Scarlet Letter Essay, Research Paper

Freedom within a Forest

Frequently in society people are placed under a microscope and criticized, punished, and despised for their single picks and defects. In Nathaniel Hawthorne? s, The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a stiff Puritan society in which 1 is unable to unwrap his or her innermost ideas and secrets. Every human being needs the chance to show how he or she genuinely feels ; otherwise the emotions are bottled up until they become so compacted they erupt. Unfortunately, Puritan society does non allow this sort of look ; therefore characters must seek out surrogate agencies to alleviate their personal torments and desires. Fortunately for Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Roger Chillingworth, Hawthorne provides such a sanctuary in the signifier of the cryptic wood. The wood is used to supply a shelter for members of society in demand of a safety from day-to-day life. The Scarlet Letter expresses how certain characters live and deal with picks they have made and the effects following their actions. Of these characters, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and his confederate in wickedness, Hester Prynne are doomed to have on their ain Markss of penalty for infinity. The Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne, disregarding their spiritual religion, autumn blindly in to one dark of enticement therefore bring forthing a girl, and at the same time hiding half of the kid? s individuality to protect her male parent? s respectable place and unflawed repute of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Although when Roger Chillingworth appears back in Hester? s life on the twenty-four hours of her public humiliation penalty on the scaffold, she keeps his true individuality a secret even though his ultimate end is to destruct Dimmesdale one time he finds out who he is. In the deep, dark parts of the forest, many of the polar characters bring forth concealed ideas and emotions. The forest path leads off from the colony out into the wilderness where all marks of civilisation vanish. The wood is exactly the flight from rigorous authorizations of jurisprudence and faith, to where work forces, every bit good as adult females, can openly be themselves, acknowledge and face issues that would non otherwise be discussed, and apologize their title of wickedness.

The forest itself is the really incarnation of freedom. No 1 watches in the forests to describe misbehavior because it is here that people may make as they wish without replying for their actions. It is here in the wood that Hester feels most comfy and is able to demo a side of her that she keeps hidden in forepart of most people of all time since she was excluded from their society. ? Her mind and bosom had their place, as it were, in desert topographic points, where she roamed every bit freely as the wild Indian in his forests ( 196 ) . ? From one iniquitous dark of passion, fate is altered and reroute, therefore perplexing two lives, but at the same clip entwining them together. Obviously Hester and Dimmesdale can non be together under the fortunes of his place in the community and the wickedness that they committed and now are concealing. ? So speech production, she undid the clasp that fastened the vermilion missive, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the shriveled foliages ( 198 ) . ?

Although a simple effort, taking her clasp and allowing her hair down, the existent Hester whom has been concealing beneath a shield of shame emerges one time more. Tearing off and throwing down the vermilion missive that jails her psyche, Hester longs for the sorrowful emblem to shrivel and decease such as the foliages that have exceeded their life and now rest in their grave underneath the pess of those who walk the forest floors. With the natural beauty that embalms her, she relives for a short clip as she and Dimmesdale converse in the forests and for merely a short while the two portion a rare minute. Coming to life one time more, Hester awakens, remembering the feelings and emotions of her yesteryear before her penalty went into consequence. ? All at one time, as with a sudden smiling of Eden, forth burst the sunlight, pouring a really inundation into the vague wood, joying each green foliage, transforming the xanthous fallen 1s to gold, and glittering adown the grey short pantss of the solemn trees ( 199 ) . ? The peaceable safety conceals the? star-crossed? lovers and for a clip allows them to be together.

Puritan society is rough and stultifying to Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and their girl Pearl. The wood was created to give them a topographic point to get away this cruel community and show their true ideas, beliefs, and emotions. It is here in the wood that Hester openly acknowledges Dimmesdale and her true love for him. ? With a sudden desperate tenderness, she threw her weaponries around him, and pressed his caput against her bosom ; small caring though his cheek rested on the vermilion missive ( 191 ) . ? Without being preoccupied with the restraints that Puritan society topographic points on them, Hester is able to squeal her feelings for Dimmesdale even though it is useless since nil can come of it. The forest itself is free. To independent liquors like Hester Prynne? s, the wilderness beckons her and this is why she acts as she does in the secured forests. Truly, Hester takes advantage of her chance when Arthur Dim

