What Does The Forest Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter

From the beginning of the scarlet letter author Nathaniel Hawthorne starts off using symbolism. He represents the prison as a place of darkness and sin and describes the surrounding of the prison as old and worn. Then follows to tell the reader that there is a rosebush in the prison which is an odd place for it to be and it symbolizes the grace of God. Another major symbol in this story is Hester’s daughter Pearl, she illustrates the consequences of sin and the chance of redemption. The reason for Hester naming Pearl was that she was her only treasure and she lost all of the things she owned (her social status) to have her. Not to forget the biggest symbol The Scarlett letter which represents her sins, mistakes, skill, adultery, and much more. At first Hester wears the “fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread” on her breast as a punishment but as the story continues the “A” changes from Adultery to Able as she is seen different from all the good deeds she has done.

Throughout this scene of the Scarlet Letter, both Hester and Arthur possess common and conflicting beliefs about the forest which they seek privacy in. Hester appears to have a direct impact on the atmosphere surrounding the forest due to her change in emotion when she rids the scarlet letter off of her (a symbol of Puritan law) and the formal hat that hid her hair (a symbol of Puritan society). As determined by the text, "All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest, gladdening each green leaf, transmuting the yellow fallen ones to gold, and gleaming down the gray trunks of the solemn trees." Similarly to Hester, Arthur also has a reflection on the "forest" they use as a getaway from the hatred of the town.

The words of Jonathon Swift ring true throughout literature, where the protagonist of a story is often at odds with the social and moral values of their environment. This situation is beautifully exemplified in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In The Scarlet Letter, symbolism and imagery are used to reach the meaning that casting people away from society is ultimately wrong. The juxtaposition of the forest and the town, and the place in between where Hester lives, is used to show that punishing Hester by banishing her was uneffective.

forest is like a best friend. It treats her as if she were one of its own. The

            Nature is often used symbolically in The Scarlet Letter to describe people physically, emotionally, and socially.  Hawthorne uses this technique very effectively.  He gives the reader a good feel for the true psyche of some of the characters during different parts of the story.  An excellent example of how characters are revealed through nature is the description of the lone rose-bush.  It symbolizes Hester and the strength she

While in the town, villagers persecute and criticize her endlessly for the sin of adultery. She is faced with name calling such as “the naughty baggage” and forced to wear the scarlet “A” to display her sin (49). Hester has a hard life in the strict Puritan village, but the forest is a mysterious place “never subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth” (183). Although the forest is mysterious to others, Hester experiences it as an escape from the constant condemnation in the village which represents the punishment for her sin. In the forest, she does not have to be afraid of her feelings. It is the place where “she undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves” (182). Hester escapes to not feel like a failure and even plans to run away with her love, Dimmesdale. Hester’s punishment and penance are publicized in the village, but she is able to find a haven in the

One of the most obvious and insidious symbols that Nathaniel Hawthorne includes, hence the name “The Scarlet Letter”, is the scarlet letter “A” that is placed upon Hester’s chest. However, the majority of symbolism that Hawthorne includes, is not as prominent as that of the scarlet letter. Hawthorne includes a copious amount of symbolic meanings in his famous novel The Scarlet Letter that gives each chapter a deeper meaning.

The forest in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, represents an array of personas. Both rumors and scandal surround the forest, causing a biased view of this secluded location within the Puritan community. Yet, Hawthorne designates the forest as a place of truth, independence, and joy to those with secrets.

Beauty is often found in the most unexpected darkest places just like the rosebush outside of the prison door in a puritan colonial village. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, mentions that the rosebush symbolizes pride or a catastrophe that occurs, however, the thorns on the rosebush portray the struggles Hester Prynne had to face and overcome as society confronts their evilness when she presents herself with her child that is seen as a witch as a result of the sin her mother committed.

In the world today, people are not as in tune with nature as they should be. They are far too attached to the rules and restrictions of society to realize their individuality is being stifled, snuffed out, done away with. Societal rules expect that one understands without asking questions. However, that essence of individuality is essential. Without it, there are no new ideas, nothing to change, nothing to improve.

Every human being needs the opportunity to express how he or she truly feels, otherwise, the emotion builds up until they become volatile.  In Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter, life centers on a rigid Puritan society which does not allow open self-expression, so the characters have to seek alternate means in order to relieve their personal anguishes and desires. Luckily, Hawthorne provides such a sanctuary in the form of the mysterious forest. The forest is a sanctuary because it allows the freedom to love, the freedom to express emotions, the freedom for sympathy and the freedom to be one’s self.

Kira Newell Honors American Studies P3 9/22/14 Prompt #2 The Forest Is Your Oyster Amidst the emotionally stagnant and vengeful atmosphere of 17th century Boston, society rarely acknowledges the raw and transparent passion of the nature around them. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, the emotions characterized by the surrounding forest acts as an antithesis to the strict rules of puritanical society. The citizens associate sin and evil with the daunting unknown forest while others find it to be a sanctuary of solitude forgiveness.

Business, society and government are placed in different situations depending on what the conflict may be. According to the case “Dickinson’s needle sticks”, all three different sectors were placed in a different position where society was seen to have no voice or empowerment. The society in this case were the nurses, patients and any health care workers using Dickinson’s needles. These sectors solved their conflicts through interacting with each other and finalise a resolution through many negative and positive outcomes which could be ethical and unethical. But then again, each sector strive for the position of power.

In the novel Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne presenting the idea for humans to endure the laws of nature and conscience, rather than following the laws of man, to fulfill happiness. The novel consists of a young woman named Hester Prynne carrying her infant daughter named Pearl. The golden letter "A" embroidered on Hester’s bosom symbolizes adultery, a vile sin which is looked down upon in her community. She encounters Dimmesdale, an influential Puritan priest who commits adultery with Hester. Their main priority is to escape their society and live a new life. There are many symbols displayed in the Scarlet Letter, in particular, wilderness vs. civilization. The wilderness represents opposing behaviors while civilization represents bounded to rules.

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author presents three symbols that all reinforce the main idea of the novel. The main idea that reoccurred throughout the novel is that people don’t have to let their mistakes or circumstances determine who they are or what they become; it’s all in how one interprets life. Many symbols may seem as just an ordinary character or coincidental object to some readers, but the symbols have a deeper, underlying meaning. Although there are many symbols in this book, there are three that really help support the main idea: Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter, the meteor, and Hester’s daughter Pearl.