The forest and the things that occur in the forest are symbols too. ... When Pearl and Hester go into the forest, rays of sunshine fall on Pearl but do not fall on Hester. ... Hester, on the other hand, cannot escape the forest's darkness (gloom in her life) to reach sunlight (happiness). The darkness in the forest disappears when Hester and Dimmesdale meet and talk about their plans. ... As she does this, beams of sunlight light up the forest. ...

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The idea that the forest is not protected by God or by the rules of the town makes the townspeople uncomfortable with the thought of spending extensive time in the forest. ... The segment "Had the forest still kept its gloom, it would have been bright in Hester's eyes, and bright in Arthur Dimmesdale's" means that even if the forest was not alive with color and light, it still would have been a refuge for Hester and Dimmesdale because it was not under the judgmental eye of their peers and church. ... In conclusion, the forest and the scaffold were two main settings in the S...

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p.51 The Forest:The forest has two main symbolic functions. ... First, the forest can symbolize darkness and evil. ... Hester feels that the forest symbolizes themoral wilderness? ... Light is associated with openness and truth. ... Similarly, at the end of the novel, Dimmesdale confess his sin in the light of day for all to see. ...

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Pearl could always be found in the forest, "And she was gentler here [the forest] than in the grassy-margined streets of the settlement, or in her mother's cottage. ... Pearl is shown in a negative light, the town viewed her as a child of witchcraft and evil. ... Pearl's reflection is very real, and chapter sixteen smoothly continues this concept through another body of water--the brook in the forest. ... Hawthorne used the forest brook in relation to Pearl, to show that she is untamed like the forest. ... "He kept vigils, likewise, night after night. . . . sometimes, viewing his ow...

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The forest in this case represents the subconscious mind of the Puritan society because to them the forest is the place of the devil and witches. ... "It straggled onward into the mystery of the primeval forest. ... However, the forest to Hester is like a lolly-pop to small child's eyes. The rumors and accusations fly about the happenings of a group of women in the forest. ... Canst thou deem it, Hester, a consolation, that I must stand up in my pulpit, and meet so many eyes turned upward to my face, as if the light of heaven were beaming from it! ...

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The forest in this case represents the subconscious mind of the Puritan society because to them the forest is the place of the devil and witches. ... "It straggled onward into the mystery of the primeval forest. ... However, the forest to Hester is like a lolly-pop to small child's eyes. The rumors and accusations fly about the happenings of a group of women in the forest. ... Canst thou deem it, Hester, a consolation, that I must stand up in my pulpit, and meet so many eyes turned upward to my face, as if the light of heaven were beaming from it! ...

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Of course, Hester takes advantage of this situation when she meets with Dimmesdale in the forest. ... In the forest, all cares are thrown away, and Dimmesdale makes a cry for help to Hester, a sinner in the Puritan society, but a lover to Dimmesdale, that he is able to express in the forest. ... The forest also brings out the natural side of whomever is occupying it at that time. ... To Hawthorne, the forest was beautiful and natural, and a place where Pearl could be herself. ... A fox, startled from his sleep by her light footstep on the leaves, looked inquisitively at Pearl, as doubt...

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Dimmesdale just completed his conversation with Hester in the forest. ... Seeing Dimmesdale in this new light, rejuvenated and full of energy affected me. ... This passage displays this idea indirectly, for it occurs in the time and space between the forest encounter and return to civilization for Dimmesdale. While in the forest, Dimmesdale returns to his former self, full of love for Hester. He leaves the forest with this feeling on his mind, thinking he will soon escape the bonds by which he currently lives in. ...

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He shows us this by symbols in nature around the town, natural symbols in the heavens, and nature in the forest. ... Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl are atop the scaffold when, "a light gleamed far and wide over all the muffled sky. It was doubtless caused by one of those meteors the minister, looking upward to the zenith, beheld there the appearance of an immense letter-the letter 'A'-marked out in lines of dull red light" (Hawthorn). ... Last to be discussed are the natural symbols that we encounter in the forest. When Hester meets Dimmesdale in the forest, all the sorr...

