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The Scarlet Letter: Symbolism Of The Forest In Puritan Society - Online Term Paper

The Scarlet Letter: Symbolism Of The Forest In Puritan Society

In the democracy that America holds presently, government attempts
to make society much less harsh and more easygoing. In Nathaniel
Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a
seventeenth century, rigid Puritan society in which one is unable to
express his or her innermost thoughts and secrets. Every human being needs
the opportunity to express how he or she truly feels, otherwise their
emotions can become bottled up until some-sort of outlet is granted.
Unfortunately, Puritan society did not permit self-expression, thus
characters had to seek alternative means to relieve their personal
anguishes and desires. In this novel, Hawthorne provides a sanctuary in
the form ...

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where all humankind, can
open up and naturally be themselves, and here that Dimmesdale openly
acknowledges Hester and his undying love for her. In the forest, Hester
can also do the same for Dimmesdale, such as the time when she revealed
her actual relationship with Chillingworth to Dimmesdale- "O Arthur, cries
Hester, "forgive me! In all things else I have to be true!... That Old
man!- the physician- he whom they call Roger Chillingworth!- he was my
husband!" (Hawthorne, 177) Finally, in the forest the two characters can
openly engage in conversation without being preoccupied with the
constraints that Puritan society places on them.

The forest itself is the most noted symbol of freedom portrayed in
the novel. Nobody watches the woods to report misbehavior, thus it is here
that people may do as they wish. To independent spirits such as Hester
Prynne's, the wilderness is her niche. Indeed Hester takes advantage of
this, when Arthur Dimmesdale appears. She openly talks with ...

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The Scarlet Letter: Symbolism Of The Forest In Puritan Society. (2007, July 7). Retrieved January 12, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Scarlet-Letter-Symbolism-Forest-Puritan-Society/67626

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"The Scarlet Letter: Symbolism Of The Forest In Puritan Society." Essayworld.com. July 7, 2007. Accessed January 12, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Scarlet-Letter-Symbolism-Forest-Puritan-Society/67626.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 7/7/2007 10:38:40 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Free Paper
Words: 1001
Pages: 4

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