A Nighttime Vigil?

As I enter into another week of writing blog posts, it seems to be getting easier to pick topics to write about that are suitable for an honors level class. At the beginning of all of this, I found it very hard, not only to find a topic, but to also develop my own ideas on how that topic may be relatable to the outside world, as well as students and teachers who may be reading this novel right now. When I first started off in this class, I did not believe that I was able to handle the work load and the skill level. But after reconciling, I realized that I had the skill and ability to do it. This “reconciling” is also seen through Dimmesdale’s vigil in the late hours of night. After not standing on the scaffold with Hester Prynne, he is now coming to realization of the horrible act that he has committed.

Throughout these last couple of chapters, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth have been talking heavily about sin, and it seems as though Chillingworth is becoming more and more suspicious of Dimmesdale’s past. At the same time, Dimmesdale is feeling the guilt inside building up, because he knows that what he has done to himself, as well as Hester, is something that cannot be ignored forever. It is ironic though that he decides to reconcile with God on the same place where Hester was announced her punishment seven years earlier. Is this because he feels as though in order to free his own sin, he must confront the very same pain that Hester felt years ago? Or is it because it is the only place where he can find privacy, even though it is in the middle of the town?

To me, Dimmesdale goes to the scaffold at night to avoid all of the commotion of the town during the day, but he also wants to avoid being caught by the townspeople and having them realize that he is the “secret man” who committed adultery with Hester. It is funny how even though he did this at night, still (ironically) Hester and Pearl walk up to him on their way home from the Governor’s funeral. Once in his presence, Pearl asks him a very simple question two times, “Will you stand with us at noon tomorrow?” Dimmesdale replies very simply with, “I will on the great judgement day” (Hawthorne 139). This comment is very simple and straight forward, but very complex at the same time. The “great judgement day” is referring to the puritan belief that once you die, God will judge you and decide if you are worthy to enter into heaven or hell. At the same time, he is also telling them that when that day comes, he will be there with both of them. This is because all three of them are the entities of adultery. You have Hester and Dimmesdale who are the ones who committed the act, and then you have Pearl, who is the byproduct of the actual sin. Therefore, when that final judgement day comes, all three of them will be judged together for the sin of which all of them are a part of. This vigil also had moments that were signs of God being present. The “A” comet that flashed across the sky made Dimmesdale realize that this sin will always be with him forever no matter how many times he reconciles. As we look back on this entire scene, I want you as the reader to take two things away from it. Even though Dimmesdale has held this vigil to look back and reconcile his sin, it will always be with him, and also, the scaffold is most likely going to have another large part in the upcoming scenes.

We all make mistakes in our lives that we are not happy with, but at the end of the day we as human beings react either negatively or positively to these situations. Even though Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale have committed this horrible sin, I applaud them for looking back on the situation, taking their punishments, and trying to move on. This is a hard lesson to learn in life. When you make these mistakes, do you just accept the outcome and live with it the rest of your life, or do you meet it face to face and conquer it right then and there? To me it shows much more of who you are if you accept it and stay strong.