The Scarlet Letter: A Reflection

Let’s be honest, no one truly liked the Scarlet Letter. Sure, it has its moments; sure, its themes and subjects are plentiful and somewhat deep. Yet, after reading all those pages upon pages of sin, Hester, and Puritans, I can’t say that The Scarlet Letter was enjoyable. Heck, I can’t even say it was tolerable at times. Despite this, I still read all of it, front to back, and feel that now I can give a fair review of its worth. So let’s get to some book bashing, shall we?

First, let’s look at just what encompasses and, what I believe, defines The Scarlet Letter: its themes. The novel touches a lot upon the idea of sin as well as its interpretation in society. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl are all vessels for Hawthorne’s ideas of what sin is, how it affects a person, and how it punishes the holder. The Scarlet Letter’s setting, a Puritan town, only amplifies the importance of sin, making it a very easy theme to pick up on. One could say that Hawthorne saturated his novel with sin, as almost every scenario, character, object of interest, or setting makes reference to biblical sin or punishment thereof. Another more subtle theme I detected in the novel was hypocrisy. As Hawthorne is a man living outside of Puritan culture, it’s easy to understand that the novel is not going to paint the zealous Puritans in a positive light. Rather, Hawthorne goes to great lengths to highlight the underlying hypocrisy of Puritan culture. His protagonists, sinners like Hester and Dimmesdale, only reaffirms this notion as he has made the lowest of the low in Puritan society seem much more holy than their “predestined” counterparts in town.

OK, before I start this next paragraph, let me preface it by stating I’m not trying to be “hipster” or “counter-culture” or whatever you’ll call it; this is what I truly believe. I think that The Scarlet Letter does not deserve to be an important piece of literature. Throughout the novel, I was not impressed at anything that Hawthorne presented. Hawthorn’s writing style is not that notable, aside from its old-English syntax and affinity for tons of description. Both of these traits do not add merit to the novel as the former was standard for the time period and the latter was a defining trait of Transcendentalist writings. Aside from his style, his use of subjects and themes leaves much to be desired. Hawthorne is about as subtle as a machine gun strapped to a T-Rex; he loosely dresses themes and subjects with transparent characters and symbolism. Oh gee, I wonder what Dimmesdale’s confession at the end of the novel represents? Oh, I know! It represents Dimmesdale confessing before God, signifying that every man will have to confess his sins eventually! How do I know? It was easy, Hawthorne practically tells me in the description of the event! I understand that Hawthorne wants to get his points across, but flat-out telling the reader about them is like lobbing a slowball to David Ortiz; it’s silly, lazy, and is going to be hit out of the park every single time.

I can’t hate on The Scarlet Letter too much, though. It did help me in a few areas that have been lacking for me recently as far as reading is concerned. It helped me jump back on the reading wagon which I had been off of for most of the school year. I had forgotten how fun it was to read and interpret a book, and now I’ve begun to read other books. And, as much as I hate to say it, The Scarlet Letter helped me look out for themes and subjects within books. Although it was somewhat easy, deciphering all the symbolism and ideas in the novel really appealed to me, and I look forward to applying the same methods I learned to different books I’ll read in the future. The blogging aspect of the reading also gave me a better understanding of how to communicate my point of view to others, albeit sarcastically.

I’m going to close by saying that while I disliked the book, I think this project was both fun and rewarding. It was a new way to learn, and was very focused on independent study. Thanks for reading my ramblings!

A Nun’s Gem

Charles Baker

charlesbbaker

The Scarlet Reader

This post focuses on Hester and Pearl’s relationship in chapters 17-20, and attempts to relate it to DID

A Nun’s Gem

In chapters 13 – 16 I explored the idea that Pearl was a representation of Hester’s inability to move on. This idea has continued into chapter 19, where I noticed a very interesting idea emerge in my head. The way that Pearl and Hester interact seems very similar to Dissociative Identity Disorder(DID). DID is the current term used for multiple personality disorder. It is characterized by  a person having a split where they perceive themselves separate from themselves. This doesn’t always mean a separate person, as I am suggesting, but can be as slight as feeling that  one is not themselves. As the understanding of such illnesses was not present at the time Hawthorn wrote this story, I don’t believe that this interpretation was in any way intended, but I do think it is very interesting. (I know that suggesting Pearl is a figment of Hester’s imagination is asinine, but I think it is a cool way to look at it in these Isolated events).

