When Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest, they discuss their true feelings about their experiences since Hester was marked with the scarlet letter. Hawthorne describes how: “No golden light was ever so precious as the darkness of this dark forest” (192). The rare presence of light in this otherwise dark situation symbolizes the relief Hester and Dimmesdale feel after sharing the truth about Dimmesdale's tortuous guilt and Hester's marriage to Chillingworth. In every scene before this one, the forest is associated with witchcraft, evil, darkness and secrets. This earlier association is contrasted by the burst of sunlight upon the sinful couple after they have revealed the last of their secrets. This scene constitutes a turning point in the novel and shows how, despite Hester and Dimmesdale's sin and the consequences they had to suffer, they manage to find a little peace in the fact that they have confided in each other. to the other and have fully admitted their