Symbolism is often connected to imagery in order to define a character. The details of the environment around a person can contribute to the understanding of that person’s self reflection. “The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathanial Hawthorne, is focused on the lives of Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Roger Chillingworth. One of the main characters, Hester Prynne, is a woman of many traits. When she is ridiculed by her fellow townspeople, her state of mind is altered. Throughout the entire story, Hawthorne reflects Hester’s disposition with his imagery. Hester Prynne’s inner state of being, her internal emotion, is represented by the scarlet letter, the forest, and light. Symbols are important in creating an effective story.
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Hawthorne uses the forest to show how Hester’s inner state of being is changed when she has free will in the forest. The forest gives a lack of restrictions because it is a natural place rather than an area with human authority. Whenever Hester is in the forest, she is able to perform and state things that she would never be capable of getting away with in her strictly Puritan homeland. For instance, Hawthorne states that “she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom…” (Hawthorne 161) directly after Hester and Dimmesdale were in a fight, which exhibits the love and admiration that Dimmesdale and Hester truly have for each other. In town, Hester would not ordinarily be able to show that kind of affection in public towards Dimmesdale because the people of Boston would detect that Dimmesdale is Hester’s secret lover. The forest is a haven where Hester is able to have the freedom of being in love with Dimmesdale and express the feelings she has inside without it being scorned upon. This changes Hester Prynne’s inner state of being, as declared before, because she can now articulate what she feels inside; this is important because now she isn’t holding in all her secrets. The forest also represents a world unknown. The Puritans in Boston were very stern with their beliefs. If thought to have committed a sin, the Puritans would not allow that individual to get away with it in any sort of way; they would make sure that this person was greatly punished, just as Hester Prynne was penalized for her affair with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The world unknown, or the forest, was a place where Puritans were unable to be involved in other people’s personal lives. If a person sinned, only they and the person with her were to know. Thus, when Hester shows tenderness to Dimmesdale, the Puritans in Boston are incapable of being caught up in their love life. The world unknown has no laws,
Hawthorne uses the forest to show how Hester’s inner state of being is changed when she has free will in the forest. The forest gives a lack of restrictions because it is a natural place rather than an area with human authority. Whenever Hester is in the forest, she is able to perform and state things that she would never be capable of getting away with in her strictly Puritan homeland. For instance, Hawthorne states that “she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom…” (Hawthorne 161) directly after Hester and Dimmesdale were in a fight, which exhibits the love and admiration that Dimmesdale and Hester truly have for each other. In town, Hester would not ordinarily be able to show that kind of affection in public towards Dimmesdale because the people of Boston would detect that Dimmesdale is Hester’s secret lover. The forest is a haven where Hester is able to have the freedom of being in love with Dimmesdale and express the feelings she has inside without it being scorned upon. This changes Hester Prynne’s inner state of being, as declared before, because she can now articulate what she feels inside; this is important because now she isn’t holding in all her secrets. The forest also represents a world unknown. The Puritans in Boston were very stern with their beliefs. If thought to have committed a sin, the Puritans would not allow that individual to get away with it in any sort of way; they would make sure that this person was greatly punished, just as Hester Prynne was penalized for her affair with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The world unknown, or the forest, was a place where Puritans were unable to be involved in other people’s personal lives. If a person sinned, only they and the person with her were to know. Thus, when Hester shows tenderness to Dimmesdale, the Puritans in Boston are incapable of being caught up in their love life. The world unknown has no laws,