The Forests Symbolisim in The Scarlet Letter Essay -- essays research

A Refuge from Prosecution The Forest in The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter is a tale of unending trial and punishment. For Hester Prynne, there is no exit from the shame and belittlement she has been forced to run away within prude society. However, like the puritans who had escaped prosecution by migrating from England to the upstart World, graphic symbols in The Scarlet Letter can escape the prosecution of puritan society by visiting the forest. It is a symbolic realm that embodies granting immunity and privacy, and the only sanctuary for those who seek liberty to express their true record, whether it be through acts of love, or heresy. The forest as a symbol of escape from puritan society is persistent throughout the novel through its call by the witches and the Black Man, Dimmesdale and Hester?s interactions there, and drop curtain?s union with nature there. From its earliest significant mention in the novel, the forest is visualized as a place of lawlessness and mys tery, as demonstrated by its close to frequent visitors, the witches, and the Black Man that inhabits it. Early in the book, after Hester and Pearl visit Governor Bellingham?s estate, they are accosted by cyprian Hibbins, who is referred to as a witch, and is in good company with the Black Man of the forest. Mistress Hibbins invites Hester to some sort of meeting that would take place that night in the forest, which unity can only assume is of some Satanic or heretical nature. ?Wilt thou go with us tonight (120) she asks, just Hester refuses. The Black Man and his book are themselves symbols of heresy and dissent from puritan law. The Black Man never shows himself to anyone in the novel or enters the village, instead, he lurks in the forest?s cover until those who choose to deviate f... ... covering a less hostile nature. She adorns herself with flowers, and is in ?closest sympathy with the old-fashioned wood.? (214) Through this description of Pearl, the forest takes on a sy mpathetic nature, and is portrayed as an environment where one can find peace with one?s surroundings and be in an environment where they feel amicability instead of antagonism. Of all the symbols in The Scarlet Letter, the forest is one of the most(prenominal) important. By providing an escape from the overbearing nature of puritan life, the forest allows characters to be presented in a different backdrop, it can serve as a place of both light and darkness, but above all, liberty. For every character that visits it, the forest is freedom, protection, and peace. Without it, there would be no contrast with the village as well as puritan society, and Hawthorne?s message would not be as convincing.