In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet letter, we are presented to a Puritanical society that resides adulteress Hester Prynne, whom must wear a scarlet letter to mark her shame. Within the novel, Hawthorne uses detailed descriptions of nature and introduces comprehensive characters such as Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl with the intention of portraying the central message of good versus evil. To begin, Hawthorne illustrates the images of the brook and the forest to put emphasis on the message of good vs. evil.
An example being can be the brook, where Hester attempts to throw her scarlet letter into the water but “there lay the [letter]… [an] unaccountable misfortune” (Hawthorne 136). This is significant because it portrays how Hester can’t get rid of her letter that freely, that being a part of who she is, and the brook symbolizing purity and innocence. Moreover, the brook serves as a boundary between the worlds of good and evil. When Pearl refuses to cross the brook to meet Hester and Dimmesdale, it shows her reluctance to associate herself with the rigid Puritan society and fate of her parents.
In light of the brook, when describing the forest, Hawthorne depicts a narrow footpath that “straggled onward into the mystery of the primeval forest… and stood so black and dense on either side” (122). The forest is significant because in the eyes of the Puritans, it is motioned to be the home of the Black Man; however, the forest is ambiguous. In this particular scene, the footpath leading into the forest can exemplify Hester Prynne’s life, in view of Hester being set on a path with limited choices and being pressured by a world of darkness and sinfulness.
With this notion, the forest can be perceived as a place with the temptation of sin; on the other hand, the forest can be seen as a haven for Hester and Dimmesdale, where there is a natural world away from the hypocritical Puritan society. In the forest, Hester and Dimmesdale meet and make plans to move away to Europe with Pearl and make a life for themselves; in result, there is a sense of freedom and joyfulness Hester feels in which she “undid the clasp that fastened her scarlet letter” and “took off the formal cap” (Hawthorne 136).
Together with the use of nature, Hawthorne conveys the overall message through the characters Pearl and Dimmesdale. For example, Pearl is ambiguously described as a “lovely and immortal flower” to portray her innocence and beauty, with contrast to her being described as a “little creature” that has a “dark and wild” side to present her as a symbolic embodiment of her mother’s sin and how she’s the natural law unleashed (Hawthorne 60). Moreover, an example showing Pearl’s virtue is on page 173 when she “kissed [Dimmesdale’s] lips” and “a spell was broken” (Hawthorne).
This is an important scene because it shows Pearl’s genuine acceptance and forgiveness to her father, whom finally acknowledged her in public. Another character that plays an influential role is Arthur Dimmesdale, whom is “gnawed and tortured by some black trouble” yet has “achieved great a brilliant popularity in his sacred office” (Hawthorne 94). This is significant because although he is a well-venerated reverend, the darkness of his sin makes him a hypocrite and cowardice. In the Puritan society, many townspeople went to Dimmesdale, whom they sought was holy and pure, for repentance of their sins.
Similarly, Dimmesdale can serve as a parallel to the Devil, in which the Devil can be tempting and alluring yet is truly evil. In spite of his dark qualities, in the third scaffold scene, Dimmesdale confesses his sin, shedding a light of his moral, pious side. Despite of his prior plan of fleeing to Europe with Hester, Dimmesdale knows he will not be able to live a peaceful life without the reach of God’s knowledge; thus, Dimmesdale allows himself to look past his reputation and confess to the townspeople, finally acknowledging his sin and Hester and Pearl publicly.
Ultimately, Hawthorne explicitly shows the main message through the use of detailed descriptions of nature and the characters. Although there are many different messages pertaining to the novel, the descriptions including the complexity of the forest and the brook, and the ambiguous illustrations of Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl conclude the central message of good versus evil that is evident to the reader.