Before Hester stood in front of the town on the stocks, she was considered a beautiful, independent, and proud woman, who was very in touch with her femininity. As Pearl has grown, Hester has mellowed down a significant amount and become almost tame. She no longer carries the same feminine flare that she once did, now seen as a nun like figure. After the incident, it is very noticeable that Hester has become reserved.

Pearl on the other hand is constantly compared to being eccentric and in touch with nature. She is constantly involved in scenes in the forest and alluded to as part of the natural world. Her name is also that of a Gemstone found in the shell of an Oyster. This makes Pearl seem like a character who is just now understanding the world, she is now trying to express the inner beauty that Hester has lost.

If I were to continue this analogy to DID, I would likely say the split occurred in the prison. As to deal with the traumatic events of what she has done with Dimmesdale, she pushed her innocence and freedom into the identity of Pearl. This would explain why Pearl would have no knowledge of why Dimmesdale clutches his chest, because that is the reason Hester split form Pearl, as Pearl is the untampered sole Hester has separated from herself.

This would also explain why Hester seems unable to let go of what she has done. If Hester could move on this would destroy Pearl, as it would undermine her creation. This would explain Pearls convulsions as Hester took off the “A.” Without the “A” Pearl would have no meaning and become pointless and may dissipate from Hester entirely.

I just want to reiterate that I don’t think this is what’s happening, and I know there are a lot of holes in the idea, but I just think this is a cool way to look at it.

Reflection on The Scarlet Letter

Overall, I think the novel examines themes of the how sin can completely alter an individual. I think this generalization can be seen in all of the characters as the novel progressed. For instance, Hester feels the need to repent for her sins through acts of charity and even goes as far as to return to the town that first condemned her. Dimmesdale goes from healthy minister to a man incapable of escaping the guilt of the sin that weights down his heart. On the other hand, sin changes Chillingworth from a scholar to a sociopath.

I think this is an important piece of literature as it is one of the first American novels. It identifies the American character and is different in that it is a story for a story’s sake. It does not have any political purpose as many works before this time had. Instead, it focuses on literary elements such as symbolism and character development. In reference to the project, I thoroughly enjoyed this blogging experience as I believe that it has helped me find my voice as a writer. I also gained experience in writing my own idea and creating my own prompts that were not guided by an outside influence. I think some challenges that came with the process was finding a style that perfectly blended the charm of informal writing with the scholarly effect of formal writing. Finding a topic to write about also proved to be a challenge. Sometimes it became difficult to focus on one topic and not go off on a tangent. In a final analysis, I think the project increased my confidence and creativity as a writer. In addition, it forced me to become a more focused reader as I attempted to analyze the text.

The Five Stages of Grief, Dimmesdale’s Story

Charles Baker

charlesbbaker

The Scarlet Reader

This post focuses on Dimmesdale and the 5 stages of grief 21-24

The Five Stages of Grief, Dimmesdale’s Story

After reading the way Dimmesdale’s life had ended, I noticed an interesting pattern. t seemed that throughout the story Dimmesdale seemed to follow the five stages of grief. For those of you who do not know, the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

In the beginning of the story, Dimmesdale denies that he had any involvement with Hester, and he hides his identity as the father. The second stage is Anger and Dimmesdale feels this mostly on himself. In a previous post I talked about Dimmesdale’s slide into insanity and his self harm practices. He even goes to the point of carving an A on his chest to represent his sin.

The third part of grief is bargaining, which doesn’t really show up. One could assume that Dimmesdale asks god for forgiveness at some point in his ordeal, but this is never stated. His emotional sermons may be his way of paying forward good deeds to replace his old, bad deeds. The fourth stage is depression. This stage appears to be the most apparent, with Dimmesdale clutching his chest and drawing his emotion and putting it in his sermon. His depression is so bad that it is being manifested physically as while. He is a young man, but his health is ailing fast. He is coming closer and closer to death and his doctor Rodger Chillingworth is not helping him. The depression of Dimmesdale lasts most of the story until the end, where Dimmesdale accepts his mistake.

