Entry 23:
"In his Indian captivity, moreover, he had gained much knowledge of the properties of native herbs and roots"
Indians are another symbol of 'wild' and were outsiders to the Puritan society. The Indians lived in nature and because they lived in the forest, it was considered wrong. The forest is dark and unknown and there can refer back to the devil, or the fact that you can hide your secrets there.
Because this specifically mentions 'native' herbs and roots it can be compared to alchemy and magic which Chillingsworth had said before that he had 'sought gold in alchemy' (pg.69) This can allude to witches with magic, and then back to Mistress Hibbins. The fact that Mistress Hibbins is an outsider, just like the Indians, are also like Hester Prynne which there brings everything into full circle.
"In his Indian captivity, moreover, he had gained much knowledge of the properties of native herbs and roots"
Indians are another symbol of 'wild' and were outsiders to the Puritan society. The Indians lived in nature and because they lived in the forest, it was considered wrong. The forest is dark and unknown and there can refer back to the devil, or the fact that you can hide your secrets there.
Because this specifically mentions 'native' herbs and roots it can be compared to alchemy and magic which Chillingsworth had said before that he had 'sought gold in alchemy' (pg.69) This can allude to witches with magic, and then back to Mistress Hibbins. The fact that Mistress Hibbins is an outsider, just like the Indians, are also like Hester Prynne which there brings everything into full circle.
Indians are referred to as heathen. You need to research Puritan beliefs about Indians at this time and to form a connection between them and the black man.
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