Theme Of Nature Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter

By revealing this small, hidden regret, he exposes Hester’s tortured state of mind. Unable to reach salvation in the town she desired to live in, she regretfully decided to leave and abandon her sorrows. The burden society placed on her with the scarlet letter was too demanding for her to handle any longer. Similarly, Arthur Dimmesdale was distressed from his ignominy. Afraid of societal repercussions, Dimmesdale had been “overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast” (102). Society’s extensive honor toward him exacerbated his pain, thus causing society to trap Dimmesdale; this prevented him from revealing his dark secret and reaching salvation. Additionally, he began to picture his surroundings as an obstacle designed to hinder his path to redemption. His shortcoming to reach salvation agonized Dimmesdale to the point where he was incapable of recalling “[any] text of Scripture, nor aught else, except a brief, pithy, and, as it then appeared to him, unanswerable argument against the immorality of

This fact is demonstrated as she casts off her letter and her stigma in society, as in the wilderness no judgment is held against her, and thus, she is more pure and noble. Dimmesdale is able to cast aside societal standards as well, showing affection for Hester in the forest: “‘Do I feel joy again?’ cried he, wondering at himself. ‘Methought the germ of it was dead in me! Oh, Hester, thou art my better angel! I seem to have flung myself— sick, sin-stained, and sorrow-blackened—down upon these forest leaves, and to have risen up all made anew”. Dimmesdale is no longer being held in guilt by those surrounding him and isn’t being slowly driven to insanity hourly by Chillingworth. The Puritan society, with such high respect for the reverend, showed to how high of a standard he had to conform to. Remaining in the Puritan lifestyle caused him to become ill by the day, as his guilt crept up slowly but powerfully upon him, and Chillingworth, a symbol for his guilt, slowly tortures Dimmesdale morally. The forest sets the reverend free from his guilt and sin, absolving and rebirthing him such that he can feel joy once again, a noble man again, plagued by no illness, and feels once again sane and real, lest he return to society and back to the

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic The Scarlet Letter, nature plays a very important and symbolic role.  Hawthorne uses nature to convey the mood of a scene, to describe characters, and to link the natural elements with human nature.  Many of the passages that have to do with nature accomplish more than one of these ideas.  All throughout the book, nature is incorporated into the story line. The deep symbolism conveyed by certain aspects of nature helps the reader gain a deeper understanding of the plight and inner emotions of the characters in the novel.

Her decision to stay in the town is a form of self-penance which Hester uses to punish herself. Hester’s home is far from the town, but in close proximity to the woods. The woods symbolize her closeness to freedom from her exile, but she is tied to the place of her sin. She believed that New England “should be the place of her earthly punishment (Hawthorne 74).” However, she does meet with Reverend Dimmesdale in the woods, which closely connects both of them to the “Black Man, who haunts the forest”, who is the Devil and the ultimate symbol of evil (Hawthorne 72). She is also described as living in a “moral wilderness”, meaning that her exile from society caused her to develop her own ideas outside of the established ones of the

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne's work, The Scarlet Letter, nature plays a very symbolic role. Throughout the book, nature is incorporated into the story line. One example of this is with the character of Pearl. Pearl is very different than all the other characters due to her special relationship with Nature. Hawthorne personifies Nature as sympathetic towards sins against the puritan way of life. Hester's sin causes Nature to accept Pearl.

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne often demonstrates the frailty of humans. Nature is often described as beautiful, while the Puritan society and human nature are viewed in a harsh light. Hawthorne illustrates that human nature is flawed and judgmental through use of figurative language, critical diction, and symbolism.

Hawthorne does not only use human or people for symbolism. He also uses inanimate objects to project his themes and morals. There are many different things used iron, a rosebush, scaffolds, and of course the scarlet letter. In The Scarlet Letter the author might directly state what the objects represents or it might be left to the reader to decide for themselves what the object means.

Danish author Hans Christian Andersen once said, “Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” A person should be able to find beauty in nature to truly live their life. Nature gives symbols for how life happens. Every spring trees comeback to life and every winter trees “die”. Sunshine gives warmth and life to the plants. By being free to live however they please, plants are given the truth of how life truly is. People have to find nature and believe in the power of nature to explore life. Just as Hans Christian Andersen believes one should find nature, Nathaniel Hawthorne believes nature should be shown in The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, nature uncovers the truth about

In nearly everything she does, as a young child, she finds immense pleasure. However, the forest is also a safe place. the unhappy culprit sustained herself as best a woman might, under the heavy weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes all fastened upon her, and concentrated on her bosom. Her existence came from what Puritanism deems “evil”. Hester demonstrates human naturalness by obeying her instinctual urges and having a relationship with Reverend Dimmesdale.

