Importance Of Setting In The Scarlet Letter
Zakk Hartwig
PIB English 10
Period 2G
October 20, 2010
The Scarlet Letter
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses many different settings to portray important functions and significance. Several of the settings such as the prison and cemetery, the town, Governor Bellingham’s house, the scaffold, the forest, the lighting, and so on have a deeper definition. The settings act as theme enhancers that make the novel more complex and classic. Hawthorne’s use of setting is spectacular in the way he makes it more than just a place or time; he makes it connect deeply to the characters and the plot. In fact, none of the aspects of the novel are irrelevant because everything relates whether it be straightforward or softly hinted. First …show more content…
In each, it is Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl all on the scaffold or “guilty platform” together which represents how they are all bound together by the adultery committed (Hawthorne 136). They are punished together even though it may not look like it because Hester is clearly punished by society while Dimmesdale is subliminally punished by himself. The scaffold is a raised platform in the market place to represent that it is the area where sin is recognized and acknowledged by everyone, and the area where the strict Puritan laws are enforced. It makes the characters feel the reverse of what they feel in the forest due to the fact that they are alienated and judged on the scaffold while they are accepted by the forest. It is also the place where Dimmesdale can escape from Chillingworth’s cold clutches because it is the place where sin is confessed. Chillingworth makes Dimmesdale weaker by keeping his act of adultery secret and letting him slowly die due to the overflow of guilt and shame. In addition, the scaffold is the center of attention so it also indicates large, important events in the novel. The three scenes are all very important to the novel; the first scene is when all of the main characters are introduced, the second is when the family is truly “together” for the first time and linked together by an “electric chain” (Hawthorne 138), and
PIB English 10
Period 2G
October 20, 2010
The Scarlet Letter
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses many different settings to portray important functions and significance. Several of the settings such as the prison and cemetery, the town, Governor Bellingham’s house, the scaffold, the forest, the lighting, and so on have a deeper definition. The settings act as theme enhancers that make the novel more complex and classic. Hawthorne’s use of setting is spectacular in the way he makes it more than just a place or time; he makes it connect deeply to the characters and the plot. In fact, none of the aspects of the novel are irrelevant because everything relates whether it be straightforward or softly hinted. First …show more content…
In each, it is Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl all on the scaffold or “guilty platform” together which represents how they are all bound together by the adultery committed (Hawthorne 136). They are punished together even though it may not look like it because Hester is clearly punished by society while Dimmesdale is subliminally punished by himself. The scaffold is a raised platform in the market place to represent that it is the area where sin is recognized and acknowledged by everyone, and the area where the strict Puritan laws are enforced. It makes the characters feel the reverse of what they feel in the forest due to the fact that they are alienated and judged on the scaffold while they are accepted by the forest. It is also the place where Dimmesdale can escape from Chillingworth’s cold clutches because it is the place where sin is confessed. Chillingworth makes Dimmesdale weaker by keeping his act of adultery secret and letting him slowly die due to the overflow of guilt and shame. In addition, the scaffold is the center of attention so it also indicates large, important events in the novel. The three scenes are all very important to the novel; the first scene is when all of the main characters are introduced, the second is when the family is truly “together” for the first time and linked together by an “electric chain” (Hawthorne 138), and