Passage From The Text
"On the outskirts of the town, within the verge of the peninsula, but not close in vicinity to any other habitation, there was a small thatched cottage. It had been built by an earlier settler, and abandoned, because the soil about it was too sterile for cultivation, while its comparative remoteness put it out of the sphere of that social activity which already marked the habits of the emigrants. It stood on the shore, looking across a basin of the sea at the forest-covered hills, towards the west. A clump of scrubby trees, such as alone grew on the peninsula, did not so much conceal the cottage from view, as seem to denote that here was some object which would fain have been, or at least ought to be, concealed. In this little, lonesome dwelling, with some slender means that she possessed, and by the license of the magistrates, who still kept an inquisitorial watch over her, Hester established herself, with her infant child."(76)
Response To The Text
7) The detail in this part of the text is important because the diction is specifically chosen to better describe the situation, and to provide irony. The second sentence of the text above is ironic because it describes what Hester is not, but at the same time, the description of Hester's cottage sounds like a description of Chillingworth. Chillingworth likes to keep to himself, was unable to have a child with Hester, and had abandoned Hester in Boston when he became a slave. Hester is unable to hide her shame because not even the shrubs that hide most of her house cause suspicion rather than provide secrecy. Hester's house facing westward toward the forest is representative of Hester's future in society. The west is usually associated with progress and opportunity; however, the west is blocked by the dominant forest. The forest represents how Hester is unable to move forward and progress in society because of the omnipotent members of the clergy that are represented by the forest. Nevertheless, Hester's home is in a beautiful location that mirrors her own beauty. The home itself is not beautiful, in a similar fashion to Hester's plain clothing, but the natural beauty of the peninsula makes up for the very modest thatched house. The house is ostracized from the rest of the town like Hester, but both of them stand proudly and carry on with Hester and the location's beauty.