The Scarlett Letter- Blog 8

I wish I was more surprised by the ending of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. When Pearl would not accept Dimmesdale of kiss him, I could tell that it just wasn't meant to be between them. I was excited to read that Dimmesdale had finally admitted his sins though. He might not have thought that he was going to heaven because of his sins, but at least his soul would finally rest in peace. And Pearl, who always had a sense about people, knew that Arthur Dimmesdale had needed to be free from his sin. "Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The wild infant’s sympathies had been developed by the enormous grief she had grown up around," (Hawthorne 197). Maybe all the questions didn't get answered, and maybe all the gaps will not get filled. But this novel about guilt, alienation, and a lot of relationships and secrets has a lot to be said about it. One being that sometimes conformity to the majority is not always the best option. Another and very important point being that keeping secrets often hurt us more than help us, and sometimes we have to be willing to admit mistakes to get past them. 

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 7

Arthur Dimmesdale of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter really changed and developed in as the novel nears its end. This entire time he has been a great minister who gives outstanding sermons and lives a certain way of life. However, he has been holding a secret in for the last 7 years that has him questioning what he really believes to be true. Especially lately, when he has to stop himself from ruining a young girl's innocent faith. This and other encounters show that since his talk with Hester, he has began questioning things even more. Also, Roger Chillingworth can definitely hold the title of the villain of the novel. Dimmesdale might be questioning his faith and morals, but Chillingworth is truly out to cause trouble. He doesn't want Arthur and Hester to be together. Purely out of spite, he buys a ticket on the boat that Hester and Arthur were planning their escape on. "'Don’t you know,' cried the ship’s captain, 'that this doctor here—he calls himself Chillingworth—has decided to try ship’s cooking along with you?'"(Hawthorne). This is my clue that things are not going to work out for the two in love. I have a feeling the last segment of the novel will leave me unsatisfied.

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 6

Symbols are very prevalent in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter. One of the most obvious symbols- the actual scarlett letter itself- takes on a whole new meaning in this section of the novel. Early in the novel, we see it as Hester's reminder of her sin and the shame and guilt she holds on because of it. Now, we see the letter as something that Pearl has associated permanently with her mother. It is a part of Hester now. Then, not only is the symbol a huge part of this section, but Pearl's attitude and character change is interesting as well. First, she is picture as a beautiful, precious little girl. "And she was gentler here than in the grassy-margined streets of the settlement, or in her mother’s cottage." (Hawthorne 158). Then, suddenly, she is unable to recognize her mother without the "A" on her chest. "She accompanied this wild outbreak with piercing shrieks, which the woods reverberated on all sides; so that, alone as she was in her childish and unreasonable wrath". (Hawthorne 162). Pearl has been characterized previously as one who has great wisdom and knowledge for one so young. Is she wrong about Hester now? For now, Hester must remain bonded to the image that has defined her and captured her for the last 7 years. 

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 5

    In this section of The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, some of the novel's well-kept secrets are revealed finally. So the father of Pearl and Hester's partner in crime turned out to be the one and only Arthur Dimmesdale. The minister that the people in this town adore and look up too. The theme of guilt continues because while Hester had shame, she did not hid it, but Dimmesdale keeps all of his guilt festing inside of him. The guilt he carries eats him alive everyday, and when he tells Hester of it, she feels so sorry for him. "Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly on your bosom! Mine burns in secret!" (Hawthorne 148). Dimmesdale cries out to Hester. Trying to give him peace, she is no help. Then, she tells him about her marriage with Chillingworth, which upsets Arthur greatly. Begging for forgiveness, Hester wants him to understand, and eventually he does. Chillingworth is the truly evil one. This revelation will be the event that sets the rest of the novel into place. Hester wants Dimmesdale to face his sin so that he can free himself. As they make plans to run away together with Pearl, will everything work out in their favor? Will Dimmesdale admit his sin?

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 4

Secrets are a fairly big thing in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter, and so are relationships. Chapter 9 deals mainly with Roger Chillingworth the doctor that Hester knew by his prior identity. An identity she has promised to keep a SECRET. That way, he did not have to suffer for Hester's sin by her side. Now, the interesting relationship that develops in this chapter of the novel is that between Chillingworth and Reverend Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is suffering from an illness that has weakened him greatly, and this is how Chillingworth can work his way in. He wants to study and attempt to treat the sickness, and at first the townspeople are all for it. However, as time passes, the people are suspicious of his background and apparently no "evil face". This is described as, "haunted either by Satan himself, or Satan's emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth". (Hawthorne 97). Hopefully it will become clear in the coming chapters what the meaning is behind the relationship between the two. Spirituality and science will certainly come head to head- two people with such differing values and personalities are bound to have issues.

Scarlett Letter- Blog 3

    Continuing through Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlett Letter, this section deals with the development of two more seemingly important characters. Pearl and Reverend Dimmesdale play important roles in a few key scenes in this section. One of the key scenes is Hester's fighting to keep Pearl. Screaming and begging the men to let her keep her child, she argues that Pearl was God's blessing to her- giving her both joy and happiness, but also torture and a constant reminder of her sin. "'He gave her in requital of all things else, which he had taken from me,'" (Hawthorne 85) Prynne pleaded. Unfortunately, her desperation would not have convinced the governor otherwise. But luckily, the Reverend steps in and defends Hester and hits home the fact that Pearl is a gift the God gave Hester in spite of her sin. Only then do they allow Hester to keep Pearl. Now, Pearl is significant in the very end of chapter. Though she does nothing herself, Hester knows that she is the reason that Prynne could avoid Satan's temptation when Mistress Hibbins invited her to do witchcraft.

Scarlett Letter Blog 2

One relationship that intrigues me in Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter is that of Hester and Pearl. This is not a typical mother and daughter relationship for many reasons. Primarily, Pearl is literally the only thing Hester has in the world to care for and about. There may not be as much love and affection showed between them as one might expect from a mother and daughter. However, Pearl is described as "a paler loveliness, that there was an absolute circle of radiance," (Hawthorne 68).Also an uncommon occurrence  the first thing the baby reached for and smiled at was not mom's face, but the scarlet letter embroidered on her blouse. This is one thing that truly hurts Hester because her child is the one who does not judge her because she does not know. Understanding the social situation at hand with Hester's crime, the dynamics of the relationship between mother and daughter are bound to shift around a lot. Additionally, the personalities of them too will certainly make for growth on both of their parts. Hester is bitter about her punishment and guilty about her crime, but Pearl has a side to her that Hester describes as almost ghostlike. Now, I am curious to see how that will play out.

The Scarlet Letter Blog 1

     At this point in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter the novel, I am well into the plot, and have even noticed a few ideas that I thought may serve as themes throughout the novel. The first theme is loneliness  and was the one that was first obvious to me. Hester Prynne was shunned from society after committing adultery, and still faces the challenges that come with this now. Even going out into public, she is never approached and people don't associate themselves with her. Everything she does is only for herself and her infant child, and this contributes to her awareness of the fact that she has no real companionship with anyone. Hawthorne describes Hester as "without a friend on earth who dared to show himself"(Hawthorne 61). Now whether or not Hester has any desire to change this in the future is unknown. The other theme present is a theme of guilt and shame. Not only does she struggle to face her crime, but she wants nothing more than to get rid of the guilt she carries because of it. One of the reasons she chose not to move to a new city is that she thought that the extra hurt that it would cause would be a better chance of being forgiven by God. Also, she can sew very well, and she chooses to use this talent and make clothes for the less fortunate. I will be interested to see how both of these themes are developed as the novel continues.