|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
The Scarlet Letter actively depicts the importance of light and dark in a puritanical society. Nathaniel Hawthorne is fascinated with conflicting light and dark images as he refers to them again and again, throughout the novel. To Hester, as well as Dimmesdale, the light of day is all revealing and divulges the entirety of one´s sins and faults. ... For Hester, the market-place is a light, open area, broadcasting her sin out to all who can see or hear her. Her shame is easily noticed there, it can bring the attention of others to the letter on her chest. The forest, on the other hand, is thought of as a much more dark and private place, where secrets can easily be hidden from the outside world. The same can be said for Dimmesdale, as he feels much more secure in the darkness of the forest than he does in the light of the market-place. He wants to avoid the light of day at all costs simply because he desperately does not want his shame to be revealed to the rest of the town. ... Everything said or done there can be compared to light, as everything happening there is exposed and easily viewable. ... There is nobody around in the forest to talk about who was there or what was done, making it a dark but secure place. ... Once she does talk with him she loses her inhibitions and undoes "the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and […] threw it to a distance among the withered leaves" and then "took off the formal cap that confined her hair" (137, 138). Only in the darkness and seclusion of the forest could she take off the letter without triggering a reaction from others. ... Hester and Pearl joined him in his vigil, feeling safe from being exposed in the normal light of the market-place.
Approximate Word count = 1510
Approximate Pages = 6
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|