Final answer:
The 'unsightly vegetation' around the prison in 'The Scarlet Letter' symbolizes the corruption and moral decay fostered by the punitive Puritanical society and its penal system.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," the "unsightly vegetation" growing around the prison represents the corruption and degradation that the penal system ingrains into society. Hawthorne uses this vegetation to symbolize the nature of punishment and the moral decay of a society that punishes with such visible marks of shame. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne employs symbolism to interrogate the ethics of the Puritanical society and the harshness of its penal system, suggesting that this societal institution ingrains more wickedness into society than it uproots.