I chose this word because the tone of the first chapter seems rather dark. We hear stories of the hopes with which the Puritans arrived in the new world; however, these hopes quickly turned dark because the Purtains found that the first buildings they needed to create were a prison, which alludes to the sins they committed; and a cemetery, which contradicts the new life they hoped to create for themselves.
I chose this word because the plot of the second chapter details the crime committed by Hester Prynne. Her “sin” of conceiving a child under adulterous affairs was an intolerable act in a Puritan society. Her child became a symbol of her sin but also a symbol of love. The scarlet letter “A” that was supposed to represent her shame became
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something to signify her defiance as she refused to be humiliated and scorned. I chose this word because of the bravery and strength Hester displayed on the scaffold. Hester refused to reveal the name of her child’s father and decided to carry weight of the sin and shame all by herself. Even with Mr. Dimmesdale pleads not to protect the man out of “pity and tenderness for him,” she still remained strong and refused to name the father of her child. I chose this word because in this chapter, Hester and her husband have realized that they have wronged each other. Hester’s husband was physically and mentally old. He realizes that he was in “decay” and couldn’t provide the affection Hester needed in their relationship. Hester, on the other hand, never loved her husband and was able to find affection somewhere else. She wronged her husband by committing adultery. I chose this word because this chapter shows the life of Hester after her imprisonment and how she became a social outcast. After her imprisonment, Hester decided to stay in her town and live in a small cottage by the seaside, which is isolated from the community. Hester became a social outcast and her only companion is her child. Her life outside of the prison is lonesome. I chose this word because this chapter tells the early life of Pearl and how she grew up in isolation and thought to be a demon-child. Pearl is the product of adultery, which was viewed by the Puritans to be evil and influenced by the devil, leading them to believe that a child born from this union would be inherently evil. Those of the community already decided Pearl’s destiny from the moment she was born. I chose this word because in this chapter, Hester is afraid that Pearl would be taken away from her. The Puritans, in the community, want to remove Pearl from her mother’s influence. They view Pearl as a product of sin and thus want her to be free of her mother’s evil influences and be exposed to more Christian influences. Thus deprive Hester of her own child for the sake of their Christian interest. I chose this word because in this chapter, Hester fights for her child. Pearl is Hester’s greatest treasure but at the same time she is a reminder of her sin. After being condemned for her sins, she has nothing left but her daughter and without her she would rather die. This is proven when Hester refuses Mistress Hibbins invitation for a witches meeting and reveals that she would have accepted if Pearl were taken away. I chose this word because in this chapter it has a double meaning. The word leech is an old fashion word used to describe a doctor. In this chapter this word has a double meaning and can also be seen as a leech that sucks the life from a person. This is used to represent Chillingworth as he stays by Dimmesdale side as a doctor, while at the same time, sucking the life from him. I chose this word because in this chapter, Chillingworth is trying to pry Dimmesdale’s secret from him. This chapter begins to show Chillingworth’s evil intentions as he is questioning and manipulating Dimmesdale to reveal his secret. His evil intentions are furthered emphasized by the use of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and how Chillingworth used Dimmesdale’s state of unconscious to look under his shirt. I chose this word because throughout this chapter Dimmesdale is being tortured mentally and physically for his sins. The burden of his sins continuous to haunt him as Chillingworth, who knows his dark secret, uses it against him. Since he wasn’t able to reveal his sins publicly, he decided to resort to self-torture. The sins that he keeps deep inside his heart is tormenting him and causing him agony. I chose this word because of the cowardice and doubt Dimmesdale displayed during this chapter. In the beginning, he saw that there were no dangers of discovery and that only God had seen him. This changes as he backs down from confession when Pearl asked if he would mount the scaffold with them at noon. This shows that desire to confess is overpowered by his fear of confession and the humiliation that would follow. I chose this word because it describes Hester personality and character during this chapter. Hester’s generosity and charity had begun to change people’s perceptive of her. They had begun to associate her with a “Sister of Mercy” and the scarlet letter that once symbolized her shame became something associated with magical qualities. The townspeople had begun to see her as an “Able” person instead of an adulterer. I chose this word because it helps demonstrate the reason as to why Chillingworth believes that he must take revenge.
