Wilderness+-+Reflection

I created this page not only because of the enthralling nature of artwork interpreting forests and wilderness, but because of the fear the unknown wilderness seems to hold in American hearts. Nathaniel Hawthorne, in __The Scarlett Letter__, is very adept at illustrating the symbolism of the forest to the puritan community. The woods, with their hidden secrets and their dark lands are unknown, unconquerable lands, that are therefore feared. The forest represents the unknown that Americans have become so fearful of, and is parallel to the intense fear of darkness and death, the other unknowns.

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