Baym notes, “In the scene of the minister’s vigil on the scaffold (Chapter 12), the letter is replicated four times, once in each of the characters standing there, and once in the sky.” (Baym 84); before this sentence is written, the reader is unaware of what Reverend Dimmesdale sees in the sky. This fantastic example of foreshadowing causes the reader to really ponder what Dimmesdale could have seen. According to Hawthorne, the reverend “clasped his hands over his breast, and cast his eyes toward the zenith.” (Hawthorne 151). Dimmesdale is obviously in a state of great distress, as he is most days at this point; he seems shocked, and likely believes this to be a sign from God. This occurrence seems to help mold Dimmesdale into the character he is described as for the majority of the remainder of the novel; the letter on his chest holds all of his
Baym notes, “In the scene of the minister’s vigil on the scaffold (Chapter 12), the letter is replicated four times, once in each of the characters standing there, and once in the sky.” (Baym 84); before this sentence is written, the reader is unaware of what Reverend Dimmesdale sees in the sky. This fantastic example of foreshadowing causes the reader to really ponder what Dimmesdale could have seen. According to Hawthorne, the reverend “clasped his hands over his breast, and cast his eyes toward the zenith.” (Hawthorne 151). Dimmesdale is obviously in a state of great distress, as he is most days at this point; he seems shocked, and likely believes this to be a sign from God. This occurrence seems to help mold Dimmesdale into the character he is described as for the majority of the remainder of the novel; the letter on his chest holds all of his