Hawthorne uses nature to present an intriguing contrast between Puritan society and the forest that surrounds the community. While the religiously based government of the Puritans limits their actions within the city, the Puritans escape these limitations when they go into the forest which is “never subjugated by human law” (Hawthorne 139). Characters like Hester Prynne take advantage of the woods to temporarily free themselves from the demands and judgments of their society. For example, Hester must always display the scarlet letter "A" on her chest as punishment for her act of adultery, but she takes the opportunity out of town to rid herself of the shameful mark. “She loosened the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter and, taking it from her breast, threw it far away among the withered leaves” (138).