In The Scarlet Letter, civilization vs. wilderness is a motif, but what would be examples of that?

This motif creates an important parallel to the characters
of the novel and to several of the overarching themes of the novel.  In order to find
examples, you should be begin by reviewing the novel's key scenes, focusing on those
that take place in the village square versus those that take place at Hester's cottage
in the woods.  Make a list of observations about the way the townspeople behave --
especially in how they talk to and about Hester.  Take notes on how Dimmesdale behaves
when he is in the public eye.  Pay attention to how Hester behaves when she is in
town. Consider the fact that all of the symbols of "rules" and "morality" like the jail
and the scaffold are in the town.

Then in contrast to the
above, review the chapters that describe Hester's cottage and her time spent there and
the woods that surround her home.  Look at how the she and Dimmesdale behave when they
are OUT of the public eye.  How is Pearl described?  How does she behave here as opposed
to in town?

Remember that Hawthorne is critiquing the
attitudes and behavior the members of Puritan society, so while the town is
"civilization" the attitudes of the people are rude and condemning.  Hester has to
repress her true self for the sake of civilization.  She has to "play by their rules" in
order to make her way in this society.  In the wilderness, she is more free.  She and
Dimmesdale are playful; they can let down their guards with each other and be happy. 
Hester takes off her scarlet A which suggests that she can be "free" of her sin in the
wilderness.  The Puritans would have regarded the wilderness as a dangerous "moral
wilderness" where sin and danger lurked at every turn, but Hawthorne refutes that by
having the wilderness be a spiritual sanctuary for Hester.