The Scaffold and Forest in Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scaffold and Forest in The ruby-red Letter   Nathaniel Hawthornes work, The Scarlet Letter, focuses on the pocketable Puritan community of Boston during the seventeenth century. In the center of the t declare is a . . .weather darkened sustain. . . (234) where sinners are make to face the condemning public. The accused view strange phenomena while on the scaffold - some become braver, some meeker. And whether the public is looking at them or not, they become their true selves on the scaffold. In essence, everything that is real and true occurs on the scaffold, and everything that is illusion or hypocrisy occurs everywhere else.   The forest is also a condition where characters find the truth about themselves. most(prenominal) settlers to the forest are people who are outsiders from society. They are untainted by the views of the townspeople and can see beyond the lies and hypocrisy of the townspeople. The owns of the people on the scaffold and in the forest le nd themselves to a higher issue, reality vs. perception. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows how people create their own reality with what they see.   The Scaffold is not all a high view point the in market place but a site where one(a) can see beyond the restraints of town and even time. For one person, . . . the scaffold of the expose was the point of view that revealed to Hester Prynne the entire track which she had been treading since her happy infancy (p65). The experience of the scaffold has a profound import on Hester. Living on the border between the town and the forest, she learns new freedom while seeing the conforming repression of the town. Hester sees what the townspeople ignore. She soon believes that because of her punishment on the scaffold and her perpetual reminder of it, the scarlet letter, she sees the sins of the entire townspeople and the hypocrisy of keeping them secret. Thus, her time on the scaffold has made her see the truth of the town and its lies.   Reverend Dimmesdale has a similar experience on the scaffold. Troubled by his sins and his failure to witness them, the reverend ascends the pillory in the dead of night to confess his sins to the world. Even though on one sees him, Dimmesdale feels .The Scaffold and Forest in Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter Scarlet Letter essays The Scaffold and Forest in The Scarlet Letter   Nathaniel Hawthornes work, The Scarlet Letter, focuses on the small Puritan community of Boston during the seventeenth century. In the center of the town is a . . .weather darkened scaffold. . . (234) where sinners are made to face the condemning public. The accused experience strange phenomena while on the scaffold - some become braver, some meeker. And whether the public is looking at them or not, they become their true selves on the scaffold. In essence, everything that is real and true occurs on the scaffold, and everything that is illusion or hypocrisy occurs everywhere else. & nbsp The forest is also a setting where characters find the truth about themselves. Most settlers to the forest are people who are outsiders from society. They are untainted by the views of the townspeople and can see beyond the lies and hypocrisy of the townspeople. The experiences of the people on the scaffold and in the forest lend themselves to a higher issue, reality vs. perception. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows how people create their own reality with what they see.   The Scaffold is not only a high view point the in market place but a site where one can see beyond the restraints of town and even time. For one person, . . . the scaffold of the pillory was the point of view that revealed to Hester Prynne the entire track which she had been treading since her happy infancy (p65). The experience of the scaffold has a profound effect on Hester. Living on the border between the town and the forest, she learns new freedom while seeing the conformist repression of the t own. Hester sees what the townspeople ignore. She soon believes that because of her punishment on the scaffold and her perpetual reminder of it, the scarlet letter, she sees the sins of the entire townspeople and the hypocrisy of keeping them secret. Thus, her time on the scaffold has made her see the truth of the town and its lies.   Reverend Dimmesdale has a similar experience on the scaffold. Troubled by his sins and his failure to confess them, the reverend ascends the pillory in the dead of night to confess his sins to the world. Even though on one sees him, Dimmesdale feels .