"...like a tuft of green moss on a crumbling wall..." ((Chapter 2/PAGE 55))
Not too important, but it is a simile depicting a scene of nature. The memories of Hester's youth and upbringing send her into a brief spell of reminiscence that is pleasing. She remembers her parents, her childhood, how she got to Boston: everything. The things that her mind flashes through her gaze are eerily vivid as they detract from her current predicament which is a low-point in her life thus far. The memories are comfort, they are safe, and they have the power to ease herself from going mad as initially planned after standing on the scaffold for a few moments. The memories have guided her through the pain of the public scrutiny for small moments, and the comparison of this mental reassurance to the calming spirit of nature only strengthens nature's symbolic appeal, therefore contrastingly weakening the cruel actions of man towards one another which are unnecessary.
Airk - this is good but go further: how is moss on a crumbling wall pleasant? What does the crumbling wall symbolize? What does the moss symbolize?
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