Scarlet Letter: The Harsh Puritan Society

The Scarlet Letter: The Harsh Puritan Society

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a rigid,
Puritanistic-structured society in which one is unable to divulge his or her innermost thoughts and secrets. Every human being needs the opportunity to express how they truly feel, or the emotion is bottled up until it becomes volatile. Unfortunately, Puritan society did not permit this expression, so characters had to seek alternate means in order to relieve themselves. 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 shelter for members of society in need of a refuge from daily life.

In the deep, dark portions
The eloquence of her words can not be overemphasized, and a more powerful statement had yet to be made in the book.
Hester's speech turns out bear a remarkable resemblance to one of Dimmesdale's sermons. "Begin all anew! … Preach! Write! Act!"(p. 188) The questions she asks also are like the articulate questions which Dimmesdale would pose during his sermons. The answer is obvious, yet upon closer examination they seem to give unexpected results. "Whither leads yonder forest-track? Backward to the settlement, thou sayest! Yea; but onward, too! Deeper it goes, and deeper into the wilderness… until, some few miles hence, the yellow leave will show no vestige of the white man's tread." (p. 187) If we look at the title of this chapter, the meaning becomes much clearer. "The Pastor and His Parishioner" reveals that the roles are now reversed. Where else could an incongruity such as this occur, but in an accepting environment? What other platform is there for a man of high regard in the community to pour his soul to a woman who is shunned by the public for a grave sin? Nowhere else but in the forest, could such an event occur.

Finally, the forest brings out the natural appearance, and natural
When Hester takes off her cap and unlooses her hair, we see a new person. We see the real Hester, who has been hidden this whole time under a shield of shame. Her eyes grow radiant, and a flush comes to her cheek. We recognize her as the Hester from chapter 1. The beautiful, attractive, person, who is not afraid to show her hair, and who is not afraid to display her beauty. The sunlight, which previously shunned Hester, now seeks her out, and the forest seems to glow. Dimmesdale has also come back to life, if only for a short time, and he is now hopeful and energetic. We have not seen this from Dimmesdale for a long time, and most likely will not see it ever again.

Puritan society can be harsh and crippling to one's inner self. Hawthorne created the forest to give the characters a place to escape and express their true thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. It was here that thoughts and ideas flowed as endlessly as the babbling brook, and emotion was as wild as the forest it self. There are no restraints in the natural world, because it is just that, natural. No intrusion from people means no disturbance in the natural order, and therefore serves to bring its inhabitants away from their world, and into this
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