Imperfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter Thematic Essay The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in the 1800s, years after Puritan society had died. However, many of his books take place in Puritan towns, as he was obsessed with them. His great uncle was John Hathorne, and Nathaniel changed his last name because he did not want to be associated with an infamous judge from the Salem witch trials. He was an anti-transcendentalist, which meant he believed that humans were naturally evil, and society was good and needed. Most of his stories include anti-transcendentalist ideas and elements such as The House of the Seven Gables and The Minister’s Black Veil. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the Wild Rosebush, Hester’s Cabin, and the Sunlight and the Forest to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection. To begin, Hawthorne uses the Wild Rosebush to contribute to the theme of imperfection. It is located outside of the town’s prison, so the bright red of the bush and the dullness …show more content…
Mistress Hibbins, the sister of a governor, and described as an old witch lady, invited Hester to the Forest. Mistress Hibbins says, “There will be a merry company in the forest; and I wellnigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one,” (Hawthorne 106). The quote shows a “witch” inviting Hester to the Forest to meet the “Black Man” or, the Devil. In the Forest, Hester rips off her scarlet letter, which she wore to showcase her sin, and Sunlight shines upon her. Hawthorne describes, “ … with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest …” (Hawthorne 183). When Hester broke through, and overcame her sin, the Sunlight broke through the leaves of the trees. The Sunlight coming from heaven was good, and the Forest where the Black Man roams is bad. Sunlight in the Forest shows