Post character, plot, and thematic information for The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne.
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Kristin Knutzen
PLOT: • Hester and Child stand on scaffold and are released from prison and Hester’s punishment is to wear the Scarlet A and live on the outskirts of town • Chillingworth, who turns out to be Hester’s husband, confronts her, and makes her promise never to tell the secret • Hester’s Child, Pearl, grows up, and acts strange and possessed, like a demon child, on occasion • Chillingworth believes Reverend Dimmsdale was Hester’s lover and becomes his personal “physician,” while really trying to discover Dimmsdale’s secret and eat away at his guilt • Pearl shows a preference for Dimmsdale, who always has his hand over his heart and who the reader comes to assume is Pearl’s father (hand over heart just like the A) • Chillingworth discovers something on Dimmsdale’s chest, which is assumed to be the letter A which Dimmsdale has branded himself with • Hester, Pearl, and Dimmsdale run into each other in the middle of the night, and hold hands on the scaffold, where Dimmsdale says he will not hold hands with Pearl or publicly acknowledge her or her mother in the daytime. A red letter A is observed burning in the sky at this time • Hester tells Chillingworth he should stop bothering Dimmsdale and that she is going to break her silence on her crime • Hester and Pearl meet Dimmsdale in the forest and plan to sail to England and live together • Chillingworth discovers Hester and Dimmsdale’s plan to sail and makes plans to accompany them • Dimmsdale gives his sermon, goes to the scaffold where Hester and Pearl are standing, proclaims that he is Pearl’s father, reveals the letter A burned into his chest, and dies • Chillingworth dies about a year later • Pearl becomes normal and not devilish, inherits a good portion of land from Chillingworth, and presumably goes on to lead a normal life, Pearl disappears • Hester lives alone until she dies, and is buried next to Dimmsdale
“Let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart” (2.49).
“Come up hither, Hester, thou and little Pearl,” said the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. “Ye have both been here before, but I was not with you. Come up hither once again, and we will stand all three together!” (12.139).
"And so it is!" said the child. "And, mother, he has his hand over his heart! Is it because, when the minister wrote his name in the book, the Black Man set his mark in that place? But why does he not wear it outside his bosom, as thou dost, mother?" (16.169).
“Children have always a sympathy in the agitations of those connected with them; always, especially, a sense of any trouble or impending revolution, of whatever kind, in domestic circumstances; and therefore Pearl, who was the gem on her mother's unquiet bosom, betrayed, by the very dance of her spirits, the emotions which none could detect in the marble passiveness of Hester's brow” (21.204).
Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Hester proves to be true to her identity. In the Puritan culture, her scarlet letter labels her to show that she committed adultery. Many people make their judgments upon her because she had committed the crime and the strict puritan women could be seen making harsh assessments of her. Hester defies them by staying true to her identity. She can be seen as a true character for coming out with the truth and not hiding her secret like Dimmesdale had. Instead of being humiliated by her badge of shame, she accepts it. In the story she ponders the idea of moving elsewhere, but she remains there to prove her identity. She did not want to be defined by society. By staying and reconfiguring her identity to one who is charitable (seen at the end of the book), she redefines her identity and is seen as a kind person instead of a criminal. This relates to our “what it means to be American” theme because being American means that you should have the right to create your own identity. You should not feel judged or held back by what society thinks. By being true to her identity, Hester lives a happy life, while Dimmesdale dies from hiding his true self.
Hypocrisy vs. honesty:
Another reoccurring motif would be the idea of hypocrisy. While Hester remains mostly truthful by admitting her sin, Dimmesdale keeps his part of the affair a secret even though he strongly wanted to reveal his part in the crime. Hypocrisy versus honesty and truth can be seen as a major theme by its applications to Dimmesdale, using a coward’s hypocrisy and Pearl, who remains truthful throughout The Scarlet Letter. Dimmesdale represents a coward’s hypocrisy because of his religious morals that contradicted with his illegal actions. The audience would listen to a supposed virtuous man preaching to them about a strong morality, while he thought of himself as a black idol due to his crime with Hester. Dimmesdale wanted to speak the truth, but he was too much of a coward to do so. On the other hand, Pearl always seemed to be engrossed by the scarlet letter. She wanted her father to reveal the truth and would always say what she felt. She represents truth by representing the most truthful character that wanted the truth to be exposed. Dimmesdale cannot handle the truth and dies after revealing his secret. His hypocrisy is his ultimate cause of death but helps Pearl by revealing the truth. Through this, both Hester and Pearl can part with the past as Pearl becomes able to express sympathy toward others. She becomes free from her elf-ish actions and can now grow up to be a decent woman because of the release of the truth.
