His use of the natural setting with descriptive imagery etches the picture of early Massachusetts clearly into the reader’s mind. He also shows how the forest serves as an escape from the harsh Puritan culture and into a magnificent wilderness where no rules or laws restrict its inhabitants. As many important discussions and decisions occur within the security of the wood over the course of the novel, without the forest being incorporated into The Scarlet Letter, the plot could not progress. The natural setting provides a beautiful image and an appropriate meeting place for the protagonists, yet the Puritan community views it as malevolent and avoids
His use of the natural setting with descriptive imagery etches the picture of early Massachusetts clearly into the reader’s mind. He also shows how the forest serves as an escape from the harsh Puritan culture and into a magnificent wilderness where no rules or laws restrict its inhabitants. As many important discussions and decisions occur within the security of the wood over the course of the novel, without the forest being incorporated into The Scarlet Letter, the plot could not progress. The natural setting provides a beautiful image and an appropriate meeting place for the protagonists, yet the Puritan community views it as malevolent and avoids