Chapter 23

The most important scene in this whole chapter is when Dimmesdale announces his sin to the society on the scaffold. Before he reveals his sin, the people of the society praise him as extremely holy. This is ironic because he has sinned and he's seen as holy. Meanwhile, in the chapter the people knew his "death" was approaching, this was also ironic because really he is just leaving to begin a new life in Europe. On the scaffold during his final speech, he was acting as if he had not done anything wrong. Dimmesdale tried to hide his speech but clearly the guilt overcame him. My point here is that lies and guilt will ALWAYS overcome you, they will always be there to haunt you. The most shocking point of this chapter is when Dimmsdale makes way to the scaffold and holds out his arms and yells to Pearl to come to him. Its almost as if we can see the expression of the audience's faces. Dimmesdale also screams " Thou hast escaped me!"(the sin). Chillingworth is in the crowd shocked because of what he is seeing, he then yells "don't ruin your fame!", I can see Chillingworth screamign as if he was taken over by the devil. I noticed that before Dimmesdale died its like he took weight of his chest by revealing his sin. It was a relief for him and he died happily without anymore guilt. On page 197, "Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part, had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father's cheek, they were the pledge hat she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it." This is a happy quote, the releasing of guilt and the coming of joy. Overall it was the right thing to do, the minister knew that God wanted him to do the right thing by sharing it to everyone instead of bottling it up inside of him. When Dimmesdale hurt himself because of the sin, I see it as a sign from God , God telling him that the sin needed to come out.

Chapter 15 Coverage

"I wonder if mother will ask me what it means?" thought Pearl.Just then she heard her mother's voice, and, flitting along as lightly as one of the little sea-birds, appeared before Hester Prynne dancing, laughing, and pointing her finger to the ornament upon her bosom."My little Pearl," said Hester, after a moment's silence, "the green letter, and on thy childish bosom, has no purport. But dost thou know, my child, what this letter means which thy mother is doomed to wear?" "Yes, mother," said the child. "It is the great letter A. Thou hast taught me in the horn-book. "Hester looked steadily into her little face; but though there was that singular expression which she had so often remarked in her black eyes, she could not satisfy herself whether Pearl really attached any meaning to the symbol. She felt a morbid desire to ascertain the point.
"Dost thou know, child, wherefore thy mother wears this letter?"
"Truly do I!" answered Pearl, looking brightly into her mother's face. "It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart!"(pg.136)

In this quote pearl questions her mother about the Scarlet letter after imitating her mother by taking eel grass and making a letter A on her chest. Pearl connects the scarlet letter to Dimmesdale constantly putting his hand over his chest. Although Pearl is the first to connect these things she still is to young to understand why her mother wears the scarlet letter in the first place.

"What does the letter mean, mother? and why dost thou wear it? and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?""What shall I say?" thought Hester to herself. "No! if this be the price of the child's sympathy, I cannot pay it. "
Then she spoke aloud
"Silly Pearl," said she, "what questions are these? There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about. What know I of the minister's heart? And as for the scarlet letter, I wear it for the sake of its gold thread."In all the seven bygone years, Hester Prynne had never before been false to the symbol on her bosom. It may be that it was the talisman of a stern and severe, but yet a guardian spirit, who now forsook her; as recognising that, in spite of his strict watch over her heart, some new evil had crept into it, or some old one had never been expelled. As for little Pearl, the earnestness soon passed out of her face. (pg 138)

Pearl is still questioning Hester about the scarlet letter and why she has to wear it. she wanted to know what it meant and why she has to wear it. Hester, not wanting to say the real reason lies and says that she wears it because of its gold threads. Hester had never been false to the letter before this, and some new evil had crept into the letter.

