In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter, there are many events in which he uses to contrast one another in order to highlight certain aspects of the message he is trying to convey. Some people might say that the Scaffold would prove to be a suitable contrast to the Forest, however, the Town provides a much better contrasting element to the Forest; as truth is welcomed in the Forest and punished in the Town. That opinion is evident throughout the novel as the themes of secrets, nature, and the hypocrisy of the Puritan society exemplify it clearly.
Throughout the novel, the foundation has been based upon two main points, humility and the impact of secrets on an individual character. The latter of the two is a major theme in the book as events …show more content…
As Dimmesdale cries out his final remarks before his death he speaks of that secret he has held for seven years as if it was a monster that had been slowly devouring him. The immense pressure a secret of that magnitude holds ended up ending Dimmesdale 's life painfully and slowly as the Town’s culture that created that pressure saw Dimmesdale take his last breathe. The next example is one that takes place in the Forest as Dimmesdale walks back to the town and sits underneath a tree. The overwhelming feeling he has to simply lay down and let the autumn leaves cover him until he fades away is the result of the weight of the secrets bearing down on him and taking hold of his life little by little throughout the novel. Dimmesdale cannot escape this feeling because the weight of the secret is unsustainable, …show more content…
The first example of this hypocrisy is in the beginning of the book when Hester is upon the scaffold and Dimmesdale says, "I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life." (Hawthorne, 65). This is perhaps the most disturbing example of hypocrisy within the novel as Dimmesdale publically orders Hester to speak the Man 's name, which was his own. The real hypocrisy factor comes in when the reader realizes that he wants Hester to be strong and reveal the name because he cannot himself do it. The pressures of the town force an attitude of unnecessary and hurtful hypocrisy upon Dimmesdale to Hester. In contrast, Hester would soon realize that unlike the Town, hypocrisy is unheard of in the Forest. The example is found later in the novel when Hester is in the Forest with Dimmesdale and they decide to runaway together with Pearl to England. Immediately, Hester tore off that symbol for which she had worn for seven long years, and the Forest rains down a beam of light upon Hester as if she had never done anything wrong. The Forest does not take into consideration why that
Throughout the novel, the foundation has been based upon two main points, humility and the impact of secrets on an individual character. The latter of the two is a major theme in the book as events …show more content…
As Dimmesdale cries out his final remarks before his death he speaks of that secret he has held for seven years as if it was a monster that had been slowly devouring him. The immense pressure a secret of that magnitude holds ended up ending Dimmesdale 's life painfully and slowly as the Town’s culture that created that pressure saw Dimmesdale take his last breathe. The next example is one that takes place in the Forest as Dimmesdale walks back to the town and sits underneath a tree. The overwhelming feeling he has to simply lay down and let the autumn leaves cover him until he fades away is the result of the weight of the secrets bearing down on him and taking hold of his life little by little throughout the novel. Dimmesdale cannot escape this feeling because the weight of the secret is unsustainable, …show more content…
The first example of this hypocrisy is in the beginning of the book when Hester is upon the scaffold and Dimmesdale says, "I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life." (Hawthorne, 65). This is perhaps the most disturbing example of hypocrisy within the novel as Dimmesdale publically orders Hester to speak the Man 's name, which was his own. The real hypocrisy factor comes in when the reader realizes that he wants Hester to be strong and reveal the name because he cannot himself do it. The pressures of the town force an attitude of unnecessary and hurtful hypocrisy upon Dimmesdale to Hester. In contrast, Hester would soon realize that unlike the Town, hypocrisy is unheard of in the Forest. The example is found later in the novel when Hester is in the Forest with Dimmesdale and they decide to runaway together with Pearl to England. Immediately, Hester tore off that symbol for which she had worn for seven long years, and the Forest rains down a beam of light upon Hester as if she had never done anything wrong. The Forest does not take into consideration why that