The Scarlet Letter Section 4 Blog 1

In chapter 17 of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne's meeting with Reverend Dimmesdale in the forest reveals the relationship of the two, being the bearers of the sin which is resembled by the "A" patch. Both dwell in misery at the punishment the crime has brought upon the two: shame and despair. While Hester has found a productive way to enter back into involvement in society, by helping the needy in Salem and embroidering lines for others to wear, the Reverend finds no peace in his sermons or service to people, thinking only what he does furthers his lie that he is a respectable man. The whole scene evokes pity by the reader for the sufferings of Hester and the Reverend, so connected in their misery, trying to help each other cope, but unable to be together because the public doesn't know and can't know their secret. The whole somberness of the scene, furthered by the reverend's misery and cries of despair, is appropriately set int the woods, which also seem to give an air of sadness, and hopelessness to the scene. The setting in the woods described as: "obscure around them..the boughs were tossing heavily above their heads; while one solemn old tree groaned dolefully to another, as if telling the sad story of the pair that sat beneath,"(Hawthorne, 151). Overall, I thought the author's use of setting to further the mood and the despairing instance of the novel, and reveal the eeriness of the woods which is the only place where Hester and the Reverend can find comfort to meet.