Ch.23

In Ch.23 of The Scarlet Letter, many defining moments of the book take place. It begins with Dimmesdale's close to the election day sermon, which people seem to enjoy. In fact the sermon is considered by most people as his most motivational speech ever. Then he proceeds, on the way to the dining hall, to grab Hester and Pearl and go on the scaffold. He then says, "Thy strength, Hester; but let it be guided by the will which god hath granted me! This wretched and wronged old man is opposing it with all his might! with all his own might, and the fiend's! Come, Hester come! Support me up yonder scaffold!"(Hawthorne pg. 194-195) After this the text describes the shock of the people in the crowd, and how the crowd was in "tumult". This shows really how much faith was put in the minister. One definetly assumes that the crowd won't take the news of their church leader sinning and hiding for 7 years too well, but the above quote and explanation shows that they were even in shock that he was giving a public message with a sinner(Hester Prynne.) This reminds the reader just how strict Puritan society was, and how high the expectations were for someone of importance. The scene then continues in which Dimmesdale confronts his townspeople and coworkers and says some dialog referring to Hesters outcast like life, and then says, " Now, at the death-hour, he stands up before you! He bids you look again at Hesters scarlet letter! He tells you, that with all its mysterious horror, it is but the shadow of what he bears on his own breast, and that even this, his own red stigma, is no more than the type of what has seared his inmost heart! Stand any here that question God's judgement on a sinner? Behold! Behold a dreadful witness of it!"(Hawthorne 196) Here I kind of feel bad for Dimmesdale because he's been tortured literally to death, and he only made the same mistake Hester did. Hester would have hidden it to if she could have. This paragraph really shows the pure desperation in his voice to just clear his name, and hopefully do one right act as a father before his inevitable death. He then tears off his clothing from his chest. He then continues to explain his sin to the people. He kisses pearl and continues to shout his misdoings at the people. Then as the chapter comes to a close, he breathes his last breath and dies.

Chapter 18

Summary: Not all that much happened in chapter 18, the decision to move to Europe away from Puritan society is made, and both Dimmesdale and Hester are happy about it. Dimmesdale regains his joy and Hester regains her beauty as she throws off the scarlet letter.

Quote: "The decision once made, a glow of strange enjoyment threw its flickering brightness over the trouble of his breast. It was the exhilarating effect--upon a prisoner just escaped from the dungeon of his own heart--of breathing the wild, free atmosphere of an unredeemed, unchristianized, lawless region. His spirit rose, as it were, with a bound, and attained a nearer prospect of the sky, than throughout all the misery which had kept him groveling on the earth. Of a deeply religious temperament, there was inevitably a tinge of the devotional in his mood" (Hawthorne 155-156).

Point 1: This quote shows the relief initially felt by Dimmesdale when he and Hester finalized the decision to move to Europe. He instantly feels free and for a moment not religious, and that he doesn't have to abide the law. At the end, though, it is pointed out that he will never be fully non-religious. This is important because the whole plan was to ditch Puritanism forever and just move to Europe.

Point 2: It is also shown here that Dimmesdale doesn't feel bad about his sin anymore at this moment. He is overcome with joy, which he hasn't felt for all the years that have gone by, and he feels confident in himself once again. He looks forward to it happening and is excited about moving away from Puritan society. At this point he seems to be perfectly comfortable with himself and is at peace.

Chapter 22

Summary:
In this chapter, a procession of soldiers and high ranking members of the Massachusetts Bay Colony comes through town. As she sees Dimmesdale at a distance, she begins to question the effectiveness of their plan and futures together. While in the crowd, Mistress Hibbins suggests to Pearl that Dimmesdale has written his name in the Black Man's book, which is why he constantly holds his hand on his chest. However, in this chapter, Dimmesdale is described differently than his usual gloomy and unstable self. He has energy, color in his face, and does not hold his chest. Later on, as Dimmesdale is giving his speech, Hester realizes how much she loves him by the way she is attracted to the sound of his voice while talking at the pillory. Also, the shipmaster calls Pearl over to have her let Hester known that Chillingworth is planning on sneaking on the ship with her, Dimmesdale, and Pearl - their plans to escape and live happily ever after had now been ruined.

