In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne . Hawthorne uses the ironic element of setting in order to connect themes, characterization, symbols, as well as the most evident, mans need to hide from the injustices of society. Though his description of Hester’s cottage, the forest, and the prison, Hawthorne uses setting to demonstrate people’s tendency to seek shelter from society. A gloomy feeling of disconnection from society is associated with the cottage in which Hester …showed first 75 words of 987 total…

…showed last 75 words of 987 total…clear that society chases away what it considers to be “different” and not fitting in. The cottage, the forest, and the prison are used by Hawthorne to convey society’s rigid nature. These places are thought of as dreary and confining, and immediately jump off the page to the reader. As a result, Hawthorne makes it easier for his audience to relate to his ideas that he is trying to convey through The Scarlet Letter.