Scarlet Letter D.J. # 17 - Chapter 9: Part 1.

"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." (pg. 104 3/4 down the page) The bottom of the ocean has shadows and that means that it is dark and scary and very few things can live down there. I believe the author is talking about hell when he talks about the bottom ofthe ocean.