Hypocrisy In The Scarlet Letter Essay

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William Shakespeare once said, “One touch of nature, makes the whole world kin.” In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter, the Forest is a place of societal freedom while as the Town serves as a place of judgement and false virtue. Some might say that the Scaffold would prove to be a suitable contrast to the Forest, however, the Town provides a more direct contrast to the Forest; truth is welcomed in the natural Forest and punished in the unnatural Town. That opinion is evident throughout the novel as the different themes of secrets destroying their keeper, nature being more forgiving than man, and the hypocrisy of the Puritan society clearly exemplify it. Throughout the novel, the foundation has been based upon two main points, humility …show more content…

The real hypocrisy comes when the reader realizes that he wants Hester to be strong and reveal the name because he cannot himself do it. The pressures of the town force an attitude of unnecessary and hurtful hypocrisy upon Hester from Dimmesdale. In contrast, Hester soon realized that unlike the Town, hypocrisy is unheard of in the Forest. Later in the novel when Hester is in the Forest with Dimmesdale they decide to run away together with Pearl to England. Immediately, Hester tore off that symbol which she had worn for seven long years, and the Forest rains down a beam of light upon Hester as if she was pure. The Forest does not consider why that scarlet 'A ' was there, and it does not judge her for her shortcomings. The Forest only accepts those who enter without judgement and with all the possibilities of renewal and freedom. Finally, Town 's Mistress Hibbins, who is a known advocate of witchcraft, which she happily practices within the borders of the Forest that does not apply the grim evaluation seen in the Town. It is the ultimate form of hypocrisy as the Town was fully aware of the activities of Mistress Hibbins, but because of her relation to the Governor nothing will become of her nefarious activities. In the end, the Town is incredibly hypocritical as it is more concerned with the crime that Hester committed many years ago, instead of the widely illegal witchcraft that the sister of the Governor practices. It is obvious to see the stark contrasts between the hypocritical attitude of the Town, and the forgiving inclination of the Forest in the novel, The Scarlet

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