Individual vs. society:
Society is commonly seen against Hester. Ever since the accusation of adultery, the ignominious scarlet letter had humiliated her by the public’s judgment. Instead of running away from society and admitting her shame, she stays to prove that she is not defined by society and can make her own identity. By transforming the scarlet letter into something that represents her compassion, she combats against society to prove that they could not define her. By following her own ideals instead of society’s, Hester had taken the right choice. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, conforms to society. He rejects his own and struggles with the battle between his own identity and society’s vision of him. The pain that results from his conformity shows how it is bad to go against one’s nature.
Sorry I had to leave another comment. They only allowed 4,096 characters per comment.
More Themes:
Light vs. dark:
Light is often used to depict the revealing of truth compared to dark, which allows secrecy. Light as in the daylight reveals the truth. For example, the scaffold during the day with Hester at the beginning shows how the truth of Hester’s sin was illuminated. It describes her gleaming hair in the sunlight. This shows how the truth was being revealed. Dark, associated with night, conceals activites that society forbids during the day. An example can be seen with Hester and Dimmesdale at the scaffold at night. At this moment, they are allowed to speak freely to each other, unlike during the day. This relates to how many of the characters can only show their true selves during the dark rather than at night when they are succumbed to the public conformity.
Tradition vs. progress :
This theme deals with the transformation of the Puritans from the old to the new. An example can be seen with the younger woman sympathizing Hester while the old woman criticized her. It shows how the new generation was more kind and forgiving.
Symbols:
Scarlet Letter:
The scarlet letter symbolized Hester’s identity. She was proud of it and not ashamed of whom she was. She embroidered it to emphasize how proud she was of her identity. By revealing and standing up for her identity, she did not conform to society as Dimmesdale did. Dimmesdale died; while Hester went on to transform her identity into one that represented “able.” The only thing that affects Hester much is Pearl, not really the scarlet letter. The scarlet letter, attributed to her by human, does not seem to take a greater toll on her as Pearl. In this case, the public opinion of her does not affect Hester.
Pearl:
Pearl acts as a constant reminder of her sin with Dimmesdale. She also acts as a blessing to Hester by helping her stand up for what is right. When Hester throws down her scarlet letter, Pearl tells her to pick it up. This may have happened because she wanted Hester to be proud of whom she was and not be angry about her identity. Pearl also acts as the seeker of the truth. She represents the truth by only saying what she thought was true and hinted at the things that would lead one to a true path. Pearl hints at revealing the father so that the father can be on his true path and show his true nature. Until Dimmesdale revealed the truth, she was elf-like and could not become fully human.
Hester Prynne: Hester Prynne is the main character of the story who wears the Scarlet letter on her chest, stating she is an adulterer. She married young in England a scholar named Roger Chillingworth, who never followed her to America until much later. While in America, Hester has an affair with a priest named Arthur Dimmesdale, who later is discovered to be the father of Hester’s child, Pearl. As the book goes on, Hester is seen to the readers as ponderous, questioning the morals of the people of the town. Throughout the book Hester grows into a woman who has learned to accept the burden, and is learning from it.
Pearl: Pearl is the illegitimate love child of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale who is very mischievous but also very intuitive and smart. She could be considered Hester’s burden, a constant reminder that she is an adulterer, and maybe Hester’s own personal hell given Pearls naughty tendencies. The townspeople in the book even believe her father is the devil. She is more wise then full grown people, and figures out early on that Dimmesdale is her father and what the scarlet letter means. Because of her mischievous ways, she goes as far as to be ironic about the scarlet letter while playing with her mom.
Roger Chillingworth: Roger Chilling worth is Hester’s husband, who comes to her town in disguise. He is an old scholar and finds Hester as she is standing on the scaffold with Pearl. He stays in the town disguised as a doctor to gain revenge on Hester and her lover. After he discovers the lover is Dimmesdale and Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth, seen as monstrous, dies to. He brings all evil to the story, always seeking revenge on Hester.
Arthur Dimmesdale: Arthur Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl and Hester’s secret lover. He is a praised priest in the town, and goes through the story miserable about his sins. His conscience takes over everything, including his health and his well being. He is always praised by the town, even when he confesses his sins, which drives him to be more unstable. To realize the pain of Hester, he inflicts himself with a capital A on his skin, and dies confessing his sin, with Hester and Pearl by his side.
