... Day. Pearl and Dimmesdale notice Chillingworth staring at Dimmesdale and she points at him. Another character in this scene is Chillingworth As a meteor streaked across the sky a new expression occurs on Chillingworth's face. This could also be that he was not careful to hide his malevolence on his prey, Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is ... his prey. Dimmesdale agrees to go with Chillingworth home. In this scene a comet streaks across the sky. When it streaks across the sky it leaves the people to believe that it is a red "A". Dimmesdale sees the "A" in the sky and he interprets it as stand...

• Word Count: 1336
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... friends with other children in the town because of her status, thus leaving her only with nature and her mother as companions. In chapter fifteen, Pearl "flirted fancifully with her own image in a pool of water, beckoning the phantom forth, and--as it declined venture-- ... a passage for herself into its sphere of impalpable earth and unattainable sky. Soon finding however, that either she or the image was unreal, she turned elsewhere for better pastime." Pearl's reflection is very real, and chapter sixteen smoothly continues this concept through another body of water--the brook ... the ...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8

... , the novel opens after the sin has been committed and Pearl, the offspring of the sinful, but natural, union is three months old. As Hawthorne himself states in the opening chapter, the novel is about human weakness and its resulting sorrow. Hawthorne's focus of attention is the effect the sin has on Hester and Dimmesdale. They constantly suffer from shame and ... the fact that the most respected member of this Puritanical society, the Reverend Dimmesdale, is Hester's partner in sin. THE TITLE OF THE BOOK The title is significant to every chapter of the book, as the scarlet letter is di...

• Word Count: 1285
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . (Hawthorne; Bloom 26-27) There are many signs that Arthur Dimmesdale is physically deteriorating and should repent through confession. In the center of the novel's action, a meteor passes across the sky in the shape of the letter "A". To Dimmesdale this implies that he should wear the mask of shame like Hester does, even though the community interprets the "A" in the ... sky as angel, marking Governor Winthrop's entry to heaven. In Chapter 10 of the novel, Chillingworth discovers what is believed to be an "A" carved into Dimmesdale's chest. However, the reader cannot be sure if it is ....

• Word Count: 1366
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... people's attitude does change. It goes through various roller-coasters of positive and negative meanings throughout the course of the novel. The symbolism of the scarlet letter is expanded in Chapter Five, Hester at Her Needle. Whereas at first it represented Hester's adultery and also her needlework skills, it now takes on more meanings. The letter begins to represent the hidden ... ," but it changes metaphorically throughout the whole novel. For instance, we see Hawthorne's compassion toward Hester at a point in the play when Reverend Wilson said, " A great red letter in the sky,-a let...

• Word Count: 1352
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... invites her to a witches meeting. Hester says that if Pearl would have been taken from her than she would have attended. Chapter IX: The Leech This chapter is named The Leech and is about Chillingworth. Chillingworth becomes friends with Dimmesdale who is now very sick. Chillingworth knows about medicine ... move into a widows house and each take half of the first floor. Chillingworth suspects thing about Dimmesdale and hopes to come to a conclusion. Chapter X: The Leech and His Patient Chillingworth is still trying to find out things about Hester from Dimmesdale without being to obviou...

• Word Count: 2183
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... a great deal of symbolism to discuss various themes throughout the novel. One recurring symbol is the rose-bush which is introduced in the first chapter. This rose-bush grows outside the prison door amidst unsightly vegetation. The rose-bush can be compared to Pearl, who is the gift Hester ... innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion- (81). In chapter six, Hester discusses how the name Pearl came to be. "But she named the infant Pearl, as being of great price, --purchased with all she...

• Word Count: 1487
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... appeal- (74). As the story progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically, due to his moral torment ", who's health had severly suffered" (119). In Chapter 8, we see him through Hester's eyes, as a man who "Looked now more careworn and emanciated than as we described him at the scene of Hester's ... friendly care". Chillingworth, Hester's wronged husband pretends to be his friend, but he actually plays an evil game with Dimmesdale throughout the whole story. In Chapter 17 Hester tells Dimmesdale about his so-called friend "Thou hast long had such an enemy, and dwellest with him, ...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... to the story and the symbolism. An important concept of romanticism includes a close connection to the earth and natural scenes. A large occurrence of this comes in the first chapter of the book. The chapter mentions a rose bush outside of the prison. The novel then goes on to outline the rosebush as a beautiful thing that rises out of a bad place. The rosebush symbolizes ... asks for forgiveness for her sins nor apologizes for her acts. She stands strong and takes whatever consequences come to her. Hester proves she has complete and utter pride in chapter fourteen when Chillingworth te...

• Word Count: 1687
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... in the novel, which is quite frequently, Hawthorne conveys formal and proper language which assists the reader in understanding the Puritan culture and the ancestry of the Boston inhabitants. In chapter 23, Roger Chillingworth kneels down toward the dying Reverend Dimmesdale and says "Thou hast escaped me!" In response, the reverend says, "Thou, too, hast deeply sinned! (p.232)" When I began the ... is a witch or a servant of "The Black Man" when Hibbins says, "Will thou [Pearl] ride with me, some fine night, to see thy father?" The mistress is even "present" in chapter 12 when Dimmesda...

• Word Count: 1296
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... ; Hawthorne technique of using symbolism is brilliant and it helps the reader understand the whole concept. In The Scarlet Letter, images increase the reader's understanding of the characters. The first chapter sets the tone for the story. Though the initial settlers of New England set out to establish a "Utopia of human virtue," (Hawthorne 1358) they nevertheless recognized the need to allot ... congenial in the soil that had so early born the black flower of civilized society," the prison (1358). The rose is a symbol referred to throughout the story. In this first chapter it illustrate...

