The Garden And The Forest: An Ecocritical Approach To Wilderness In The Scarlet Letter

The first half of the 19th century witnessed rapid development of American economy and great progress of human civilization. At that time, many romanticists, especially some transcendentalists, had great passion for social progress and the establishment of national identity. They were optimistic about nature, humanity and social reforms. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an important romanticist in America at that time. His works, however, show his different understanding of the society. Garden and forest are two frequent images in his works. This thesis, from an ecological perspective, gives a detailed analysis of the two images and the main characters in The Scarlet Letter. In this way, it points out that Hawthorne’s ambiguous attitude towards wilderness is based on his understanding of humanity. And it is also closely related to his conservativeness in social reforms.There are six chapters in this thesis. The first chapter is the introduction part. It makes a general presentation of the life and experience of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The plot and literature review of The Scarlet Letter is also part of this chapter. Besides, it introduces some basic concepts and ideas of ecocriticism. The ecocritical interpretation of wilderness is also included in this chapter.The second chapter centers on some important background information for later analysis. It will give us some information about the concept of wilderness in the age of romanticism. We will see how wilderness turns from a nightmare for the Puritans to sublime beauty for the romanticists, and how this admiration came to its consummation in the Transcendental Movement.Chapter Three begins with the garden in Robert Beverly’s History and Present State of Virginia. His garden uncovers the tension between human and nature, and this leads to discussions of gardens in Hawthorne’s works. Gardens in Hawthorne’s works are far from lovely. In The Scarlet Letter, the garden in the governor’s mansion bears no flower. It not only shows Hawthorne’s scorn for the Puritan community but also implies his aversion to American civilization in the 19th century. This chapter, with a detailed analysis of the two male characters, will show us Hawthorne’s anxiety over civilization in its confrontation with wilderness.Chapter Four and Chapter Five take the forest in this novel as the main line. Chapter Four shows us the lovely side of wilderness as a shelter for the good of humanity. It also deals with Pearl’s marriage, which is analyzed as Hawthorne’s expectation for the compromise between wilderness and civilization.Chapter Five, by analyzing the lawless hearts of Hester and Chillingworth, shows Hawthorne’s ambiguous attitude towards wilderness. His ambiguity is based on his understanding of humanity. It also explains his conservative attitude towards social reforms.In the conclusion part we can safely draw the conclusion that Hawthorne’s understanding of wilderness, compared with that of his contemporaries, is rather ambiguous. This ambiguity shows his concern for humanity, which can surpass difference of gender, race, and class. And his conservative attitude towards social reforms at a boisterous age is also closely related to his reverence for wilderness.