5 comments:
Kristin Knutzen
PLOT:
• Hester and Child stand on scaffold and are released from prison and Hester’s punishment is to wear the Scarlet A and live on the outskirts of town
• Chillingworth, who turns out to be Hester’s husband, confronts her, and makes her promise never to tell the secret
• Hester’s Child, Pearl, grows up, and acts strange and possessed, like a demon child, on occasion
• Chillingworth believes Reverend Dimmsdale was Hester’s lover and becomes his personal “physician,” while really trying to discover Dimmsdale’s secret and eat away at his guilt
• Pearl shows a preference for Dimmsdale, who always has his hand over his heart and who the reader comes to assume is Pearl’s father (hand over heart just like the A)
• Chillingworth discovers something on Dimmsdale’s chest, which is assumed to be the letter A which Dimmsdale has branded himself with
• Hester, Pearl, and Dimmsdale run into each other in the middle of the night, and hold hands on the scaffold, where Dimmsdale says he will not hold hands with Pearl or publicly acknowledge her or her mother in the daytime. A red letter A is observed burning in the sky at this time
• Hester tells Chillingworth he should stop bothering Dimmsdale and that she is going to break her silence on her crime
• Hester and Pearl meet Dimmsdale in the forest and plan to sail to England and live together
• Chillingworth discovers Hester and Dimmsdale’s plan to sail and makes plans to accompany them
• Dimmsdale gives his sermon, goes to the scaffold where Hester and Pearl are standing, proclaims that he is Pearl’s father, reveals the letter A burned into his chest, and dies
• Chillingworth dies about a year later
• Pearl becomes normal and not devilish, inherits a good portion of land from Chillingworth, and presumably goes on to lead a normal life, Pearl disappears
• Hester lives alone until she dies, and is buried next to Dimmsdale
QUOTES:
“Let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart” (2.49).
“Come up hither, Hester, thou and little Pearl,” said the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. “Ye have both been here before, but I was not with you. Come up hither once again, and we will stand all three together!” (12.139).
"And so it is!" said the child. "And, mother, he has his hand over his heart! Is it because, when the minister wrote his name in the book, the Black Man set his mark in that place? But why does he not wear it outside his bosom, as thou dost, mother?" (16.169).
“Children have always a sympathy in the agitations of those connected with them; always, especially, a sense of any trouble or impending revolution, of whatever kind, in domestic circumstances; and therefore Pearl, who was the gem on her mother's unquiet bosom, betrayed, by the very dance of her spirits, the emotions which none could detect in the marble passiveness of Hester's brow” (21.204).
Themes:
Finding/Accepting your identity:
Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Hester proves to be true to her identity. In the Puritan culture, her scarlet letter labels her to show that she committed adultery. Many people make their judgments upon her because she had committed the crime and the strict puritan women could be seen making harsh assessments of her. Hester defies them by staying true to her identity. She can be seen as a true character for coming out with the truth and not hiding her secret like Dimmesdale had. Instead of being humiliated by her badge of shame, she accepts it. In the story she ponders the idea of moving elsewhere, but she remains there to prove her identity. She did not want to be defined by society. By staying and reconfiguring her identity to one who is charitable (seen at the end of the book), she redefines her identity and is seen as a kind person instead of a criminal. This relates to our “what it means to be American” theme because being American means that you should have the right to create your own identity. You should not feel judged or held back by what society thinks. By being true to her identity, Hester lives a happy life, while Dimmesdale dies from hiding his true self.
Hypocrisy vs. honesty:
Another reoccurring motif would be the idea of hypocrisy. While Hester remains mostly truthful by admitting her sin, Dimmesdale keeps his part of the affair a secret even though he strongly wanted to reveal his part in the crime. Hypocrisy versus honesty and truth can be seen as a major theme by its applications to Dimmesdale, using a coward’s hypocrisy and Pearl, who remains truthful throughout The Scarlet Letter. Dimmesdale represents a coward’s hypocrisy because of his religious morals that contradicted with his illegal actions. The audience would listen to a supposed virtuous man preaching to them about a strong morality, while he thought of himself as a black idol due to his crime with Hester. Dimmesdale wanted to speak the truth, but he was too much of a coward to do so. On the other hand, Pearl always seemed to be engrossed by the scarlet letter. She wanted her father to reveal the truth and would always say what she felt. She represents truth by representing the most truthful character that wanted the truth to be exposed. Dimmesdale cannot handle the truth and dies after revealing his secret. His hypocrisy is his ultimate cause of death but helps Pearl by revealing the truth. Through this, both Hester and Pearl can part with the past as Pearl becomes able to express sympathy toward others. She becomes free from her elf-ish actions and can now grow up to be a decent woman because of the release of the truth.