Years ago, Hester promised Chillingworth to keep his identity a secret, thus allowing him to do evil to Dimmesdale. Chillingworth believes that it was his fate to change from a kind man to a vengeful fiend. He believes that it’s his destiny to take revenge and thus would not stop until he does so.
I chose this word because it describes Pearl’s fascination with the scarlet letter in this chapter. Pearl doesn’t know the significance of the letter and constantly questions her mother but receives no answer. Hester even lies about the significance of the letter saying, “I wear it for the sake of its gold thread.” This shows that Hester believes that Pearl is too young to understand the meaning behind the letter.
I chose this word because it describes the setting of the forest and the moods during this chapter. The gloomy forest reflects Hester’s conversation about the “Black Man” with Pearl. When Hester and Pearl were talking out the story of the “Black Man” the mood of the scene was gloomy and eerie, thus reflecting the setting of the
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forest. I chose this word because in this chapter Hester is able to draw out her strength and courage to try to convince Dimmesdale to escape the hostile Puritan community and go to Europe. Dimmesdale had long lost his will to live, knowing that wherever he goes he will carry his sin with him. Without the strength to carry on, he relies on Hester’s courage instead, saying, “Be strong for me! Advise me what to do.” I chose this word because it describes the mood of this chapter.
The thought of beginning anew and leaving the Puritan community has begun to change Hester and Dimmesdale. Hester throws away her scarlet letter and cap, thus throwing away her burden of shame and Dimmesdale, who was burdened by his guilt and sin, found happiness once again.
I chose this word because it describes how Pearl felt when she was encouraged to meet Dimmesdale. Pearl is the product of love between Hester and Dimmesdale. Hester’s affair with Dimmesdale was one of passionate love. Instead of following the human laws (Puritan laws), Hester followed what her heart wanted. This signifies that Pearl is part of the natural world and her reluctance to meet her father foreshadows a sad ending for Hester and Dimmesdale.
I chose this word because this chapter talks about the changes taking place within Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale’s conversation with Hester has transformed him from a weak and miserable man into an energetic man with a new purpose. Before this, Dimmesdale had lost his will to live. Their plan to leave and go to Europe has given him a new purpose to
live. I chose this word because it describes how Hester felt when she found out the Chillingworth has landed himself a passage to Europe with herself and Dimmesdale. In the beginning, Hester feels excited and joyful that she will be leaving the community and can finally throw away her scarlet letter. She was startled after hearing that Chillingworth would join them. Although, she remained calm on the outside, she felt distress and fear in the inside. I chose this word because it describes the mood Hester is feeling. When Mistress Hibbins tells Hester that she had seen Dimmesdale in the forest and tells her that his secret would soon be revealed, Hester starts to feel nervous. And after hearing the news about the change of plans for the voyage, Hester begins to feel anxious about what’s going to come next. She starts to dread what the future holds for them. I chose this word because in this chapter Dimmesdale is finally able to confess his sins to the public. He knows that he will not have long to live and decides to confess his sins. He knows that even if he did leave to Europe, his sins would not be forgotten because God sees all. By standing on the scaffold and publicly repenting for his shame, Dimmesdale was able to save his soul. I chose this word because the tone of this chapter seemed gloomy. As the narrator tells of Chillingworth’s death and the disappearance of Hester and Pearl, there are no joyful moments in his tale. In the end, when Hester dies and is buried next to Dimmesdale, their tombstone reads “ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES,” signifying that even in death the scarlet letter would follow them (follows the somber tone of the chapter).