At the end of the story, Dimmesdale shows his A, and is then freed of his physical form. In this Dimmesdale has accepted his sin is part of who he is and is now ready to move on to a new life, refusing to allow himself to be bogged down by the fear of failing. In this, Dimmesdale has entered the fifth stage of grief and he sheds his sinful, physical vestige, and his sole moves on so that he may rest in peace.

Works cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850. Print.

Why is the Minister on the scaffold?

Finally, election day. The day that occurs but once a year, a day to celebrate. The festivities have been on going here in Boston since the wee hours of the morning. A band plays loudly in the town square and the crowd is joyous and loud. I can barely even hear myself think under the great tumultuous cloud of noise that bursts forth from the square.  I am standing toward the center of the crowd, the bodies press and sway amongst each other; a living wave of humanity. The sun gleams down in the most pleasant of ways amongst my company and a light breeze graces our warmed bodies. The day is new and good, this will surely be a good day. Very soon Minister Dimmesdale will climb the scaffold that is erected quite far from me and deliver this year’s election day sermon.

I am quite concerned about the Minister. He appears to be in failing health, and he has been for a number of years. There is some rumor that Doctor Chillingworth is some sort of catalyst behind this, but I find that doubtful. Speak of the devil, there is the Doctor now.

Chillingworth just pushed past me, hurriedly moving in the direction of the scaffold (225). I turn my direction to the scaffold and it appears as though I missed the Minister climbing it. The Doctor continues to push through the crowd, no doubt to talk to the Minister. The Doctor finally caught up to Dimmesdale and now they are talking. I cannot hear much because the band continues to play, but the Imp child of Mrs. Prynne embraces the Minister. Mrs. Prynne has also mounted the scaffold now. How very odd. The men closer to the scaffold, mostly men of the clergy, look very disturbed as Dimmesdale continues to talk. The band music has now slowly come to a halt and all eyes in Boston are fixed upon the edifice. Although the music has subsided, I still struggle to hear the Minister speak, but I know that it must be important. He holds Mrs. Prynne’s hand in his right hand and Pearl’s in the other. He most obviously must be announcing something appalling, our other leaders certainly look beside themselves (227).

“PEOPLE OF NEW ENGLAND!” shrieks the minister. Finally, I can hear his voice piercing through the ambient crowd sound. He begins to speak again with power, just as a cart rolls behind me. The rumbling is so loud that his voice is drowned out again. Much to my annoyance, I cannot hear him as he steps forward without assistance of his cane, and declares something important once again. I glare at the cart operator and turn my attention back to the scaffold.

And just as I do the minister rips off his cloak and ministerial band, and reveals “it” to the crowd (228).

Even at a distance I could see the a letter ‘A’ inscribed into his pale chest. It shone out, crimson like a freshly opened wound. It was so carved into his skin that its very shape is still carved into the forefront of my memory. The multitude Some of my fellow countrymen disagree with what the Minister revealed. Some maintain that there was nothing there, that he had just imagined it in his time of delusion and guilt. But I know what I saw. He was the accomplice in creating the Imp. And the Minister at that! Whatever he did (or did not) have on his chest, changed the entire town’s outlook on him. He was guilty. But so was Hester, and most of us knew the too as very good, God-fearing Puritans.

We all Sin that is for sure. And his Sin seemed to kill him. In the moments after he made his “Revelation”, fitting because it is the book of end times, the Minister collapsed and shortly died. I know not whether it was guilt or the freeing of his burden that killed him as some suggest, but I do believe that the cause may have been something much more sinister.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam, 1986. Print. Reissue 2003.

Where Did All the Money Go?

Hello again! It is interesting to see how far I have come as a writer as this blogging project has progressed. Not only have I grown and matured as a writer, but so have my fellow bloggers in The Scarlet Reader. Unfortunately the Scarlet Letter has ended, so this is going to be my final blog on any more chapters. I would like to examine the reasoning behind Chillingworth’s decision to leave all of his money to Pearl, a girl that he did not bear with Hester. There are many reasons behind the reasoning for this but luckily for us, Hawthorne saved the best for last.

