In the chapters "The Leech" and "The Leech and His Patient" a great deal is revealed about the relationship between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. As the tension begins to grow between the two, even the townspeople notice the possibility of Chillingworth having an evil intent with the reverend. Dimmesdale's guilt begins to increase as time goes on, and his physical heart condition is worsening. The more guilt and shame he feels the more Chillingworth is convinced that he is the father of Pearl. The end of chapter ten marks a pivotal moment in which it seems that he has discovered something that gives proof to his suspicions.
Chillingworth is persistently trying to use his scientific abilities to get inside Dimmesdale's mind and remind him of his guilt. Chillingworth has frequently been compared to the Devil because of his malevolent intent that shows on his face. This adds to the mental image I get of his uneven shoulder to make me think of him as an evil person. He tortures the reverend by pestering him about Hester and mortal sins in order to get a rise out of him that might prove that he is Hester's lover. However, Dimmesdale continues to keep it locked inside in order to avoid having to tell "the leech". This is just making him more and more miserable every day. .
Dimmesdale's misery is much different than Hester's and in my opinion is much worse. At least it gives Hester some sort of relief to wear her guilt on her chest, even though she must take the harassment of the townspeople. Dimmesdale has to keep it trapped inside, which is the cause of his health problems and despair. I think he feels obligated to be a role model in his society. Many people look up to him and rely on him, so he feels like he would be letting everyone down by admitting what he did. He puts the community before himself and Hester, which shows a lot about his character. He is punishing himself for the sake of others.
The Scarlet Letter Part two: Formal Literary Response 1.a. Identify and describe both the time and place of The Scarlet Letter. ... In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Hester, the main character has to live with a scarlet letter on her bosom, which lets others know about her sin. ... Identify a major theme of The Scarlet Letter. ... Discuss how you feel about the novel, The Scarlet Letter. ...
She is forced to sew a scarlet-colored letter on the front of her dress in plain view of anyone who might encounter her. ... Hester derives her sense of self-identity from the Scarlet Letter. ... Her fabrication of the Scarlet Letter evokes indignation and resentment from the townspeople. ... Why did she not leave and begin her life anew without the stigma of the Scarlet Letter? ... One would reasonably question such a seemingly unprecedented response. ...
The Scarlet letter: In the world of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, he shows the audience a 1600 Puritan society. ... The effect that this distortion of the letter produces is that the audience is left to try to draw the conclusion from the story by following the themes and seeing how the distortion itself can heighten our responses to the actions of the novel. The Scarlet Letter is very distorted in its depiction of the appearance of the letter, the meaning of the letter, and the affect that the letter has on other people. The appearance of the Scarlet Letter is very myst...
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's, "The Scarlet Letter," the major characters revolve around the letter mentioned in the title. After discussing Hester's punishment for her sin, the townspeople believe the most suitable punishment would be to make her wear a scarlet letter, "A" on her bosom for the rest of her life. ... For example, in chapter 17, Dimmesdale says to Hester, "Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! ... Pearl´s response, according to the narrator, is clear: "The child finally announced that she had not been made at a...
She continues to wear the scarlet letter there. One of the conflicts in The Scarlet Letter is one man's battle against himself. ... The Scarlet Letter is overflowing with symbolism. ... The Scarlet Letter "A" is the central symbol of the novel. ... The scarlet letter also forges a link between the characters. ...
The Scarlet Letter- Effects of Adultery Puritan society had placed great importance on a person's reputation. ... Arthur Dimmesdale's instantaneous response to the sin is to lie. ... Hester is publicly seen with the scarlet letter when she first comes out of prison. ... She becomes isolated and the scarlet letter is what isolates her. ... "The Scarlet Letter," is a demonstration of mental cause and effect. ...
The Scarlet Letter is a book revealing lives of sin, social identity, and humanity. ... The most remarkable feature of her, besides her beauty, is the elaborately sewn letter on her bosom; a scarlet "A" stitched with gold thread. Through the crowd's remarks and the narration of Hester's thoughts, it can be concluded that the scarlet letter stands for "adulteress." ... Pearl delights in the scarlet letter and enjoys emphasizing the symbol on her mother's breast. In fact, it is said that when Pearl was a baby, the first feature she noticed about her mother was the scarlet letter ...
The following pages will examine the way sin affected the Puritan Community in the Scarlet Letter. ... Hawthorne's sensitivity to guilt is clearly present in the Scarlet Letter, as well as some of his other works. ... It wasn't until the publication of his novel The Scarlet Letter in 1850 that Hawthorne became a well-known writer. ... Authors, and Critics over time have pondered the subject of the book; the most accurate response according to Richard Chase, the author of The Puritans and the Scarlet Letter, portrays the book to be a tale of sin and repentance with stress on the rep...
Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, is a classic tale of human frailty and sin and the hardships that are caused by a single mistake. ... At the same time, The Scarlet Letter, tells the story of one woman's struggle to find meaning in living after disobeying the highly regarded word of God. ... In response, the reverend says, "Thou, too, hast deeply sinned! ... The Scarlet Letter uses dark romanticism as Hawthorne attempts to explain the sinfulness of human nature and why people act as they do. ... It [the letter] was revealed!" ...
Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter Throughout The Scarlet Letter there are symbolic references made. ... When Pearl questions her mother as to where she came from, the response typically was "the Heavenly Father." Pearl then proceeds to point at Hester's scarlet letter and replies that she did not come from the Heavenly Father. ...