Dimmesdale considers the timing fortunate as it aligns with his Election Day sermon and feels that there could not be a more suitable way to end his career as a minister. He thinks to himself, “At least, they shall say of me, that I leave no public duty unperformed, nor ill performed!’” (Hawthorne 146). Up until the moment of his histrionic confession on the scaffold, Dimmesdale acts to maintain his respected reputation in the Puritan society. Even his final confession is a performance before the town. As analyzed by literary critic Terrence Martin, “...in keeping with the brilliant economy of The Scarlet Letter, the moment at which Dimmesdale commits himself consciously to deadly liberating sin becomes the moment at which he secretly wishes to cap his public life with a final burst of eloquence on the most important occasion the Puritan community can offer.” His death is his final act of hypocrisy, as he declares that he stands with them but leaves Hester and Pearl alone again to face society. His confession, like his silence, was a grandiose facade for an act of
Both committed adultery but have suffered in different ways. Hester’s punishment composed of public shaming on the scaffold for all to behold, but afterwards she did not suffer from guilt because she confessed her sin, unlike Dimmesdale, who did not confess, but rather let his sin become the “black secret of his soul” (170), as he hid his vile secret and became described as the “worst of sinners” (170). He leads everyone to believe of his holiness as a minister and conceals the, “Remorseful hypocrite that he was [is]” (171). Hester, a sinner too, however, does not lie about how she lives and therefore, does not suffer a great torment in her soul. While she stays healthy, people begin to see Hester’s Scarlet Letter turn into a different meaning, of able or angel, and they view her in a new light, of how she really lives. Dimmesdale however, becomes sickly and weak after “suffering under bodily disease, and gnawed and tortured by some black trouble of the soul” (167). He hides behind a false mask as he is described as possessing, “Brilliant particles of a halo in the air about his head” (300), and perceived as the most honorable man in New England. People do not see him as truly himself, but rather who he hides
Pearl is not only a symbol of Hester but also a symbol to Dimmsdale. Pearl will not let him into her life until he accepts his sin. She wants him as a father but will not let him until he will not hide his sin in public. Pearl knows that Dimmsdale will not be seen holding her hand in the public eye and this bothers her. She asks her mother, " wilt tho promise to hold my and thy mothers hand to-morrow?"(105)
That man who Hester loves so deeply, Mr. Dimmesdale also undergoes major changes due the sin he bears. In the beginning of the book we see this man’s weakness and unwillingness to confess sin even as he begs Hester the person he committed his sin with to come forth with her other parties name (p56). As The Scarlet Letter progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically and his religious speeches become even stronger so that his congregation begins to revere him. For a large part of the novel Dimmesdale has been on a downward spiral in terms of mental and physical health thanks to a so-called friend who was issued to take care of Mr. Dimmesdale, then because of a talk with Hester he is revitalized and given the power to do something, which he could not for seven long years. At the end of the novel Dimmesdale is finally able to recognize his family in public and confess his sin before all releasing the sin he held so long hidden in his heart (p218, 219).
A sin is defined as any act regarded as a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale were forced to face the realities and hardships of committing a mortal sin in the eyes of a predominately Puritan society. Seven years after moving to America alone, Hester assumed her husband, Roger Chillingworth, to be dead and had moved on with the town minister—Dimmesdale. The two lovers ended up having a child out of wedlock, which ensured them the public scorn from their community. Hester, while raising their illegitimate child, Pearl, was ostracized by society and required to wear a scarlet letter, “A,” on her chest as a sign of her wrongdoing. Dimmesdale remained the unknown father of Pearl, by keeping his sin a secret from the townspeople. Because of their unique circumstances, Hester and Dimmesdale were ultimately affected differently by the same sin. Hester was audacious and accepting about the sin, while Dimmesdale was secretive and suffered.
In one of the last few chapters of the novel Hester said these following words to Dimmesdale in trying to convince him to give up his Puritan pessimism: " Let us not look back, for the past is gone! Wherefore should we linger upon it now?