The Speech:
"This vocal organ was in itself a rich endowment; insomuch that a listener, comprehending nothing of the language in which the preacher spoke, might still have been swayed to and fro by the mere tone and cadence. Like all other music, it breathed passion and pathos, and emotions high or tender, in a tongue native to the human heart, wherever educated. Muffled as the sound was by its passage through the church-walls, Hester Prynne listened with such intentness, and sympathized so intimately, that the sermon had throughout a meaning for her, entirely apart from its indistinguishable words." Page 187.
Here, it can be seen that Hester is falling back in love with Dimmesdale. It was clear in prior chapters in the woods that she had feelings for him. However, at the beginning of chapter 22, she stated that she wondered her feelings towards him in the woods applied to the man she saw, walking to the pillory to speak. After Dimmesdale begins to talk and Hester is almost entranced by his words, she knows that the love she felt for him is real. This portion of the chapter also made me think about the speech, Sinners at the Hand of an Angry God. During that speech, it was noted that members of the congregation moaned and screamed due to the intense nature of the speech at times. A similar description is given of Dimmesdale's speech, shown through his "vocal organ" of a voice that would have swayed a listener to and fro "by the mere tone and cadence".

Meaning of Diversity in Society:
"Thence, with native audacity, but still with a reserve as characteristic, she flew into the midst of a group of mariners, the swarthy-cheeked wild men of the ocean, as the Indians were of the land; and they gazed wonderingly and admiringly at Pearl, as if a flake of the sea-foam had taken the shape of a little maid, and were gifted with a soul of the sea-fire, that flashes beneath the prow in the night-time." Page 188.
This moment of the story takes place while Dimmesdale is speaking after the procession. Pearl starts running and playing through the "sea" of people in a chaotic and unpredictable way. This relates to the previous description of the shipmaster and his crew, being free on the sea since there were no laws forcing them to do anything. However, another valid point is the location of the Indians and seafarers. While the speech is being delivered, they are among the outside layer of the crowd, just as they are outsiders from society. In this section of the text, it is described how the men stare at Pearl as if she were a part of the ocean, unlike the other members of the congregation. This helps make the connection that Pearl, like the Indians and seafarers, is an outsider from this standard Puritan society because she is born out of sin. This also helped connect the want and need for Hester and Dimmesdale to travel across the ocean; because they were all sinners, they needed to escape the confines of standard society (the crowd) and travel among lands of freedom (with outsiders from society).

Chapter 16

Chapter 16


Hester is finally willing to tell Dimmesdale the true identity of Chillingworth. Dimmesdale is at an native american settlement, so Hester goes to the forest with Pearl to stop at a brook to confront him before he gets back into town.

“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. Now see! There it is, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!" (Hawthorne 141)

This quote explains how Pearl believes that when you are a woman, you are accustomed to wear the letter upon your chest as a sign of being a woman. In the next line, Hester tells Pearl to run to the sun, because soon it will be gone. Hester knows that once she turns older, life will not be as easy for her as it is now so Hester just wants Pearl to enjoy the time she has.



When Pearl and Hester stop and sit a nearby brook to wait for Dimmesdale, Pearl brings up the Black Man. The Black Man is a man who carries a big book and haunts the forest, who leaves his mark on many people by having them sign his big book. The lady who told Pearl this said that Misstress Hibbins had signed it, and that Hester's A was a mark left on her by the Black Man.

"And, mother, the old dame said that this scarlet letter was the Black Man’s mark on thee, and that it glows like a red flame when thou meetest him at midnight, here in the dark wood. Is it true, mother? And dost thou go to meet him in the night-time?” (Hawthorne 142)

This statement by Pearl shows how people in the community still believe Hester was touched by the devil. Both her and Mistress Hibbins have commited sinful acts, with Hester commiting adultery, and Mistress Hibbins believed to be a witch. The old woman who told Pearl the story must believe the black man is the devil .