mesdale appears walking by. She openly negotiations with him about topics that would ne’er be mentioned in any topographic point other than the wood and he responds because he realizes the power of being within the wood and knows that he can openly discourse what is on his head with her here. ? I do forgive you, Hester, ? replied the curate, at length, with a deep vocalization out of an abysm of unhappiness, but no anger. ? I freely forgive you now. May God forgive us both! ( 191 ) . ? The idea of Hester and Dimmesdale holding an intimate conversation in the confines of the society in which they live is inexplicable. Yet here in the forest, they can throw away all reluctance, and eventually be themselves, under an umbrella of security. ? Give up this name of Arthur Dimmesdale and do thyself another, and a high one, such as 1000 canst wear without fright or shame ( 194 ) . ? In this Puritan society, autonomy is to a great extent stressed among many other things. However, autonomy is more than stressed, it is assumed. It is assumed that you need merely yourself, and hence should keep no emotional necessity for a “shoulder to shout on” . Such this may be the instance, it is non the truth. Once once more, for people in the Stationss of life which Hester and Dimmesdale hold, it is unthinkable for them to soothe each other. In the wood nevertheless, these attentions are tossed off.

Forgeting their attentions, Hester and Dimmesdale continue to talk freely and run into in the wood. However, the relationship that they form is questionable if seen by prising eyes of the Puritan community. ? Arthur Dimmesdale gazed into Hester? s face with a expression in which hope and joy shone out, so, but with fear betwixt them and a sort of horror at her daring, who had spoken what he mistily hinted at, but dared non speak ( 195 ) . ? When Dimmesdale expresses to Hester that he can non fly from Chillingworth? s manus of retaliation, Hester suggests that they go to Europe to acquire off from him and the rough society that dictates to them, commanding every measure they take. The openness and freedom that the forest represents is that over the rigorous, inhibitory component of Puritan civilisation. It is here that Hester and Dimmesdale find each other one time more and make up one’s mind what shall go of each other. ? Never, ne’er! ? whispered she. ? What we did had a consecration of its ain. We felt it so! We said so to each other! Hast 1000 forgotten it? ( 191 ) . ? In the eyes of Hester and Dimmesdale, their act was non immoral. They both agree that their act had a? consecration of its ain? and seemed to follow Nature? s jurisprudence. Hester and Dimmesdale speak of this in the wood because it seems the merely true topographic point where passion and honesty reside. ? Thou shalt non travel entirely! ? answered she, in a deep susurration. Then all was spoken ( 195 ) . ? It is merely suiting therefor, that Hester and Arthur decide to go forth this topographic point and all the bad memories behind them by flying their spiritual persecution by traveling to Europe. It is merely off from the settlement and critical eyes that Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale may be a household and pass over off all of their hurtful memories.

With memories there comes feelings, which are triggered by emotions. There are no restraints in the natural universe because it is merely that, natural. No invasion from people means no perturbation in the natural order. Hester and Dimmesdale may be of a religion that requires much out of them, but in the terminal they are merely human. One of the greatest defects in human existences are their emotions. Emotions allow them to experience mortal in a society where failing is discouraged about every bit much as wickednesss themselves.

? Make manner, good people, do manner, in the King? s name! ? cried he. ? Open a transition ; and, I promise ye, Mistress Prynne shall be set where adult male, adult female and kid may hold just sight of her brave dress, from this clip till an hr yesteryear acme. A approval on the righteous Colony of the Massachusetts, where wickedness is dragged out into sunlight! Come along, Madam Hester, and demo your vermilion missive in the market topographic point! ? ( 52 )

Learning by illustration is the reoccurring subject in Hawthorne? s narrative. It is the manner of the land and Hester Prynne receives her lesson first manus. The order of exposing the stigma on her blouse is non the existent issue at manus, for it is Pearl who is her walking, speaking penalty. Hester was flawed, but with clip she grew wiser and was able to take her errors and turn them about to utilize her cognition to her advantage. ? Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers-stern and wild ones-and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss ( 196 ) . ? ? She had wandered, without regulation or counsel, in a moral wilderness ; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the wild wood, amid the somberness of which they were now keeping a colloquy that was to make up one’s mind their destiny ( 196 ) . ? Hester is a leaf blowing in the zephyr. She is an person who thinks for herself and will non yield to the demands of the surrounding Puritan Colony. Truly a force to be reckoned with, Hester Prynne is a work of nature, non being wholly traditional, but ever working out in the best manner. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne stated it most decidedly when he said, ? Let us allow nature to hold her manner: she understands her concern better than we do. ?