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Scarlet Letter - Papers Online

Scarlet Letter

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The , life is centered
around a rigid Puritan society in which one is unable to divulge his
or her innermost thoughts and secrets. Every human being needs the
opportunity to express how he or she truly feels, otherwise the
emotions are bottled up until they become volatile. Unfortunately,
Puritan society did not permit this kind of expression, thus
characters had to seek alternate means to relieve their personal
anguishes and desires. Luckily, at least for the four main characters,
Hawthorne provides such a sanctuary in the form of the mysterious
forest. Hawthorne uses the forest to provide a kind of "shelter" for
members of society in need of a refuge ...

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here that
Hester can do the same for Dimmesdale. Finally, it is here that the
two of them can openly engage in conversation without being
preoccupied with the constraints that Puritan society places on them.
The forest itself is the very embodiment of freedom. Nobody
watches in 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 beckons her: Throw off the shackles of law
and religion. What good have they done you anyway? Look at you, a
young and vibrant woman, grown old before your time. And no wonder,
hemmed in, as you are, on every side by prohibitions. Why, you can
hardly walk without tripping over one commandment or another. Come to
me, and be masterless. (p.186)
Truly, Hester takes advantage of this, when Arthur Dimmesdale
appears. She openly talks with Dimmesdale about subjects which would
never be mentioned in any place other than the forest. "What we ...

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Scarlet Letter. (2007, March 15). Retrieved January 16, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Scarlet-Letter/61800

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/15/2007 11:23:14 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1105
Pages: 5

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