaved a long, deep sigh, in which the burden of shame and anguish departed from her spirit, oh exquisite relief She had not known the weight, until she felt freedom (Hawthorne 211). The forest lets Hester choose whether she agrees with the Puritan society or if she is against it.Her action of taking the A off represents her choice in breaking apart from the Puritan civilization. The Puritans view the A as a symbol that represents what they deem to be right, and when Hester takes it off her chest she is breaking free from what society thinks about her. Hesters courage to meet with Dimmesdale and the removal of the A represents how the forest exemplifies free will. Secondly, the forest also humansages to bring out the natural personalities of the characters.One of the characters Hawthorne uses to demonstrate this is fall. To Pearl, the forest is her best friend, a place where she is truly accepted. Hawthorne states, The righteousness seems to be, however, that the mother-forest, and these wild things which it nourish ed, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human chela (Hawthorne 213). In the forest, Pearl can be as bright and joyful as she wishes because the forest acknowledges her for who she is- a moody, curious, c ar-free, innocent, and intuitive child who also happens to be a social outcast.The forest also brings out her personality because of her connection with nature. Pearl is the romantic character in the novel due to her personality traits. She enjoys life and is constantly curious about the unexplainable, such as the identity of her father and the A on her mothers chest. In the forest, she is accepted as a friend by all the animals, and the light constantly chases her wherever she goes. The light represents truth and purity. It constantly surrounds Pearl because she is an innocent and also a child who had no doing in the in her parents committed. A second character who brings forth their inner traits in the forest is Hester. Hawthorne uses the forest to give life to Hester and pe rmits Hester to be herself again. She is first introduced as a beautiful, compassionate, and honest woman, only as the situation with the A becomes more grave Hester slowly starts to lose the characteristics she once possessed. After seven years of ache humiliation and punishment, Hester covers her hair under a cap and her beauty and love are now hidden beneath the A on her chest.However upon her abstruse rendezvous with the reverend, Hester takes off the cap on her head and all at once the air about her gradually starts to change. She becomes the person she once was, and her sex, her youth, her total richness of her beauty, came back from what men call the irrevocable past, and clustered themselves, with her initiatory hope, and a happiness before unknown, within the magic circle of this minute of arc (Hawthorne 212). She regains her sexuality, and not only does she become the person she was seven years ago, but symbolically, she removes the strict moral code of the Puritan society.Even though it is for a shortsighted period of time, the forest gives her the audacity to be herself again. The last character who brings forth their natural personality in the novel is Dimmesdale. He starts to regain himself in the forest upon his meeting with Hester, and for the first time in the novel, Dimmesdale is happy and optimistic. upright as Hester and Dimmesdale are conversing about their escape to restart their lives with Pearl, Dimmesdale begins to believe in happy endings and his concern for what society desires dissolves for a moment in the woods.The forest, in the end, brings out the natural individuality of the characters of Pearl, Hester, and Dimmesdale. Finally, the forest serves as a symbol to represent a dark civilization on the outskirts of the Puritan society. Hawthorne does this by presenting the readers with the story of the sear part in the forest. All throughout the novel, the morose Man of the forest is mentioned at various points. The story of the Black Man represents a sense of superstition and true temptation in the novel.Pearl states that the Black Man is an interesting figure who haunts this forest, and carries a book with him- a big, sedate book, with iron claps and how the ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to everybody that meets him here among the trees (Hawthorne 193). Symbolically, the Black Man represents the dimmorality and writing ones name in his book indicates submission to the devil and succumbing to sin. Hawthorne uses this story to display a darker world in the Puritan society and how certain characters are playing the devils advocate.It presents how another world filled with evil spirits and sin lies privileged the Puritan society. Another example to hold still for the symbolism of the forest as a dark world inside the Puritan society is with the character of prostitute Hibbins. She is known as the infant of Governor Bellingham and as the town witch. After Hesters meeting with the G overnor, fancy woman Hibbins approaches Hester and inquires if she would like to join her in the forest at night. She asks, Wilt thou go with us tonight?There will be a merry company in the forest and I wellnigh promised the Black man that comely Hester Prynne should make come (Hawthorne 12). This question illustrates the wickedness and secrecy of the forest. Mistress Hibbins clearly indicates the forest as the meeting place because there are no ears to listen to them chant their magic spells and nor are there look in the forest to scrutinize their actions. Hawthorne uses this scene to hint that there are supernatural qualities among individuals and the town.The forest demonstrates how it symbolizes the injustice within the Puritan society by using the Black Man of the forest and Mistress Hibbins. In the end, the logical implication of the forest in The Scarlet Letter is immense. The forest represents freedom and darkness hidden inside the Puritan society. It also allows the cha racters to become themselves again. As Hawthorne tell in The House of Seven Gables, humans are the prisoners of his or her own heart and they seek escape from it. In The Scarlet Letter, the forest was the one place where any individual was allowed the opportunity to escape.