Transcendentalist philosopher Emerson once noted that “the universe is composed of Nature and the soul” (qtd. in Perkins 591). The vitality of nature’s power is one of the fundamental pillars of Transcendentalism. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter mirrors this concept, nature playing a vital role in the story from cover to cover. From the influence of the nature (specifically the forest, flowers, and sunlight), on the plot, there is a common theme shown throughout the novel. Hawthorne implemented these elements in The Scarlet Letter to emphasize how nature is a ways of shining light on the truth.

Why, you can hardly walk without tripping over one commandment or another. Come to me, and be masterless” (Hawthorne 186).  Truly, Hester takes advantage of this, as soon as Arthur Dimmesdale appears.  She openly talks with Dimmesdale about unmentionable subjects which seem inappropriate in any place other than the forest: “What we did...had a consecration of its own. We felt it so! We said to each other” (Hawthorne 194)!  This exclamation shocks Dimmesdale.  He tells Hester to stop and quiet down, but he eventually realizes that he is in an environment where he can express his emotions.  The thought of Hester and Dimmesdale in an intimate conversation in the confines of the society in which they live is incomprehensible.  Yet here, in the forest, they throw away all reluctance and act as themselves under the umbrella of security which exists there in the forest.

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many forms of symbolism in his book The Scarlet Letter. Symbolism is, according to Merriam-Webster, “the art or practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visual or sensuous representations.” This means that the author was using objects to represent an action or idea. The symbols used in his book is either all physical or visible objects. Many of the symbols in the book are about characters.Nathaniel’s ideas came from his bonds with the Puritans. According to CliffsNotes, “the Puritans had great difficulty in loving the sinner and hating the sin”. With the Puritans strong hatred for sin,

The forest itself is the very embodiment of freedom. Nobody watches in the woods to report misbehavior, so it is here that people may do as they wish. It is here that many of the pivotal characters bring forth hidden thoughts and emotions. It is here that Dimmesdale openly acknowledges Hester and his undying love for her. The thought of Hester and Dimmesdale having an intimate conversation in the confines of the society in which they live is incomprehensible. Yet here, in the forest, they can throw away all reluctance and finally be themselves under the umbrella of security the wilderness provides.

The town is at first a location where there is a constant human presence, many of whom are Puritan townspeople. However in the forest there is hardly any people in it´s mysterious trees because of the fear that the denizens have of what lurks there. Moreover the role of the forest changes as the story progresses, as previously stated before it was at first interpreted as a place of evil and Hawthorne describes it as gloomy and dark. But near the end it becomes a place of unparalleled hope and purity for Hester. The town´s role nonetheless does not change, Hawthorne gives the reader an exact description throughout the first chapter to reveal the characteristics.

The natural world played a crucial role in “The Scarlet Letter”. As human emotion and nature is heavily emphasized, Hawthorne made it seem that he believed in the strong connection between the two. He made the forest his main stage for the novel and explored the empowering forces that nature brought forth. Throughout the novel, it is made very clear that the forest is seen as Hester’s safe haven as she is isolated from the community. It provided Hester comfort, healing, and life, also allowing her to become her truest self. The spirit of nature is also highlighted as it is embodied into Hester’s child, Pearl. Out of all the characters, Pearl is very different due to the emphasized relationship she has with nature. It is shown that because of Hester’s sins, it causes nature to accept Pearl. Hawthorne brings nature to life making it seem to empathize with the child. The empathy is shown as Pearl is seen trying to catch the light the sun gives off. Hawthorne describes the acceptance she receives as he declares that the light lingers onto the child, as if happy to be her playmate, and how the great forest accepts her as one of their own. As Hester connects with the natural spirit, it enables her to rekindle her forbidden love with Dimmesdale. The solitude that nature provides allows the two to rediscover themselves and their love. As they meet years after their affair in the forest, it is almost as though the disapproval and judgement from their town had never existed. The natural world pervades the couple with peace and strength. The shame that the town imposes onto Hester gives off a feeling that seems unnatural while the unity feeling that Hester and Dimmesdale gets from the forest is seen as and feels natural. Not only has Hawthorne shown romanticism