Fatomata Konteh
In this passage, Hawthorne’s language clearly demonstrates nature’s positive reaction to Dimmesdale and Hester’s decision to leave Puritan society: “as if the gloom of the earth and sky had been but the effluence of these two mortal hearts, it vanished with their sorrows.” While nature’s reaction to their decision is positive, Hawthorne doesn’t quite seem to share these feelings. In fact, the author’s implication of Hawthorne’s use of pathetic fallacy contradicts his own argument. If Hawthorne were using pathetic fallacy, then by describing the light shining on Dimmesdale as “flickering,” hints at an underlying issue with Hester and Dimmesdale’s decision. Though it may seem that Hawthorne’s reaction to their decision is identical …show more content…
After Dimmesdale’s decision to accept Hester’s invitation to leave Puritan society behind, Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale’s emotional state as, “the exhilarating effect-upon a prisoner just escaped from the dungeon of his own heart- of breathing the wild, free atmosphere of an unredeemed, unchristianized, lawless region.” Given the fact that Hawthorne describes this to be an “unredeemed, unchristianized, lawless region,” then contradictory to what the author states, nature’s positive reaction to Hester and Dimmesdale’s decision to leave Puritan society has no correlation with their sins being washed away.The sun was shining because, “such was the sympathy of Nature-that wild, heathen Nature of the forest never subjugated by human law, nor illuminated by higher truth-with the bliss of these two spirits.” Here, Hawthorne suggests that nature’s positive light on Hester and Dimmesdale is solely due to its wild nature- not because of a “higher truth.” It seems that nature’s only role in this passage is to illustrate the love between Hester and Dimmesdale because, “Love, whethernewly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward …show more content…
When describing Hester’s current state, Hawthorne writes, “for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed from society, [Hester] had habituated herself to such a latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the minister[Dimmesdale].” Here, Hawthorne sets up an image of Hester as a woman so used to living wildly that she would naturally make a decision so outrageous as to leave Puritan society- a characteristic “estranged” to Dimmesdale. Unlike Dimmesdale, “her intellect and heart had their home…in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods.” Moreover, “Shame! Despair! Solitude! These had been her teachers- stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.” With these opening words in the passage, it seems that Hawthorne aims to suggest that there is something wrong with Hester which causes her to make the decision to leave with Dimmesdale. On the other hand, Dimmesdale “had never gone through an experience calculated to lead him beyond the scope of generally received laws…but this had been a sin of passion, not of principle, nor even purpose.”It seems that Hawthorne characterizes the image of the adultery committed by Hester and Dimmesdale years ago to be solely driven by emotion. The language