The Dark Forest

I have a confession. If I'm being honest, Nathaniel Hawthorne trips me up sometimes. The language, the seemingly never-ending descriptions. But hey, you do you, Nate (whether I understand or not). Despite my frustration and having to read certain passages twice, I attempted to make some sense of it.

In chapters 14-17, I took note of Hawthorne's intentionality in using nature as a dominant force. Despite standing in stark contrast to Puritan society, nature provides us with an important understanding of deeper meanings and underlying issues in the novel. Nature seems to express the mood of each scene and the emotions of the characters. For example, in chapter 16 Hester enters into the nearby forest with her daughter, Pearl. The child explains that the sunshine runs from her mother, and this noted observation is oddly similar to the townspeople's attitudes and actions regarding Hester and her "unforgivable sin." Throughout literature and The Scarlet Letter in particular, light often symbolizes truth. Thus, we are lead to believe Hester finds the forest so familiar and strangely comforting because she is avoiding or hiding the truth altogether - whether it is from Dimmesdale or herself. While the dark forest symbolizes the sinful wickedness of Hester's past, Pearl - the light of Hester's life - mirrors innocence by catching a sliver of light upon her small frame. Along with this idea, the forest permits sin and earthly troubles to blossom, and this same idea reflects Hester's new, yet aged mood.

As nature is both unpredictable and ever-changing, the forest gives Hester a newness of life upon discussing her consecrated love affair with Dimmesdale. It seems to me that despite such unpredictability, nature proves to be a place of acceptance for Hester - a feeling she has not been exposed to for quite some time. Seeing as the forest is secluded from the rigidity of Puritan society, Hester and Dimmesdale are finally able to have the chat they should have had a long time ago. Like maybe when Hester's pregnancy wasn't national news. They discuss plans to flee to Europe as a family. I know. Even the demon-child is invited to tag along with the "once lovers." (Quick side note. Since when were Hester and Dimmesdale a thing again? Hope that goes well for the squad.)

Essentially, nature is a manifestation of the wide array of feelings our friends like Hester and Dimmesdale experience and their associated moods. After all, the forest is home to the Black Man, but it is also a place of utter liberation for Hester. The forest represents a natural world while the village in which it encloses emphasizes strict law. One of the reasons why I appreciate Hawthorne so much is his ability to change the meaning of a previous idea or setting. Nature has the ability to mean anything and everything - especially for Hester, a woman who has face quite the whirlwind of experiences and oppression throughout her own life. Shoutout to Nathaniel.

I'll leave my fellow readers with a found poem from last night's reading. The poem expresses the darker role nature plays within the novel, a slight glimpse into the character's (primarily Hester but a dash of Pearl too) thoughts regarding nature, and the overall setting. So here it goes.

Onward into the mystery of the primeval forest
Stood so black and dense,
Chill and sombre,
A gray expanse of cloud
Slightly stirred by a breeze.
A gleam of flickering sunshine
Seen along the path.
The sunshine does not love you.
Let me run and catch it.
The sunshine vanished.
Thou meetest him at midnight.
Here in the dark wood.
Scenes shadowed as heavily with gloom.
But she danced and sparkled,
Putting aside the branches.
Through the trees,
Some very mournful mystery had departed
In the intense seclusion of the forest.
Relieved from the gray twilight,
The clouded sky,
And the heavy foliage.
His pathway through life was haunted,
Chill as death.
No golden light had ever been so precious
As the gloom of this dark forest.