Chillingworth throughout the entire story has been seen as the devil, or an evil that is beyond human belief. Although most of this is true, Chillingworth still has a side of him that has been hidden until the very end of the novel, and this is regret. I believe that Chillingworth realizes that he is close to death so he begins to contemplate on decisions that he has made in the past, which ties in to my second blog post, The Thoughts Before Death. I think that Chillingworth is finally feeling true guilt for what he has done not only to Dimmesdale, but also to Hester and Pearl. This guilt is centered around his years of torturing Dimmesdale, and the years that he spent torturing Hester as well for the acts of brutality towards Dimmesdale. The only way in his mind to get rid of this guilt and cast away all of the horrible things he has done, is to leave all of his money to the one thing that is the reason for all of this, Pearl.

Chillingworth is a wise man, and it is stated and well known by the reader that he is a smart man in the community, so it is no surprise that after all of these years, he is finally realizing the wrong that he has done. He says that he wants to find the man for committing the horrible sin of adultery with his wife, but once he steps back and looks at the larger picture, he sees that he has committed sin as well. Therefore, it is perhaps a combination of guilt, the fear for perishing in Hell, and the final realization that his deeds were, indeed, quite evil that motivates Chillingworth to leave all of his money and properties to Pearl. Chillingworth wants Pearl to prosper and to forget about what has happened in the past and what she and the letter “A” stood for, so by giving her the money, this allows her to try to pursue a better life. This act of kindness and giving is something that Chillingworth hasn’t done in a very long time, but he feels as though this is the only way to cleanse himself of his wrong doings and his sins.

Chillingworth throughout the novel played a very interesting role. At first he was just a man in the crowd, a leach in society, and then in the end he was again a man in the crowd, but was a man that had changed into something evil. At times in our lives, we sometimes forget about the feelings of others and how our words and actions can affect the overall happiness of their character. Sometimes we all need to step back and think about things before they come out of our mouths, because what we say and do in life ultimately defines us as a person. So would you rather be a man like Chillingworth who treated others horribly and then came to the realization that what he was doing was wrong, only because he was dying? Or would you rather live a guilt free, happy life because you are satisfied every day with the way you treat others and the way others treat you?

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam, 1986. Print. Reissue 2003.

Now Why Would She Go Back?

Name: Paulina Smolinski

WordPress user name: paulinasmolinski

Blog Title: Scarlet Reader

This post focuses on Chapters 21-24

With the end of the novel approaching, I was reading the quite blunt conclusion that Hawthorne provides me. I was quite content with all of the results as they seemed to be coming all along. Dimmesdale’s death was almost inevitable considering the stress and anxiety the poor man had been enduring. One heart can only handle so much. Consequently, Chillingworth’s death was also foreseen considering the leech now has nothing to live off of. Chillingworth’s malice now does not have a direct object on which it can be placed, and he no longer has a reason to live.  I was terribly happy to hear that Pearl was going to scamper off with some aristocratic European and live in a little fairy tale (at least in my mind) after enduring a complex childhood. The little imp basically becomes a princess, so what happens to her queen? Oh, she goes back to the cursed area where she was first condemned because that makes sense. I was a tad annoyed with Hawthorne for trying to make Hester’s ending a poetic one instead of what I believe to be a realistic one. I personally thought that Hester would want to spend the rest of her life with the object of her love, Pearl. Then I took a step back and tried to view Hester the way Hawthorne presents her with this decision.

At this point in time, Hester identifies herself with the scarlet letter. It becomes part of her and the identity of herself that she has been brainwashed to believe. Somewhere inside her, Hester felt the need to “take up her long-forsaken shame” (Hawthorne 233). She wants to fulfill her life through charity in order to constantly work for the debt she believes her soul must pay for her sin. Therefore, she goes back to New England since “here had been her sin; here, her sorrow; and here was yet to be here penitence” (Hawthorne 234). Hester was also spreading her charity work by counseling others who are dealing with sorrow. It is here that her soul is content and where she finds “a more real life . . . than in that unknown region where Pearl had found a home” (Hawthorne 234).

