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Puritan Symbolism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet letter is rich with symbols that have captivated readers for a number of years. Out of all of these symbols the forest seems to be the most profound because of the amount of interpretations that readers form about it. The Puritans cast the forest as evil and home of the devil because of the freedom it entails, however, to an individual such as Hester and Pearl it provides a sanctuary; a place for individuality without any influence from the Puritan society. The Puritan society doesn’t allow for any form of individuality but rather they follow strict rules taken from the bible. The forest allows freedom to an individual which is why the Puritans cast it as evil but to an individual, it is a place for individuality.
Throughout the

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