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The only light in the dark atmosphere is a rosebush growing by the prison door. ... They stood in the noon of that strange and solemn splendour, as if it were the light that is to reveal all secrets, and the daybreak that shall unite all who belong to one another."   ...

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She is also very curious, shown by her questioning and also her creation of an "A" of seaweed in the forest. ... (Fossum 13) The forest is symbolic of nature and contains aspects of both light and dark. During their time in the forest, Hester and Pearl both have different experiences. ... She tries to turn Hester to her evil ways and meet in the forest, but Hester will not. ...

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It includes all that is pure; where light is the dominating force. Although Hibbins always invites the characters to see "The Black Man," the forest is the only place where Hester can let down her hair and display her pride. The brook within the forest symbolizes a "boundary between two worlds" (p. 191). ... The symbolism of the forest outlines Hawthorne's interest in dichotomy, the belief that everything in the world has two sides; where one is unable to exist without the presence of the other. ...

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The Puritan's describe Satan as the Black Man in the forest. ... Hawthorne employs white and light to oppose darkness as a state of self-containment. ... Pearl, who has not committed any great sins nor does he hold herself back from anything, is always portrayed with the light shining on her. ... Hawthorn uses reds, darkness, and light to express character's emotions and the state of their spirit. ... Light symbolizes a state of enlightenment and a refreshed spirit, as well as purity. ...

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When the light of the glimmering lantern had faded quite away, the minister discovered, by the faintness which came over him, that the last few moments had been a crisis of terrible anxiety, although his mind had made an involuntary effort to relieve itself by a kind of lurid playfulness."... Dimmesdale has made a few changes he and Hester had met in the forest where he looked the worst he has ever looked ". ... I seem to have flung myself--sick, sin-stained, and sorrow-blackened--down upon these forest leaves, and to have risen up all made anew, and with new powers to glorify Him that hath be...

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Hester who was dubbed with the guilt, openly admits it thus her soul was not destroyed, instead she gathers strength and courage to stimulate her soul which radiant with more light. ... "We must not always talk in the market-place of what happens to us in the forest." ...

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Hawthorne uses light imagery to describe Hester's hair as she walks out of the prison: She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam She was lady-like, too, after the manner of the feminine gentility of those days; characterized by a certain state and dignity. ... After she moves into the forest with Pearl and starts a new life, the scarlet letter on her chest has a new significance: The letter was a symbol of her calling. ...

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Her own daughter Pearl does not acknowledge Hester when she takes the symbol off her dress as she sits and converses with Arthur Dimmesdale in the forest. ... The townspeople watched her minister to the sick and less fortunate and began to see her in a different light. ...

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Similarly, Young Goodman Brown includes a quote saying "The whole forest was peopled with frightful sounds-the creaking of the trees, the howling of wild beasts, and the yell of Indians; while sometimes the wind tolled like a distant church bell, and sometimes gave a broad roar around the traveler, as if all Nature were laughing him to scorn. ... Either the sudden gleams of light flashing over the obscure field bedazzled Goodman Brown, or he recognized a score of the church members of Salem village famous for their especial sanctity. ...

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As Hester stares into the eyes of Chillingworth, "There came a glare of red light out of his Vevoda 2 eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smouldering duskily within his breast, until, by some casual puff of passion, it was blown into a momentary flame" (55). ... I seem to have flung myself- sick, sin stained, and sorrow blackened-down upon these forest leaves, and to have risen up all Vevoda 3 made anew" (185). ...

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Chapter One: The Prison Door Summary A large crowd of Puritans stands outside of the prison, waiting for the door to open. The prison is described as a, "wooden jail...already marked with weather-stains and other indications of age which gave a yet darker aspect to its beetle-browed and gloomy fr...

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Dimmesdale notices a red light in the shape of an "A" and he notices Chillingworth watching them. ... Chapter XVI: A Forest Walk Hester knows about the walks Dimmesdale takes along the shore and through the woods and she wants to catch him on one of his walks to warn him of Chillingworth. ... Pearl chases the sun and dances through the forest. ...

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