I found it interesting that Hawthorne mentions that Hester originally imagined herself as a “destined prophetess” who would reveal a new truth that would “establish the whole relation man and women on surer ground of mutual happiness” (Hawthorne 235). This ideology may have also pulled Hester back to the shores of the scarlet letter before she realized that she was mostly likely not pure or wise enough to be such a prophetess. Lastly, Dimmesdale may have something to do with Hester’s return. I like to imagine that she loved him enough that she wanted her final resting place to be right alongside his where they could share the burden of the sin for ages to come.  As “one tombstone served for both”,  I assume that this was her last wish (Hawthorne 235). Overall, after analyzing Hester’s reasoning for traveling back to the land of ignominy I begin to understand the at first incomprehensible actions.

Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850. Print.

Dimmesdale, Reinvigorated

In my previous post, I discussed the thoroughly exhausted Dimmesdale on his walk through the forest. He was tired of the world and utterly lacking of any sort of drive. I want to compare this image we get of our “hero” in contrast to how we find Dimmesdale at the beginning of chapter 18.

On the bottom of page 179, Hawthorne says that Arthur looked at Hester with an expression of joy and hope, mixed with “horror” at her boldness. In the course of one conversation, Arthur goes from lost to found. When he and Hester decide to “run away,” it gives him a purpose. Suddenly the man who, until a few minutes ago, was sauntering on down the forest footpath, has been brought back from the land of the weary. His posture becomes better and a slight shadow of hope begins to spread itself in his brain. The shadow spreads until on page 182 he says, “Do I feel joy again? Methought the germ of it was dead in me! O Hester, thou art my better angel!” Dimmesdale, after 7+ years, can feel joy again! All it took was the reunification of the duo and the hope of a goal. The minister then wonders why they hadn’t come back together earlier by saying, “This is already the better life! Why did we not find it sooner?”(182)

For a moment, Arthur’s life force has returned. For a moment, he throws off the guilt that the weight of his vocation has placed upon him. And in the metaphorical throwing off of his burden, Hester removes the scarlet letter that has adorned her chest during the last few years. Together they remove their social stigmas, self imposed or otherwise, and for a moment they are happy.

Of course this seeming fairy tale ending is dashed against the rocks of plot development,  but for a few minutes they duo was able to be happy and maybe that is all Dimmesdale needed to be fully reinvigorated; to lift him up from the forest floor with its decomposing leaves and footpaths. In two chapters Dimmesdale metamorphosed from a broken, shame-filled minister to a joyful, love-filled man of God. And maybe that’s what this chapter is trying to say, we all need a lil’ love.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam, 1986. Print. Reissue 2003.

Wait… You Have a Husband?

Hello again! I know this is another blog in the same week, but unfortunately my teacher has unloaded a lot of work on the class, due to the fact that we are falling behind. It is Honors English, so it’s no surprise that the work load is at times over-bearing, but that is beside the point. Today I would like to look at the encounter with Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale. Hester finally reveals to Dimmesdale that the man who has been nursing him back to health is her former husband. If you were in Dimmesdale’s position, would you have reacted the same way? Well, let’s see.

At the beginning of these chapters, Hester and Dimmesdale meet up to talk about some things. Hester then proceeds to drop some big news by saying that Chillingworth is her former husband. At first, Dimmesdale appears to be furious at this, but he soon sinks down onto the ground and begins to contemplate. If I was in his position I would never forgive her, and at first he says that he will never forgive or forget what she had said. But in Hester’s mind, she has waited seven years to have him say the words “I forgive you,” but since she did not hear them she pleas for him to, which he finally does. But this brings up a very serious question that many of you may have passed over. Why after all of these years of self-torture and abuse, would someone forgive the person that could have saved you from the very beginning?

