The Scarlet Letter Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter focuses on the life of Hester Prynne after she has been found guilty of adultery. Hawthorne uses nature repeatedly in his novel, as well as subtly point out problems within the modern day world, to communicate to the audience how human beings are not bred to be perfect, as temptation overwhelms everyone at some point, and to some degree. Hawthorne tells the story of a broken utopia and the impacts such a narrow field of acceptance can be. Nature is used in the novel so frequently that it could almost be a documentary. Fortunately for the reader, the way Hawthorne uses different elements is deeper than the pure beauty of nature. The sunlight described in the forest
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Nature is also used to describe people in the novel. The rosebush can be seen as being similar to Hester, as the vegetation on the opposite side of the prison is “overgrown” and unsightly, while the rosebush “[offers] their fragrance and fragile beauty.” The reason behind the addition of such an outcast such as the rosebush can be interpreted as a way to show the Puritan society. Everything is plain and drab, with the exception of Hester. Hester has always been an outcast due to her beauty, and like the rosebush she can see people through their facade. She is not plain, especially with the red letter stitched into her dress. Hawthorne’s inclusion of nature as a symbolistic feature shows the reader that nature is why they are being led astray. The Black Man lives in the forest, as says the Puritan belief, and he …show more content…
Not one person is entirely perfect, mostly due to the temptations we face in our day to day lives. Hawthorne makes this very clear with his focus on nature, relationships between characters, and the complexity of his characters, namely Dimmesdale. Unless we are all brainwashed, we as human beings cannot fit the mold of a perfect utopian society because of the luring of the Black Man, or something along the lines of him, leads us out of the lines of the societal
Nature is also used to describe people in the novel. The rosebush can be seen as being similar to Hester, as the vegetation on the opposite side of the prison is “overgrown” and unsightly, while the rosebush “[offers] their fragrance and fragile beauty.” The reason behind the addition of such an outcast such as the rosebush can be interpreted as a way to show the Puritan society. Everything is plain and drab, with the exception of Hester. Hester has always been an outcast due to her beauty, and like the rosebush she can see people through their facade. She is not plain, especially with the red letter stitched into her dress. Hawthorne’s inclusion of nature as a symbolistic feature shows the reader that nature is why they are being led astray. The Black Man lives in the forest, as says the Puritan belief, and he …show more content…
Not one person is entirely perfect, mostly due to the temptations we face in our day to day lives. Hawthorne makes this very clear with his focus on nature, relationships between characters, and the complexity of his characters, namely Dimmesdale. Unless we are all brainwashed, we as human beings cannot fit the mold of a perfect utopian society because of the luring of the Black Man, or something along the lines of him, leads us out of the lines of the societal