Scarlet Letter Setting Analysis Essay

The Scarlet Letter Setting Analysis
The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is set in the mid-17th century. Period
of time where Puritans have escaped the persecutions of England and now have created their own town in Massachusetts. The book focuses on the life of Hester Prynne and her act of adultery, sin, and guilt. We learn from Hawthorne that this town is formed on religion and law, but it is also severely isolated with a surroundings of the forest and the ocean. Contributing to this factor is in how the outskirts of the town is described as a forest haunted by the devil or Black Man. In this forest outside is filled with the mysteries of sin, witchcraft, and a new possible way of life could be found by Hawthorne’s diction that expresses the forest as something far different than the “city upon the hill.” and the use of imagery that sets the tone of what the townspeople see the forest as.

"Here they sat down on a luxuriant heap of moss; which, at some epoch of the preceding century, had been a gigantic pine, with its roots and trunk in the darksome shade, and its head aloft in the upper atmosphere.”(Pg.

162) Obviously how Hawthorne describes the forest, it creates a ominous view of the forest. It adds to the "How he haunts this forest, and carries a book with him”(Pg. 161), which refers to the Black Man and devilish ways. “Thus conversing, they entered sufficiently deep into the wood to secure themselves from the observation of any casual passenger along the forest-track.”(Pg. 162) While this forest seems like a place full of danger it also separate from the town, of restrictions and religion, it offers a haven for the sinners and new ideas. Essentially the forest become a symbol of freedom. Hester’s scarlet letter has no authority over her in the forest. In the forest, people are liberated of their sins and allowed to escape and express their

emotions.
“All these giant trees and boulders of granite seemed intent on making a mystery of the course of this small brook; fearing, perhaps, that, with its never-ceasing loquacity, it should whisper tales out of the heart of the old forest whence it flowed, or mirror its revelations on the smooth surface of a pool.”(Pg. 162) Paints an image of what life could possibly be and mysteries that are hidden in the forest. “All these giant trees and boulders of granite seemed intent on making a mystery of the course of this small brook,” is like the embodiment of life as a maze and the small creek flowing is us. Like how I stated before, the forest has become shield that protects the sinners from the hands of an angry town.
From the passage we slightly learn of a way how Hester escapes persecution once again, by exploring into a new taboo area. The use of the adjectives and images created by Hawthorne brings us to a whole new perspective of what the forest really symbolizes. Originally what the town saw was a place of evil and was over saw by Black Man. Hawthorne changes this thought by describing how no one can see through the forest or dictating your style of life from the outside, in another sense protecting your inalienable rights. By reading the passage forest view dramatically changed from a clouded space to a protector of all. Reminding us that what we perceive from the outside should not be the deciding factor to determine the truth that is hidden inside.