Primitivism in the Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne infuses his opinion in The Scarlet Letter of how primitivism is a doctrine that declared primitive people nobler and purer than civilized people due to their habitation being closer to nature and further from society. Hawthorne tells the reader of Hester's complete change in personality resulting from her solitary living in the wilderness, away from society. "Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,-stern and wild ones,-and the had made her strong..." (p. 240) The author describes a changed woman; one who has come from a corrupted citizen of the town to a new, pure, innocent human being. The wilderness redesigned her mind, creating a woman more noble and more reputable than any civilized woman in the town. So much so, that the people began to think of Hester's "A" symbol on her bosom as meaning "able" instead of "adulterer." Hawthorne also describes Hester as wandering, "Without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness...as intricate as the untamed forest." (p.239) The reader infers here that by being away from society, Hester has been able to change her ways and rid herself of her past sin. The reclusive punishment given to Hester by society meant to heave her into despair actually ends up amending her for the better. Clearly, through the example of Hester, one can conclude that primitivism is the belief of primitive people being purer than those who are civilized because of their seclusion from society.