Butting Heads in The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Recommended: Critical analysis of the scarlet letter

The major motif, which is a structure or device that assists in developing themes, in The Scarlet Letter follows the same basic principle throughout, a binary opposition. Whether it be light-vs.-dark, civilization-vs.-the wilderness, or truth-vs.-fallacy, binary opposition dominates the entire novel. These conflicts may all be seen in a short passage from the book. "And yet they lingered. The forest path back to the settlement looked dreary: There Hester Prynne would once again take up the burden of her shame, and the minister the hollow mockery of his reputation! So they lingered another moment. No golden light was ever so precious as the gloom of this dark forest. Here, seen only by his eyes, the scarlet letter did not burn the bosom of the sinful woman! Here, seen only by her eyes, Arthur Dimmesdale—false to God and to man—might, for one moment, be true!" (162). Having a conflicting writing style facilitates Nathaniel Hawthorne's purpose of placing Hester Prynne on the winning side, thereby denouncing the practices of puritanical New England.
In this passage, a civilization-vs.-wilderness theme is easily detected in "the forest path back to the settlement looked dreary" (162). In The Scarlet Letter, the town represents civilization while the forest represents the wilderness. This town is a civilized place where no one can hide any act he or she as committed and misbehavior is quickly punished. The forest on the other hand is a place of nature and freedom. This space is not dictated by human authority and the rules of society are not enforced. Therefore, the forest is a place where transgressions may be forgotten, and even forgiven. Hester, an adulterer constantly reminded of her wrongdoing, can sit in peace without c...

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...r example, in wilderness-vs.-civilization, she was eventually able to live in the civilized world without being prosecuted. As time went on, she became a respected and appreciated citizen who was known to possess a very care giving and benevolent nature. In light-vs.-dark, Hester overcomes her supposed sin and tie to Satan. Every time she overcame a conflict, the image of Hester increased while the image of puritanical New England diminished.
Knowing of course that Hester represented everything that puritanical New England condemned, placing her actions and accomplishments on a pedestal make an even greater statement. Using this binary opposition a strategically placing her on the winning side boosts the image of Hester while lowering the image of that society. This ultimately assisted Nathaniel Hawthorne in his purpose of reforming New England for the better.

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