Civilization versus the Wilderness in The Scarlet Letter Recurring throughout The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is the motif of civilization versus the wilderness. In the story the town of Boston and its surrounding forest represent opposite behavioral systems. The town is one ruled primarily by Puritan ideals. In rule-bound Boston everything one does is on display and transgressions are quickly punished. Conversely, the forest is a safe-haven from the repression of Boston. Society's rules …showed first 75 words of 634 total…

…showed last 75 words of 634 total…wilderness there seems to exist perhaps a midpoint. This barrier is Hester's cottage. Located on the outskirts of Boston it embodies both the Puritan order and the serenity of the wilderness. It is her place of exile from the town where she suffers for a time in alienation and solitude. But it is also an escape from the inhabitants of this town where she can think for herself and where she creates a relative peace.