Chapter 19 The Child at the Brook-Side

"With these words, she advanced to the margin of the brook, took up the scarlet letter, and fastened it again to her bosom. Hopefully, but a moment ago, as Hester had spoken of drowning it in the deep sea, there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received back this deadly symbol from the hand of fate. She had flung it into infinite space!-she had drawn an hour's free breath!-and here again was the scarlet misery, glittering on the old spot! So it ever is, whether thus typified or no, that an evil deed invests itself with the character of doom. Hester next gathered up the heavy tresses of her hair, and confined them beneath her cap. As if there were a withering spell in the sad letter, her beauty, the warmth and richness of her womanhood, departed, like fading sunshine; and a gray shadow seemed to fall across her. When the dreary change was frought, she extended her hand to Pearl. 'Dost thou know thy mother now, child!' asked she reproachfully, but with a subdued tone. 'Wilt thou come across the brook, and own thy mother, now that she has her shame upon her,-now that she is sad?' 'Yes; now I will!' answered the child, bounding across the brook, and clasping Hester in her arms. 'Now thou art my mother indeed! And I am thy little Pearl!'"(Hawthorne 162-163).

Before this quote, Hester and Dimmesdale had decided that they were soon going to runaway back to England, and in a moment of pure joy Hester unfastened the scarlet letter and threw it into the woods. When Pearl returns to her mother she sees that the A is missing from her mothers chest and throws a tantrum until it is replaced. The fact that the letter was missing from her mothers chest was so unsettling to Pearl because Pearl is the human form of the scarlet letter and when Pearl returned to her mother and Dimmesdale she already felt like an outsider. Between feeling like she no longer belonged and the absence of the A Pearl felt that if her mother could just toss away the A, something she'd worn ever since Pearl was born, then maybe she could just toss Pearl away at the same time, and not even look back. For Pearl's sake Hester put the A back on her chest and Pearl stopped screaming and hugged her. On a deeper level Pearl represents truth and she wants to make Hester accept her sin and be able to tell the entire town before she is allowed to remove the letter once and for all. Pearl was not going to let Hester remove it for the wrong reason, and therefore became angry and stubborn when the letter disappeared. No matter what Hester does there is no way that she can accept her sin, until she stops running away from the truth. Even though she took the letter off for a brief hour, every time she looks at Pearl she is reminded of her sin just the same. The reason that Hester was even allowed to keep Pearl in previous chapters was because Dimmesdale said that the child was a constant reminder of Hester's sin. By making her mother wear the scarlet letter Pearl is letting her know that no matter what, Hester is not really free until she and Dimmesdale let the town know who the father is.




"But, whether influenced by the jealously that seems instinctive with every petted child towards a dangerous rival, or from whatever caprice of her freakish nature, Pearl would show no favor to the clergyman. It was only by an exertion of force that her mother brought her up to him, hanging back, and manifesting her reluctance by odd grimaces; of which, ever since babyhood, she had possessed a singular variety, and could transform her physiognomy into a series of different aspects, with a new mischief in them, each and all.The minister-painfully embarrassed, but hoping that a kiss might prove a talisman to admit him into the child's kindlier regards-bent forward, and impressed one on her brow. Hereupon, Pearl broke away from her mother,and, running to the brook, stooped over it, and bathed her forehead, until the unwelcome kiss was quite washed off, and diffused through a long lapse of the gliding water"(Hawthorne 164).

Right before this quote in the novel Pearl asks Dimmesdale, for the second time, if he plans on walking back into town hand in hand with Hester, and he once again, refuses. Throughout the novel Pearl represents the truth of the sin that Hester and Dimmesdale committed and all she has wanted was for them to expose it to the town. Back in chapter sixteen the sunlight avoided Hester because she was hiding a secret and not being truthful to the community, but the sunlight had no problem shining down on Pearl. This image depicts the saying to "shine a light" on a situation. The saying means to tell the truth and the fact that the sunlight only shines on little Pearl, foreshadows that the truth needs to come out, and it will come out one way or another. Dimmesdale tries especially hard to hide and deny the sin that he has committed because he will not publicly show himself with Hester and Pearl. When Dimmesdale kisses Pearl it is as if he is trying to cover up or besmirch the truth that is Pearl. Since Pearl wants the truth to be revealed she feels that she needs to rid herself of the smudge on her face and cleanses her forehead of the clergyman's kiss in the brook. By washing off Dimmesdale's kiss, Pearl is implying that she will not accept him in her life until he acts fatherly towards her, and in order for him to act fatherly he must confess his love and sin to the public.