Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
The Scarlet Letter - Puritan Society - Online Term Paper

The Scarlet Letter - Puritan Society

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, 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 ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

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 did..." ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.

Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE:

APA
MLA
Chicago
Turabian

The Scarlet Letter - Puritan Society. (2008, June 26). Retrieved October 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Puritan-Society/85851

"The Scarlet Letter - Puritan Society." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 26 Jun. 2008. Web. 22 Oct. 2025. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Puritan-Society/85851>

"The Scarlet Letter - Puritan Society." Essayworld.com. June 26, 2008. Accessed October 22, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Puritan-Society/85851.

JOIN NOW

Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays

PAPER DETAILS

Added: 6/26/2008 03:52:54 PM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Free Paper
Words: 1107
Pages: 5

Save |

Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS

Save and find your favorite essays easier