Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, cautions the reader of the danger involved with letting society contaminate our identity. Hawthorne’s brilliant use of setting, character development, and unique symbolism help highlight these perils. The values and environment of Puritan society impact how the Puritan’s view Hester, as well as how Hester views herself.
Hawthorne’s construction of the town center highlights the danger of allowing society to contaminate identity. This setting plays a major role in Hester’s identity change, which switches between distant and concealed to more visible and dignified. When looking at the first scaffold scene, the reader is able to see the concealed aspects of Hester’s identity; the truth about the father …show more content…
It is here that we see the more personal and revealing part of Hester’s identity because of the forests isolation from the corrupting values of Puritan society. Hester is convinced by Dimmesdale to shed the scarlet letter and cap, and this, in turn, shows how Hester isn’t just a one-sided character; she has many unknown aspects of her identity that have failed to be acknowledged. The removal of these symbols of Puritan law and society, reveal her true physical beauty and love for Dimmesdale: “By another impulse she took off the formal cap that confined her hair; and down it fell upon her shoulders, dark and rich, with at once a shadow and light in its abundance.”(193). The way this sentence incorporates the setting, as seen in its acknowledgment of Hester’s newfound “shadow” and “light”, serves to show Hawthorne reverence for Hester’s stance against the harsh values of Puritan culture. For example, while the novel associates the forest with darkness and evil figures, such as Mistress Hibbins and her witchcraft practice, Hawthorne contrasts this Puritan belief. He uses light, which is associated with accenting the flaws of an individual, to describe Hester’s newfound beauty for herself, and as a way to show his stance against the unsound values of Puritan
Hawthorne’s construction of the town center highlights the danger of allowing society to contaminate identity. This setting plays a major role in Hester’s identity change, which switches between distant and concealed to more visible and dignified. When looking at the first scaffold scene, the reader is able to see the concealed aspects of Hester’s identity; the truth about the father …show more content…
It is here that we see the more personal and revealing part of Hester’s identity because of the forests isolation from the corrupting values of Puritan society. Hester is convinced by Dimmesdale to shed the scarlet letter and cap, and this, in turn, shows how Hester isn’t just a one-sided character; she has many unknown aspects of her identity that have failed to be acknowledged. The removal of these symbols of Puritan law and society, reveal her true physical beauty and love for Dimmesdale: “By another impulse she took off the formal cap that confined her hair; and down it fell upon her shoulders, dark and rich, with at once a shadow and light in its abundance.”(193). The way this sentence incorporates the setting, as seen in its acknowledgment of Hester’s newfound “shadow” and “light”, serves to show Hawthorne reverence for Hester’s stance against the harsh values of Puritan culture. For example, while the novel associates the forest with darkness and evil figures, such as Mistress Hibbins and her witchcraft practice, Hawthorne contrasts this Puritan belief. He uses light, which is associated with accenting the flaws of an individual, to describe Hester’s newfound beauty for herself, and as a way to show his stance against the unsound values of Puritan