Around and Inside the Walls of the Woods “There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. These worlds provide an alternative. Provide an escape.” Neil Gaiman writes about the two worlds all people live through. One side of a personality is shown to the world, while the other side is hidden. Hester Prynne, the main character in The Scarlet Letter, which is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, experiences the negative and positive aspects of two worlds. In the time period of the book, which takes place in Colonial America, most communities, including Boston, were Puritan. Harsh punishments were common in strict, action-based Puritan societies. As a result, people would hide some of their personality
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It is the only place that allows individuals to come and be free, since the darkness creates a shadow over the Puritan ways. The woods are described: “All these giant trees and boulders of granite…revelations on the smooth surface of the pool” (Hawthorne 154). The giant trees of the forest cover over the forest area, representing how the woods cover over the fake personalities that the Puritan community creates. Anyone who enters the woods is immediately covered by darkness, and is free to escape the strict society. Since the townspeople always come to the forest to reveal all their truths, the forest also represents all the secrets the members of the community have. Keeping so many secrets, the forest “whispers tales" through the trees and on the surface of the water. Tales are associated with fairytales, which are stories filled with magic, imagination and happiness. Therefore, as the forest whispers these tales, it portrays how it is a place where fantasies come to life. Since the characters feel protected by the darkness, the woods provide them with a place to share their secrets, be passionate, and feel and act as they wish. The forest in The Scarlet Letter represents an alternative world that helps the members of Boston to escape the strict and harsh punishments of the
It is the only place that allows individuals to come and be free, since the darkness creates a shadow over the Puritan ways. The woods are described: “All these giant trees and boulders of granite…revelations on the smooth surface of the pool” (Hawthorne 154). The giant trees of the forest cover over the forest area, representing how the woods cover over the fake personalities that the Puritan community creates. Anyone who enters the woods is immediately covered by darkness, and is free to escape the strict society. Since the townspeople always come to the forest to reveal all their truths, the forest also represents all the secrets the members of the community have. Keeping so many secrets, the forest “whispers tales" through the trees and on the surface of the water. Tales are associated with fairytales, which are stories filled with magic, imagination and happiness. Therefore, as the forest whispers these tales, it portrays how it is a place where fantasies come to life. Since the characters feel protected by the darkness, the woods provide them with a place to share their secrets, be passionate, and feel and act as they wish. The forest in The Scarlet Letter represents an alternative world that helps the members of Boston to escape the strict and harsh punishments of the