Scarlet Letter pg. 104

Entry 22:

"He chose to withdraw his name from the roll of mankind, and, as regarded his former ties and interests, to vanish out of life as completely as if he indeed lay at the bottom of the ocean."

Hints at shadows-->Bottom of the ocean~Dark~Unseen/unknown of~ghost
                           -->Devil~Bottom(hell)~outside of mankind

The bottom of the ocean has shadows and is dark and is on a deeper level than the earths' surface itself like hell.