Dimmesdale has lived the past seven years of his life without the opportunity to raise the daughter that he bore with Hester, without being able to enjoy anything in life because of the torture that he has been put through and not being able to feel free and move on like Hester has so successfully done. At the same time, though, if Dimmesdale would have confessed earlier to his sin, he would have had not only the same opportunity that Hester had which was being able to start a new life, but also a chance at redemption. Dimmesdale still believes that this possibility still exists, but the amount of shame and guilt that he feels, now denies him that option. We see that Dimmesdale has, after some persuasion, forgiven Hester for the fact that she has committed a horrible act by not telling him originally that Chillingworth was her husband, but we also start to sense that Dimmesdale takes responsibility for all of this as well. If Dimmesdale would have taken ownership and confessed his sin, he would not have been the victim of such evil which is manifested in Chillingworth’s actions.

So to me it seems as though Dimmesdale is in a very unsure situation when Hester gives him the news that Chillingworth all along was her husband and that Chillingworth wanted revenge on Dimmesdale the whole time. We all come across scenarios just like this in our own lives, where have to choose either to forgive or to not forgive. My brother did not mention that he was having a friend over even though he said he wanted to spend time with me. I had the choice either to forgive him and move on, or not forgive him and go through the rest of the night unhappy because my plans got screwed up. Just like Dimmesdale, we can all learn to forgive the people who have hurt us the most in life. We can all move on from situations that may have hurt us at the time, nut looking back, there was no reason to have felt hurt at all. So if you are going to take one thing away from this blog today, it is to forgive the people who have hurt you in any way, and release that hatred and pain that that person may have caused, and you will not only live a happier life, but you will also become a better person.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam, 2003. Print.

A Forest of Secrets

Name: Paulina Smolinski

WordPress user name: paulinasmolinski

Blog Title: Scarlet Reader

This post focuses on Chapters 17-20

One of the main focuses of Transcendentalist writing was to emphasize the power of nature. Hawthorne wrote his novel during this time period fascinated by the powers of nature so it is only fitting that some major scenes of the novel be played out in the secrecy of the forest.

For Transcendentalists, the calm ways of nature in represented the mind of God. Nature was a way in which the soul could connect with God. They found nature to be inspiring, powerful, and filled with some elements of almost a “dangerous beauty” (Moore). Both Transcendentalist writers Emerson and Thoreau believed that emotional and spiritual rebirth was an important tool of Nature that allowed one to enter a cleaner and more pure state due to the tranquil atmosphere (Moore).

All the major revelations and secrets that Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth hold within themselves are exposed in the raw atmosphere of the forest. The masquerade that they participate in when stuck in civilization is no longer necessary as each individual can go back to the basic elements of what they know is true. Hester can address Chillingworth about the torture he is causing Dimmesdale. In addition, Dimmesdale can find out the truth about the man who he saw as his friend; and Hester can get the truth as well as scarlet letter off her chest. Hawthorne even addresses how difficult it is for both Hester and Dimmesdale to see “how dreary looked the forest track that lead back to the settlement, where Hester Prynne must once again take up the burden of her ignominy and the minister the hollow mockery of his good name” (Hawthorne 177). This return back to truth is fittingly fulfilled in the location where all is retrogressed to a natural state. The transcendental idea that nature allows for peace is used in these chapters by allowing for the characters to find peace as well as answers within the forest.

In addition, the description of the forest shows the striking difference between the wildness of nature and the rigidity of society. In the forest, emotions can run free, and dreams can be expressed, such as when Hester comes up with the plan to escape to Europe. Even Dimmesdale releases what was bottled up inside as he cries into the scarlet letter. On the other hand, the world of the Puritan town lives under constant law and order. The town’s judgments and criticism follow a black and white code of ethics. The forest seems to offer the gray area as the reader is lead to sympathize with the “criminals” who broke the town’s law. The author points out that Hester has been living in a figurative forest of morals as “she had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest” (Hawthorne 182).

Thinking back to the musical Into the Woods, which occurred last year at our school, there are elements in the way that the woods is presented similar that of The Scarlet Letter. For instance,  in the musical there is a certain aura that surrounds the wood as “anything can happen in the woods.” All the characters seem to express their wildest dreams in the comfort of the trees. In the same way, Hawthorne uses the woods to allow Hester to express her dreams and truths.

Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850. Print.

Moore, Ellen. “Ideas–Philosophy of Nature.” Ideas–Philosophy of Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 06      Apr. 2015.