• Word Count: 1915
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... strikes at the heart when Goodman Brown sees his catechism teacher and hears his minister because in Brown's life, these people are flawless above reproach. He looks up to the sky, towards Heaven, and he sees a small piece of blue allowing the reader to know that he still has some faith left in God. Goodman cries out to whomever will hear ... him, "With Heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!"(168). Black clouds started to fill the sky as if Brown's faith and his cry against evil were not enough to stop it from entering his life. At this point in the story...

• Word Count: 1650
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, finally divulging his secret, but still in the darkness of night. Ironically, while standing there, Dimmesdale notices a large meteor in the sky that appears in the shape of the letter A. Chillingworth sees it as well, for he has been watching the three of them on the scaffold. Dimmesdale's sin is a secret no ... 's glove on the scaffold, he returns it to the minister and blames the devil for having dropped it there. He refers to the appearance of the scarlet letter in the sky and takes it to represent Angel. The Captain - the comm...

• Word Count: 1929
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... in the context of the crisis between the East and the West. This approach, deriving from a geographical crisis, becomes obvious in Stephen Crane's short stories, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky and The Blue Hotel. The first is a tale about a town Sheriff, Jack Potter, who is returning home from a trip where he has married. Jack returns shamefully with his new wife ... , because the town of Yellow Sky Knows Jack as a fearless marshal, and his return happens to be at a time when the town drunk, Scratchy Wilson, is looking for a gunfight. However, the townspeople and Scratchy are disappointed...

• Word Count: 2241
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of choosing not to admit rather than to admit. The meteor in this scene is an important symbol for Dimmesdale and society. Although the society sees the celestial "A" in the sky to represent a conformation of the Governor Winthrop's ascending into heaven, Dimmesdale sees it as his own scarlet letter sent by God. This shows that the immense guilt within Dimmesdale has ... an effect on how he portrays things. The meteor also allows the group on the scaffold to be spotted by Roger Chillingworth. The meteor in the dark sky enlightens Roger Chillingworth to the point at which his, "Smile and...

• Word Count: 1995
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... his writing that the truth is what will set people free. Dimmesdale struggles with wanting to live a religious life and dealing with the hypocrisy of his own sinful nature. In chapter twelve, Pearl calls to Dimmesdale asking him to reveal his own connection to herself and Hester. Dimmesdale refused to join Pearl and Hester the following day on the scaffold. When ... exist, their experiences were based upon history and the way Puritans perceived others in that kind of situation. The evidence in the book does sufficiently support the thesis. For instance, chapter twelve demonstrates the m...

• Word Count: 1291
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... . "Throwing his eyes anxiously in the direction of the voice, he indistinctly beheld a form under the trees [...] and so little relieved from the gray twilight into which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkened the noontide, that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow" (173). In addition, nature not only gives hopes and chances but ... ...

• Word Count: 1931
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... Faith's sake. Goodman Brown now hears voices coming from the ceremony as he recognizes Faith's voice. He screams her name, and a pink ribbon from her cap flutters down from the sky (Hawthorne 146). Hawthorne brings the ribbon back into the story allowing Goodman Brown to recognize it as a sign that Faith has definitely plunged into the realm of the devil. Faith ... ...

• Word Count: 1921
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... fact that the man delivering their sermons every Sunday was a devil worshiper. He was "...faint and overburdened with the heavy sickness of his heart." and "He looked up to the sky, doubting whether there really was a heaven above him." (Hawthorne, 2190) Still, at this point, he still clings to his beliefs and states that "With heaven above and Faith below, I will ... ...

• Word Count: 1264
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... guilty imagination gave it, or, at least, with so little definiteness, that another's guilt might have seen another symbol in it.""(Hawthorne 107). The letter "A- had manifested itself in the sky for all to see. The people of Salem thought it was calling the mayor and angel for all that he had done because he has just died. Dimmesdale sees it ... ...

• Word Count: 1536
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... onward into the mystery of the primeval forest. This hemmed it in so narrowly, and stood so black and dense on either side, and disclosed such imperfect glimpses of the sky above, that, to Hester's mind, it imaged not amiss the moral wilderness in which she had so long been wandering."" (89 ) The forest in this case, is a really good symbol ... ...

• Word Count: 1599
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... turning point in which Arthur summons the strength to come forth and knows that if he doesn't, it will be the end of him. The great scarlet letter in the sky is the other public recognition that comes forth from the second scaffold scene. It is the voice that suffices for Arthur's silence. Unfortunately for Arthur's cause, the great letter A is ... ...

• Word Count: 1460
• Approx Pages: 6

... guilty imagination gave it, or, at least, with so little definiteness, that another's guilt might have seen another symbol in it.""(Hawthorne 107). The letter "A- had manifested itself in the sky for all to see. The people of Salem thought it was calling the mayor and angel for all that he had done because he has just died. Dimmesdale sees it ... ...

• Word Count: 1529
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... be here. He feels awful in this place and wishes to leave immediately. He continues down the trail looking for hope in the heavens. He attempts to pray, but the sky is overshadowed with darkness and hears only howling voices (Again, another act of the devil, to prevent good man brown from regaining strength). A pink ribbon flies through the air and ... ...

• Word Count: 1353
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... eyes followed the winged vision, as if its airy track would show the path to heaven" (Hawthorne.278). Owen envied the butterflies freedom of flight soaring high in the sunny sky wishing he could escape the dark dreary clock shop for his own sense of freedom and light. While Owen was creating his butterfly, not only did he deal with his ... ...

• Word Count: 1481
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School