In the beginning of the passage selected, Dimmesdale begins his journey into confession. As he gathers the attention of the town’s citizens, his voice is described as “high, solemn, and majestic- yet had always a tremor through it, and sometimes a shriek, struggling up out of a fathomless depth of remorse and woe” (237). Hawthorne’s description of Dimmesdale’s unsteady, shaking voice, and his deep internal conflict induce pathos in the reader, in order to make the scene more identifiable with the audience. Dimmesdale’s emotions that are appealing to the reader also assists in putting the current
“Aspiring minds must sometime sustain loss.” This quote said by Plato exemplifies the fact that in life, every individual has at least one major battle that they must overcome. Within the Puritan society setting in the novel “The Scarlet Letter”, the rules and regulation on the small town are extremely rigid. Therefore, when the reader finds out that Hester has committed adultery they see how sin was not acceptable in any form at this time. The person whom Hester committed adultery with is Reverend Dimmsdale. Pearl, the product of the sin committed, is more closely associated with Hester. On the other hand Chillingworth is more closely associated with Reverend Dimmsdale. Pearl is a living reminder everyday for Hester about the sin she committed. Chillingworth’s torturing of Dimmesdale affects both Dimmesdale and Hester. It affects Dimmesdale mentally because it helps him realize the severity of the sin and it affects Hester because she is in love with Dimmesdale.
His inner conflict did not solely rely on the war between his guilt, pride, and false witness, but also from the loneliness he brought upon himself. Dimmesdale felt sorry for himself and envied Hester for the fact she could wear her sin openly and freely, yet why could Dimmesdale not? Dimmesdale said himself “ happy are you, Hester, that you wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Dimmesdale’s sin did not have to burn in secret but he chose for it to out of his own righteous pride. His ride not only brought failure and guilt but also loneliness. His loneliness spring from no one getting to see him for what he really was. “After the torment of seven years’ cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes” him the “vilest of sinners” he shamed himself to be was the only time his loneliness had ceased to be. That day in the forest with Hester brought Dimmesdale comfort but he had only himself to blame for this misery. The truth is Dimmesdale tried to confess his sin. Though the times he tried to confess, it was not with much effort. The community would not believe him but instead claimed him to be “the saint on earth”. The irony of dimmesdales postion is almost hurmorous. He is disguised in lies therefore when he speaks the truth
He tried to pursue his revenge and failed. His reason for living was to exact his revenge, and because Dimmesdale died he couldn’t exact his revenge. So, he shriveled up without a meaningful purpose in
Throughout the novel, Pearl remains focused on discovering her father’s identity. Because she wishes to know her father’s identity, Pearl constantly bombards Hester, her mother, with questions. Most children at her age would never comprehend the cause behind their father’s absence, much less children have the ability to hold a conversation with their mother on the subject, and even fewer children would talk about the topic, as it was forbidden in the Puritan beliefs. Pearl challenges the Puritan’s pious nature through understanding the complicated nature of adultery and pestering her mother on the subject. Furthermore, Pearl’s precociousness enables her to focus on Hester’s scarlet letter and its meaning, which represented her mother’s breaking of Puritan rules. She confronts Hester multiple times about the letter and what it means. “’Mother,’ said little Pearl, ‘the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom…It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!’ ‘Nor ever will, my child, I hope,’ said Hester. ‘And why not, mother?’ asked Pearl, stopping short…’Will it not come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown?’” (Chapter 16). At such a young age, Pearl still possesses the ability to inquire about Hester’s letter and its much deeper meaning, even though she knows its use as a warning for those who rebel against the Puritan society. Finally, Pearl’s precociousness enables her position as the sole townsperson to question the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale. The still extremely young Pearl confronts her mother about Dimmesdale. “’Doth he love us?’ said Pearl, looking up with acute intelligence into her mother's face. ‘Will he go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into the town?’” (Chapter 19). Pearl quickly realizes that Hester and Dimmesdale have something
