Settings of the Scarlett Letter

A detailed Summary of Settings of the Scarlett Letter

Setting is an important factor when it comes to telling any kind of story. Nathaniel Hawthorne's story is that of four main settings. The Governors Mansion, the prison, the platform, and the woods. He uses these places to further exaggerate the tale of the main characters, Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester Prynne, and Roger Chillingworth. Each place has a different meaning and emotional significance to a character. The words in the book give imagery to the novel and give it a more textured feeling. This is important when trying to keep the reader's attention when the book has language unfamiliar to most. The Governors Mansion, the prison, the platform, and the woods have a significant part in the tale of sin and redemption.

The governor's mansion is the place where Hester is placed under a microscope. The author describes the home of Bellingham as less than modest. It seems like the house of royalty, "This was a large wooden house, built in a fashion of which there are specimens still extant in the streets of our elder towns... There was the freshness of the passing year on its exterior, and the cheerfulness, gleaming forth from the sunny windows, of a human habitation into which death had never entered. It had indeed a ve

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, life is centered on a rigid, Puritanistic-structured society in which one is scrutinized by the public and not allowed to stray from Christian ideology. Unfortunately, Puritan society did not permit expression of ones feelings. So the in characters The Scarlet Letter had to seek alternate means in order to relieve themselves. Luckily, the two of the main characters, Hawthorne provides such a safe haven in the form of the mysterious forest. Hawthorne uses the woods to provide a shelter for members of society in need of a refuge from daily life. In the deep, dark portions of the forest, the main characters bring forth hidden thoughts and emotions. The woods lead away from the settlement out into the wilderness where all signs of civilization vanish. This is precisely the place where characters lose themselves and are not afraid to show their true feelings because they are not fettered by law and religion. The woods acts as a refuge where men and women can breathe a cathartic sigh of relief. It is here that Dimmesdale and Hester can openly acknowledge each other and their undying love for another. It is here that the two of them can openly engage in conversation, without the ears Puritan society judging them.

Truly, Hester takes advantage of this, when Arthur Dimmesdale appears. Hester openly talks with Dimmesdale about subjects which would never be mentioned in any place other than the forest. "What we did..."had a consecration of its own. We felt it so! We said to each other!"(p. 156). This statement shocks Dimmesdale, and he tries quiet her, but he eventually realizes that he is in an environment where he can open up. It is assumed that by Puritan society that one only need oneself, and therefore should hold no emotional necessity for support. Yet in the forest, this idea is tossed away. "Be thou strong for me," Dimmesdale pleads. "Advise me what to do."(p. 157). This is a cry for help from Dimmesdale, with him finally admitting he can't go through this ordeal that is eating him up inside alone. This role-reversal would not be happening if not in the context of the forest. What other platform is there for a man of high regard in the community to pour

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1498
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English