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Scarlet Letter Response

            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.


Essays Related to Scarlet Letter Response

1. The Scarlet Letter

... thou wear it? and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?" Hester is surprised by her daughter's ability to connect the scarlet letter to the minister's ailment; in response, the mother denies the true meaning of the letter, instead answering "I wear it for the sake of its gold thread."   Hester intends to reveal Chillingworth's true identity and purport to Dimmesdale. She ... begins to blame Hester for all his suffering. He declares that he will never forgive her for this sin and Hester, in begging his forgiveness, covers his face in the scarlet letter. Dimmesdale soon rea...

  • Word Count: 3653
  • Approx Pages: 15
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Why I Like Hawethorne Why Other's Don't (Scarlet Letter)

... propitious consequences. Pearl, the product of Hester's adulterous relationship with Dimmesdale, embodies this theme. The child of sin becomes "her mother's only treasure... Man had marked [Hester's] sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus ... result in purity and goodness. Another example of the redeeming effects of sin is Dimmesdale's response to Chillingworth's torture. "But for [his] aid, [Dimmesdale's] life would have burned ...

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3. The Scarlet Letter

... associated with Chillingworth, and the cold acts of revenge he exacts on Dimmesdale. The light stands for truth and purity and Pearl's free nature. A major theme in the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the consequence of sin is alienation. The alienation may be physical, spiritual, or emotional. The theme is expressed in three characters: Hester Prynne, ... Reverand Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Each person's response to his or her sin is different; therefore, the alienation is different for each individual. Hester's alienation is purely physical, Dimmesdale's alien...

  • Word Count: 2338
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Scarlet Letter

... another time she never would have considered. Hester's emerging sense of identity begins with the imposition placed upon her to fashion her own punishment, the scarlet letter "A". She does not sew a piece of cloth that is dreary, colorless, plain or somber. This would have been fitting for a Puritan ... lasting and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore- Hester emerges from her confinement in the prison proud and defiant. Her fabrication of the Scarlet Letter evokes indignation and resentment from the townspeople. "She hath good skill at her needle, that's certain," remarked on...

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5. The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter Part two: Formal Literary Response 1.a. Identify and describe both the time and place of The Scarlet Letter. The time and place of The Scarlet Letter is in, " the good town of Boston," Massachusetts, in the year 1850 (105). In the 1850's people ... such as crime and life, a simpler time with simple thoughts and people. 1.b. Discuss how the setting contributes to the believability of the novel. In The Scarlet Letter, the setting of Boston is surrounded by a, " vast and dismal forest" (68). The story could of taken place in a different place that has bodies ... ? How does he...

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6. Modern Scarlet Letters

... breaking the law. The government of the United States produced a set of laws with the same intentions as the church back in the time of The Scarlet Letter, which were the right to live a happy and fulfilling life. The only real difference between the two, is that the government today isn't as ... intentions of the two are quite similar. People who break laws are always punished more seriously than those who break morals. They are labeled with that scarlet letter of being a murder, rapist, thieve, whatever law they broke that reputation stays with them for life, and people don't always fo...

  • Word Count: 1073
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. The Scarlet Letter

... strayed from typical Romantic writings with their darker tales concerning sin and morality (www.trackstar.com). The following pages will examine the way sin affected the Puritan Community in the Scarlet Letter. First, they explain the history of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Then, they explore the sin and according punishment for the Puritan Community. Finally, they show how the sin affected the Puritans ... trials that he felt compelled to change his last name, adding a "w" to change it from Hathorne to Hawthorne (Cerrito 165). Hawthorne's sensitivity to guilt is clearly present in the Scarlet L...

  • Word Count: 1751
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8. The Letter 'A' in the Scarlet Letter

... 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. This would serve to remind her and all of those around ... Hester for being able to be true to herself. For example, in chapter 17, Dimmesdale says to Hester, "Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret!" (Hawthorne, 192). Dimmesdale got to a point where his punishment was to live in a lie, to bear ... Pearl an essential Puritan questio...

  • Word Count: 958
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9. Metaphorical Analysis in The Scarlet Letter

... 's life in the Puritan colony has not been ideal. She is labeled as a sinner and looked down upon by society. She is forced to wear the scarlet letter as a reminder to all of her sin. Yet through all her troubles, she has received a great gift, her daughter Pearl. Pearl gives Hester the strength ... chapter, Pearl herself makes mention of the rose-bush outside the prison door. Mr. Wilson begins to question Pearl about how she has been made. In response to his questioning, "the child finally announced that she had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of ......

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

10. The Scarlet Letter

... 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 novel and was first introduced to this archaic language, I could only compare it to the language used in ... Puritans, as they relied heavily on the holy text. This type of language seems to stay consistent throughout the story, even when Mistress Hibbins and young Pearl are speaking. The Scarlet Letter use...

  • Word Count: 1296
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