Dimmesdale wants to confess in order to achieve a clear conscience, but his desire to keep the Puritan people believing in God holds him back. His need to defend himself also leads him to keep the secret of his adulterous sin. Ironically, his physical state diminishes because he tries to protect himself. Dimmesdale’s choice to contain all of his guilt inside brings him great amounts of pain and suffering, more intolerable than Hester’s temporary feelings of isolation. Hester’s life proceeds to get better once the people have time to process her sin. Dimmesdale wants to do the right thing, but protecting the church and his reputation proves far more important to him than his own
Soon, because of his insecurities and weakness to commit a noble life, Dimmesdale becomes so corrupt that while repressing himself he also resorts to suppressing others. This suppression is only in the interests of himself and only serves to further hide his true self. As Hester pleads for her daughter’s custody at Bellingham’s estate, Dimmesdale watches stagnantly while listening to Hester’s plea to save the life of his own daughter, and only decides to help her when she appeals to Dimmesdale, “Thou wast my pastor, and hadst charge of my soul, and knowest me better than these men can. I will not lose the child! Speak for me!” (Hawthorne 100) Once the possible threat of the exposure of his sin is sensed by Dimmesdale, only then does he look to aid the woman who he once shared his most intimate feeling. He only looks to quiet Hester by helping her, not actually try and save his daughter through the goodness of his heart. Due to his fear of his sin, Dimmesdale is becomes cold and only sensitive to himself and those who can impact
Oddly enough, she decides to stay and moves to a small cottage between the wilderness and town. And so because of this, the Scarlet Letter forever has its mark on her physically and emotionally. Having a home not quite in the town but not quite far enough away isolated her from society. However along with that, she is being punished for a sin, a sin that the letter “A” represents. Overall, society views her as, “the figure, the body, and the reality of sin”(Hawthorne, 76). The letter she wears, not only publicly scorns her, but it causes Hester to see the sin in others. It gives her “sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts”(83). So even though this letter separates Hester from society, she is now able to recognize the sin in the society that in fact persecutes her. This shows the true nature of the Puritans in the fact that they were hypocrites. People condemn Hester for her own acts of sin when in fact the condemners have sins of their own. The letter Hester wears can sense these sinners for, “the red infamy upon her breast would give a sympathetic throb,”(Hawthorne, 84),whenever she is around someone masking personal sin. In chapter 6, Hawthorne describes Pearl in a way where she becomes a symbol. Pearl is in fact the product of a sin, and yet, she is such a treasure. The Puritans believed that extramarital sex was evil but “God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given Hester a lovely child”( Hawthorne, 86). In this sense, God’s treatment of Hester contrasts greatly from the Puritan’s treatment of her. However, how can Pearl, a product of evil be good? For it is thought that a child born from a sexual affair will be evil. This creates a struggle for Hester because Pearl is a sign of Hester’s punishment and treasure. Also, it isn’t surprising that Pearl is intrigued by the Scarlet Letter that her mother wears. “One day,
Although she uncontrollable, wild, and self-willed, she looks and feels the scarlet letter by herself not by other people’s thinking. Hester is a kind, and friendly. The A is an angel for her. She is the reason Hester lives bravely and strongly. ‘‘And there stood the minister, with his hand over his heart; and Hester Prynne, with the embroidered letter glimmering on her bosom; and little Pearl, herself a symbol, and the connecting link between those two’’ (Hawthorne 106). Her being encourages Hester and Dimmesdale to face the cruel society. The A becomes the sincerest and noblest symbol of love in her eyes. Hawthorne expresses those Puritan in the town prejudge Hester for her scarlet letter. Nevertheless, Pearl perceives that her mother is generous and beautiful. Hawthorne condemns Puritan’s fool through the description of link between Pearl, scarlet letter, and