Individual vs. society:
Society is commonly seen against Hester. Ever since the accusation of adultery, the ignominious scarlet letter had humiliated her by the public’s judgment. Instead of running away from society and admitting her shame, she stays to prove that she is not defined by society and can make her own identity. By transforming the scarlet letter into something that represents her compassion, she combats against society to prove that they could not define her. By following her own ideals instead of society’s, Hester had taken the right choice. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, conforms to society. He rejects his own and struggles with the battle between his own identity and society’s vision of him. The pain that results from his conformity shows how it is bad to go against one’s nature.
Sorry I had to leave another comment. They only allowed 4,096 characters per comment.
More Themes:
Light vs. dark:
Light is often used to depict the revealing of truth compared to dark, which allows secrecy. Light as in the daylight reveals the truth. For example, the scaffold during the day with Hester at the beginning shows how the truth of Hester’s sin was illuminated. It describes her gleaming hair in the sunlight. This shows how the truth was being revealed. Dark, associated with night, conceals activites that society forbids during the day. An example can be seen with Hester and Dimmesdale at the scaffold at night. At this moment, they are allowed to speak freely to each other, unlike during the day. This relates to how many of the characters can only show their true selves during the dark rather than at night when they are succumbed to the public conformity.
Tradition vs. progress :
This theme deals with the transformation of the Puritans from the old to the new. An example can be seen with the younger woman sympathizing Hester while the old woman criticized her. It shows how the new generation was more kind and forgiving.
Symbols:
Scarlet Letter:
The scarlet letter symbolized Hester’s identity. She was proud of it and not ashamed of whom she was. She embroidered it to emphasize how proud she was of her identity. By revealing and standing up for her identity, she did not conform to society as Dimmesdale did. Dimmesdale died; while Hester went on to transform her identity into one that represented “able.” The only thing that affects Hester much is Pearl, not really the scarlet letter. The scarlet letter, attributed to her by human, does not seem to take a greater toll on her as Pearl. In this case, the public opinion of her does not affect Hester.
Pearl:
Pearl acts as a constant reminder of her sin with Dimmesdale. She also acts as a blessing to Hester by helping her stand up for what is right. When Hester throws down her scarlet letter, Pearl tells her to pick it up. This may have happened because she wanted Hester to be proud of whom she was and not be angry about her identity. Pearl also acts as the seeker of the truth. She represents the truth by only saying what she thought was true and hinted at the things that would lead one to a true path. Pearl hints at revealing the father so that the father can be on his true path and show his true nature. Until Dimmesdale revealed the truth, she was elf-like and could not become fully human.
Mary Cann
Major Characters and their importance:
Hester Prynne: Hester Prynne is the main character of the story who wears the Scarlet letter on her chest, stating she is an adulterer. She married young in England a scholar named Roger Chillingworth, who never followed her to America until much later. While in America, Hester has an affair with a priest named Arthur Dimmesdale, who later is discovered to be the father of Hester’s child, Pearl. As the book goes on, Hester is seen to the readers as ponderous, questioning the morals of the people of the town. Throughout the book Hester grows into a woman who has learned to accept the burden, and is learning from it.
Pearl: Pearl is the illegitimate love child of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale who is very mischievous but also very intuitive and smart. She could be considered Hester’s burden, a constant reminder that she is an adulterer, and maybe Hester’s own personal hell given Pearls naughty tendencies. The townspeople in the book even believe her father is the devil. She is more wise then full grown people, and figures out early on that Dimmesdale is her father and what the scarlet letter means. Because of her mischievous ways, she goes as far as to be ironic about the scarlet letter while playing with her mom.
Roger Chillingworth: Roger Chilling worth is Hester’s husband, who comes to her town in disguise. He is an old scholar and finds Hester as she is standing on the scaffold with Pearl. He stays in the town disguised as a doctor to gain revenge on Hester and her lover. After he discovers the lover is Dimmesdale and Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth, seen as monstrous, dies to. He brings all evil to the story, always seeking revenge on Hester.
Arthur Dimmesdale: Arthur Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl and Hester’s secret lover. He is a praised priest in the town, and goes through the story miserable about his sins. His conscience takes over everything, including his health and his well being. He is always praised by the town, even when he confesses his sins, which drives him to be more unstable. To realize the pain of Hester, he inflicts himself with a capital A on his skin, and dies confessing his sin, with Hester and Pearl by his side.
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