Scarlet Letter Motif Essay - 962 Words

In the novel, Scarlett Letter, the Puritans live in a community bent on conforming to the common beliefs and values set by their society. Those whose ideas and values diverge from the norm are criticized and despised for their individualism. Hawthorne portrays this ignorance and conformity through the Puritans belief that the forest is evil and unruly. However, because the forest is secluded far from the influences of society, Hawthorne suggests that in the forest people are able to express the individuality they are deprived of in their Puritan settlement. Thus, the forest, an embodiment of freedom and individuality, is used as a symbol to contrast the harsh Puritan society with the free nature of the forest in order to convey the†¦show more content†¦This reveals that while she is free in the forest, she must take back her Scarlett letter because she feels that it is her duty to do so in society. Hawthorne suggests that the forest is the only place in the novel where char acters can be individual and thus, true to themselves because of the isolation it provides from society. This romantic idea criticizes the rigid Puritan values that limit the individuality of a person. In society, characters Dimmsdale, Hester and Roger all are very superficial and only act the way society permits them to act because of the fear of being punished for having different ideas than the accepted Puritan values of the community. In the forest, Hesters hair becomes a symbol of her free spirit and individualism as she takes off the formal cap that confined her hair(191) revealing her youth and beauty. Her cap stands as a symbol of societys impressment, because it confines her from being the person she truly is. But the forest allows her to escape the judgment of society, thus allowing her to freely express herself and be true to herself. In the Puritan settlement, Dimmsdale must take up his role as the pious minister, in which he is forced to be the a person that society wan ts him to be. However, in the forest he is able to stop his superficial act and truly reveal his true emotions and feelings when he admits, that but, now it is all fakehood- allShow MoreRelatedI Have Learned About My Writing879 Words   |  4 Pagesand a few novels such as Sula, House of the Spirits, and The Scarlet Letter. We studied intensively how to analyze, annotate, break each part of the novel and ask â€Å"why, what if, how.† Everything I took out of IB help me to this very day when I am reading and examining a novel. However, IB did not teach me how to write a structured essay, I feel like I learned more how to analyze and verbally express my thoughts. We did not write much essays and in those two years. 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