The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the story of Hester Prynne overcoming her sin, shame, and isolation from Puritan society. The novel is prefaced by “the Custom House” which introduces the narrator and tells of how he came to find the scarlet letter. Hester’s story begins with her leaving the Boston jail where she was imprisoned for adultery. She is forced to stand on a scaffold in the middle of town while holding her child Pearl so everyone can see her ignominy. While on the scaffold, Hester is begged by the young Reverend Dimmesdale to tell the town who the child’s father is so he can share her punishment but Hester refuses. Hester also spots her husband who has finally showed up after sending her to Boston several years before.
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Despite this Dimmesdale makes himself physically ill with guilt. Chillingworth suspects Dimmesdale is the father and moves in with him in order to get revenge. One night while Dimmesdale is asleep Chillingworth opens his shirt and discovers an A that he has carved into his chest. This confirms that Dimmesdale is the father and Chillingworth is determined to make him pay. Four years later Dimmesdale is still being tortured by himself and by Chillingworth. This internal pain and suffering leads him to mount the town scaffold in the middle of the night and shriek. Incidentally, Hester and Pearl are walking through the town that night and Dimmesdale invites them up on the scaffold with him where they stand together for the first time. This moment is a turning point in Hester and Dimmesdale’s relationship because Hester sees that Chillingworth is abusing Dimmesdale and decides to help him. After confronting Chillingworth and realizing he will not stop hurting Dimmesdale, Hester schemes to run away with him to England. Unfortunately, their plans are spoiled by Chillingworth. Ultimately, Dimmesdale publicly confesses on the town scaffold. He dies in the process, but not before asking the townspeople for forgiveness and calling Hester and Pearl to him. Pearl finally accepts him as her father and releases his suffering, dying soul with a kiss. Shortly thereafter, Chillingworth dies and leaves …show more content…
In the second chapter when Boston is waiting for Hester to emerge from the jail a group of women are gathered to gossip in the town square. These women are the epitome of how females are expected to act in Puritan society, modestly dressed and married, and yet Hawthorne describes them as being separated by their “...fair descendants” by “...six or seven generations” (Hawthorne 38). Hester on the other hand is “...a figure of perfect elegance” (Hawthorne 40). This imagery shows Hawthorne’s favoritism towards Hester and how he believes that she was wronged and simply a victim of the male-dominated society that she lives
Despite this Dimmesdale makes himself physically ill with guilt. Chillingworth suspects Dimmesdale is the father and moves in with him in order to get revenge. One night while Dimmesdale is asleep Chillingworth opens his shirt and discovers an A that he has carved into his chest. This confirms that Dimmesdale is the father and Chillingworth is determined to make him pay. Four years later Dimmesdale is still being tortured by himself and by Chillingworth. This internal pain and suffering leads him to mount the town scaffold in the middle of the night and shriek. Incidentally, Hester and Pearl are walking through the town that night and Dimmesdale invites them up on the scaffold with him where they stand together for the first time. This moment is a turning point in Hester and Dimmesdale’s relationship because Hester sees that Chillingworth is abusing Dimmesdale and decides to help him. After confronting Chillingworth and realizing he will not stop hurting Dimmesdale, Hester schemes to run away with him to England. Unfortunately, their plans are spoiled by Chillingworth. Ultimately, Dimmesdale publicly confesses on the town scaffold. He dies in the process, but not before asking the townspeople for forgiveness and calling Hester and Pearl to him. Pearl finally accepts him as her father and releases his suffering, dying soul with a kiss. Shortly thereafter, Chillingworth dies and leaves …show more content…
In the second chapter when Boston is waiting for Hester to emerge from the jail a group of women are gathered to gossip in the town square. These women are the epitome of how females are expected to act in Puritan society, modestly dressed and married, and yet Hawthorne describes them as being separated by their “...fair descendants” by “...six or seven generations” (Hawthorne 38). Hester on the other hand is “...a figure of perfect elegance” (Hawthorne 40). This imagery shows Hawthorne’s favoritism towards Hester and how he believes that she was wronged and simply a victim of the male-dominated society that she lives