Scarlet Letter Forest Symbolism

As with any piece, symbolism plays an important role in representing the main ideas of a novel. The plot in "The Scarlet Letter" revolves around three significant events that describe the development of the story. As both starting point and ending point of the novel, the scaffold scenes hold symbolic meaning.

Symbolism is used in many ways and writers use symbolism to “enhance their writing.” It can give their work “more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.” In literary work the actions of the characters, words, action, place, or event has a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. The reader needs to look see the little things like a dove symbolizes peace, or like the red rose stands for romance. Mostly everything can have a symbolism meaning to it. For instance the flag symbolizes freedom and the stars represent the states. Even some signs are symbols like when a beaker has a skull with a bones placed like an ‘x’ behind it symbolizes that it’s toxic or bad. When people see the red light when driving that’s

forest is like a best friend. It treats her as if she were one of its own. The

Webster defined "symbol" with these words: "Something concrete that represents or suggests another thing that cannot in itself be pictured." This concept has been particularly applied to literature and used by writers throughout history. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter uses multitudes of symbols in such a manner. One of the most prominent, and most complicated, of such symbols is the scarlet letter "A". The scarlet letter "A" is a symbol of a daughter's connection to her mother, isolation, and the devil and its associations.

Everyone needs a place to go to when the world is harsh: a getaway or paradise where one can take a breath and think. The beach, mountains, a lake, a garden can all be peaceful and tranquil places where one can be rescued from civilization. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the forest and the brook are used as an escape from society.

The townspeople, in shock, sympathize Hester because the unknown adulterer exposes his secret. As Dimmesdale finishes his last words to his true love, he dies in Hester’s arms. Watching Hester lose the love of her life and Pearl lose her father allows others to sympathize them because once again they are left to fend for themselves. The shared feeling between the Puritan town

In the world today, people are not as in tune with nature as they should be. They are far too attached to the rules and restrictions of society to realize their individuality is being stifled, snuffed out, done away with. Societal rules expect that one understands without asking questions. However, that essence of individuality is essential. Without it, there are no new ideas, nothing to change, nothing to improve.

In this chapter, Hawthorne's descriptions of Pearl reinforce her mysterious and ethereal nature. She is so closely linked with nature that in the forest the sunlight plays with her, and forest creatures approach her and recognize "a kindred wildness in the human child."The natural world enables Hester and Dimmesdale to rediscover themselves and their love. The unity they feel when they are together is natural. When they meet in the forest seven years after their affair, it is as though the condemnation of the town and its laws never existed. Hester removes the Scarlet Letter A, and with the symbol gone, Hester heaved a long, deep sigh. The burden of shame and anguish left her spirit. . The ancient woods infuse the couple with peace and strength.

The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne, is constantly using symbolism to keep the reader engaged and curious. A symbol can stand for one thing but mean another. These include symbolism’s of light and dark, variations of the letter “A”, weeds and flowers, as well as the scaffold. Because Nathanial Hawthorne wrote portraying a lot of symbolism, he created a new style of writing.

Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.

     American literature reflects life and the struggles faced during existence. Symbols are an eloquent way for an author to create a more fully developed work of art. The stories themselves tell a tale; however, an author also uses symbols to relay his message in a more subtle manner. Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the earliest authors to use symbols as an integral part of his plots. This is clearly seen in both The Scarlet Letter and in The House of the Seven Gables. The use of symbols causes an "association psychology" to enter into the story, making it more intriguing.1 In Nathaniel Hawthorne's romance The House of the Seven Gables, symbolism is used eloquently to enhance the story

In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses nature symbols as a romantic writer contrasting the Puritan view and critiquing Puritan life. Hawthorne gives an enormous importance to the individual in nature in The Scarlett Letter in that the story takes place in Boston which Hawthorne describes as "a little town, on the edge of Western wilderness” in the middle of an immoral forest (Hawthorne 55). Hawthorne contrasts the natural elements such as the forest, flowers, sun, and water contrast the weed-filled, sunless, and parched world of the Puritans.

Throughout his literary endeavors, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to present a certain theme that pertains to human nature and life. In his works, The Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil", Hawthorne uses symbolism to present a common theme pertaining to religion; that though manifested sin will ostracize a person from society, un-confessed sin will destroy the soul.

Symbolism is a major literary device that helps people see a book through symbols that often have a deeper meaning. A symbol is used to explain something in a different way, using images, objects, etc. instead of just saying it in words. As you search for a deeper meaning in a work of art or literature it can help you understand the author’s intentions and the deeper significance of a work. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, symbols help reinforce the major themes of the book.

Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. While reading a story, symbols may not become clear until the very end, once the climax is over, and the falling action is covered. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” there are multiple examples of symbolism that occur throughout the story.