1) It’s a good thing that Hester has Pearl, because it’s her only consolation for the past sin. Having Pearl makes her feel better, she is “her mothers only treasure” and she was “purchased with all she had”. (82) Pearl seems to be the thing in Hester’s life that makes her go on, as she says: “Pearl is the one that keeps me alive”. (104) Those
statements of mind from Hester makes it feel as a relief for the reader
2) She wanted people to know that she was ashamed of what she did, but she wasn’t going to hide it. “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would be poorly serve to hide the other.” (50) The people thought she “may cover it [scarlet letter] with a brooch.” (49) It surprised them that she did not, when she stepped out something so extraordinary that they had to know that she wasn’t going to
shrink from her punishment.
3) Three year olds of today are taught to be playful, cheerful, curious and happy.
Parents support them to make their own mold and the children are allowed to become their own person. In the time that Pearl was born children of all ages were forced to fit in an adult’s life from the beginning. Pearl is different from them because she was allowed to be a real child like the children nowadays. Pearl has also differentiated from the other three year olds because of her beauty, mannerism and intelligence, as well as her position in society. She was her mother’s sin, instead of her mother’s blessing.
4) Dimmesdale’s position in the community makes anything he says credible enough to sway the minds of his opponents in favor of Hester’s plea, but he doesn’t. He lets Hester do her own speech and afterwards he plays with his opponent’s own beliefs of religion and law to make them see Hester’s capability in properly raising Pearl (104)
5) When Chillingworth first talked to Hester in jail, he told her that he would be able to read it on his heart, he being the father of Pearl (67) The reason why Chillingworth
probably spends so much time with the minister is because he suspects him of being Hester’s lover. And what he sees on Dimmesdale’s chest is the sin.
6) Chillingworth devoted his whole life avenging to Hester’s shame. When a person is caught up in such a cause, every fiber of themselves become what that cause is. The bitterness and the hatred of this goal has taken a hold of his appearance. “His calm, meditative and scholar-like” character has been replaced with “something ugly and evil” in his face. (117)
7) Dimmesdale wants to share Hester’s shame in that it was both their sin. Every Sunday he tries to gather courage to come out with the secret he keeps and tortures him. He know that his decreased physical health is because of the unknown sin, and if
he would make it public it would increase his appearance as well as his conscience. His standing on the scafford isn’t effective because nobody is made aware of the sin, other than the other sinner (Hester) and the product of the sin (Pearl).
8) The community is by Hester, even though she’s a sinner. Hester didn’t hide in shame and helped the people who needed it, and because of that people started to respect her.
“The letter was a symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her –so much power to do, and power to sympathize,- that many people refused to interpret the Scarlet Letter by it’s original signification.” (148)
9) Hester wants to do a service to both Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, and that would be to reveal that Chillingworth really is her husband, and to do that she wants Chillinworth to let her loose of the bond he has on her, because of the promise she made not to reveal the doctor’s true identity. The idea behind this is to release Dimmesdale from the doctor’s constant evil watch and for Chillingworth to return to his normal self and be rid of the evil that stains his person.
10) Chillingworth’s reaction can be anticipated because of one person, Hester. In a weird, perverted way Chillingworth does love Hester, or he sees her as an item he possesses
and who is his to take care of. This ‘love’ causes him to seek revenge in every possible way on the minister, who should have shared the fate of Hester.
11) The forest is a place where what is said cannot be heard by those outside of it, and it is a place of dark little secrets. Hester’s heart is like this place in such that is has it’s secrets, it allows things said that none know other than Hester and it has its bright spots of love like Pearl. The brook is Hester’s supressed spirit that never is allowed to
fully extend itself and sounds of “kind, quiet, soothing, but melancholy” voice. (171)
In this forest Hester’s family, Dimmesdale, Pearl, and herself exist together. In the forest Hester can take off her shame and reveal all she sees fit in her heart.
12) I think that the dark and light both symbolize love. The light is that kind of love, that is accepted by society, while the dark one is the dissaproved love. The light is the love between Hester and Pearl. It shows why Pearl and Hester cannot approach the light.
A daughter loving her mother is acceptable. On the other hand, a mother loving her daughter is acceptable too, but not love for Pearl, because she was born out of a sin.
The love between Dimmesdale and Hester is taboo and unable to appear in the light, but their love is so that “no golden light has ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark in the forest”. (179)
13) The ending of the novel was refreshing. It ended realisticly, but with little untied ends and it left me wondering “what did happen?”, but not that much to wish for a
Scarlet Letter 2
14) Hester returns because she has to serve out her punishment and receive her dues as Dimmesdale had. She returned from the more “real life” where “here had been her sin,
her sorrow, and was her yet to penitence”. (238)
15) All times with the minister Pearl shows an emotion of calmness and happiness, except for one time she shrinks from him, because he’s sitting next to her mother. You can
explain this behavior by saying that Pearl has affection for him. When she’s alone with him, she feels happy, but when she sees him together with her mother, she wants to avoid them.
16) Hester Prynne: She fell in love with the minister but was imprisoned in a marriage to a man who didn’t care very much for her. She shouldn’t have so much anguish and scorn to endure from people. Yet she remains strong, makes a place for
herself in the community and brings up a magical child.
17) It was a real love between Hester and Arthur, they may have “[violated their] reverence for each other’s soul” (233) yet had a consecration of love for their deed. In the beginning of the book Dimmesdale marvels at the “wonderous strength and
genorosity of a woman’s heart”. (64) If Dimmesdale didn’t truly love Hester he would not have been tortured so by going publicly unpunished. The two planned on changing
their whole life so that they could happily be together away from the critics that made her wear a scarlet letter.
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