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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 ...

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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 did..." ...

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The Scarlet Letter - Puritan Society. (2008, June 26). Retrieved October 2, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Scarlet-Letter-Puritan-Society/85851

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PAPER DETAILS

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

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