How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Nature In The Scarlet Letter

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The definition of a theme is the subject of a piece of writing. Nature is a popular theme used in many novels. The theme of nature is especially important in The Scarlett Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the novel, Hawthorne uses nature to convey the motifs of both good and bad. One of the motifs of nature would be the wilderness. The second motif would be civilization and its effect on nature.
The motif of wilderness shows a positive side of The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses wilderness to convey an idea of freedom that is not conveyed in the civilized part of society. The motif of civilization sheds a negative light on nature. Civilization is always gloomy and depressing in The Scarlet Letter.
“Yonder she is, standing in a streak of sunshine, a good way off, on the other side of the brook… like a bright- appareled vision in a sunbeam, which fell down upon her through an arch of boughs” (Hawthorne, 200). By using this quote, Hawthorne shows that in the wilderness light finds a way to shine down on Pearl. When no other characters are around, Hawthorne is able to show just how exceptional Pearl is. The significance of …show more content…

“Before the ugly edifice the wheel-track of the street, was a grass plot, much overgrown with burdock, pigweed, apple peru, and such unsightly vegetation, which evidently found something congenial in the soil that had so early borne the black flower of civilized society, a prison” (Hawthorne, 46). This quote from The Scarlet Letter shows how the prison affects the surrounding plants and vegetation. The plants around the prison have grown out of control and have made the area around the prison look ugly. The plants have grown out of control to show the prison in a negative light. Hawthorne is able to uses nature to show the negative effects of what peoples views can have on a certain

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