The Weariness of Minister Dimmesdale

I’ve gotta be honest. I’m struggling with this book. I love this project, but Hawthorne’s flowery language is slowing me down. Couple that with a week of absences due to an awesome TV convention and you get a blogger who is trapped in between a rock and a hard place. But in chapter 16 something just grabbed my attention: the description of Dimmesdale walking down the beaten path.

In the chapters leading up to 16, we see Dimmesdale suffer under the weight of his own sin, and the encouragement of Chillingworth. Chillingworth prodded Dimmesdale down the road of insanity to the point that the minister saw almost no point in living. He felt so guilty because of this, and because of the bright red A that was seared into his flesh.  As the minister walks down the footpath in the forest, Hawthorne describes him in one paragraph, and it is quite vivid and chilling.

The paragraph begins on page 170 by stating that the “elf-child” has departed, and Hester settled herself into the “deep shadow of the trees.” As Hester stood, Dimmesdale came down the path with a “nervous despondency.” Hawthorne notes that his despondency was barely noticeable , but in the quiet and secluded forest, it was far more pronounced. He was “haggard and feeble”, meaning that we can infer that he was probably slumped over, his shoulders dipping one side to the other with each footfall. Dimmesdale also used a walking stick that “he had cut by the wayside” to aid him in his slow walk. Hawthorne then says that, “There was a listlessness in his gait; as if he saw no reason for taking one step farther, nor felt any desire to do so, but would have been glad, could he be glad of anything, to fling himself down at the root of the nearest tree, and lie there passive, for evermore.” I think that this line is the most telling part of Dimmesdale’s character at that time. He is just…existing. For no reason other than the fact that he was, and he wanted to give up on movement, to lie dormant forever. It wasn’t that Dimmesdale wanted to die, or to kill himself, but he just simply wanted to cease whatever he was doing in his life, but he cared too little to actually stop himself. Hawthorne continues this description by saying, “Death was too definite an object to be wished for or avoided.” Poor Dimmesdale is lost. Not in a literal sense, I am sure he was completely aware of his location whilst walking through the forest, but he was too confused and lost in his own depression and guilt to even make himself decide to want death. He just didn’t care.

And its not until the events of the next few chapters that he gets pulled out of this funk, and finds himself.

Works Cited

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

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=JN.mfNyJfAVgMUj4nQd4CsfbQ&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0

Hell Has Frozen Over

Ian Coyne

Coyneandbill

The Scarlett Reader

This post is a character analysis of Chillingworth and his revenge

Hell Has Frozen Over

Chillingworth. The name sounds like it jumped from the pages of one of Ian Fleming’s many James Bond novels. The name definitely has a very evil, villainous air about it that lets you know from the get-go that this guy is going to be bad. Not just your typical, run-of-the-mill villain either; this guy has some sinister things up his dastardly sleeves and nefarious plans to execute. I thought of all these things the first time Chillingworth was mentioned in The Scarlet Letter, and I’m glad Hawthorne has delivered with an antagonist who is truly worthy of his name.

Chillingworth’s fall from grace is quite tumultuous. Through his journey for revenge, Chillingworth became less and less of himself both physically and mentally. In a short amount of time, he had aged and become more decrepit; his mind has transformed into something vile and vengeful. Chillingworth is no longer the “intellectual and studious man” (Hawthorne 153) that Hester once knew him as. Instead, the fire of revenge that burns in his heart has twisted his mind into one that is obsessed with punishment and revenge. So here we have a man who, previously, was an ideal model of benevolence and docility but is now one who is malevolent and spiteful. Remind you of anyone? Chillingworth’s story and character traits all reflect those of Satan as he appears in the Christian Bible. A once-benevolent being is cast down, alone, and becomes punishment incarnate. Chillingworth’s revenge adds even more to this theory.

The details and motivations behind Chillingworth’s revenge reveals many more similarities between him and Satan. Chillingworth sets out on his revenge in the first place to ensure the other adulterer is punished for his sin. In this regard, Chillingworth has donned the earthly role of Satan, and the longer he dons it, the more he begins to look and act like Satan. Once he has found his sinner, Dimmesdale, he brings him to Hell, AKA the secluded widow’s house. There Chillingworth oversees Dimmesdale’s punishment, just as Satan would oversee the appropriate punishment for each sinner in Hell.

After having this revelation about Chillingworth, I think I may have been a tad bit too harsh on Hawthorne in my earlier blog post. All of the events and evidence that backs up this view of Chillingworth playing the role of Satan is remarkably in-depth. It seems that I need to read a little bit deeper to find the gems Hawthorne has woven into his story.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Hester and the Physician.” The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. 153. Print.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Mont_Blanc_von_Gare_des_Glaciers_aus_gesehen.JP

The “Black Man” Finally Appears

Hello again my fellow bloggers, readers, and visitors to The Scarlet Reader. I have decided to examine today the symbolism and the story behind the Black Man in the Scarlet Letter. As the week has progressed, I have tried to draw connections between The Crucible and the Scarlet Letter and I have found many similarities that could connect the two books together. They are connected through objects such as the black book, and the idea of the devil and evil.

The Black Man is a symbol for Satan in this book, and Hester considers the scarlet letter “A” to be the Black Man’s mark on herself. At the same time, Pearl wonders if the Black Man left his mark on Dimmesdale’s heart as well, because she notices that he grasps it quite often. Hawthorne loves to compare Chillingworth to Satan as well. Chillingworth has been seen in the town both as a leach and as something more than evil, so it is no surprise that when this Black Man appears, Chillingworth is the first to be compared to him. But don’t you find it coincidental that Pearl says that the Black Man comes to make people sign his black book, while in The Crucible, we see young girls accuse innocent people in the town of signing the black book? The Puritans believed during this time period that witches and the devil were prominent in their society, so whenever something horrible went wrong, they would automatically accuse that person of being a witch, or being influenced by the devil. The Puritans like to use the Black Man as a symbol of all evil, making evil something separate from common human life. But, it seems as though Hawthorne does not agree with that statement.

Hawthorne, I believe, looks at the Black Man as someone who has set its mark on society in a positive way, and these marks are symbols of something good in society. These symbols I am referring to are the letter “A” on Hester’s dress and the unknown symbol on Dimmesdale’s chest. Both Hester and Dimmesdale committed a sin that for that time period was punishable, but I think Hawthorne looks at them as examples of how to accept sin and move on. The Black Man is nothing more than a representation of that sin and the mark that it has had on people’s lives. Society, on the other hand, looks at the Black Man as being the symbol of all evil and the devil, as seen through the comparison to Chillingworth. But in reality, he is nothing more than a mark on society.

So, I leave you all with this; to you, does the Black Man represent something more than just evil, or do you believe that it is up to you as the reader to distinguish whether the Black Man represents something good in society? To me, I think that he is a representation of people who dare to be something greater in life, people who go their own path and do what their heart desires. These are the people in life who will be most respected and most loved just like Hester Prynne is with the scarlet letter.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter.

Trapped by the Oyster’s Jem

Charles Baker

charlesbbaker

The Scarlet Reader

This post focuses on Hester and Pearl’s relationship in chapters 13-16, and the meaning behind it

Trapped by the Oyster’s Jem

One may have noticed by chapter 17 that Pearl is intended to represent the burden that Hester must bear. I have began to notice that her role extends beyond just a burden that blocks Hester from returning to her status in the community. Pearl has began to become a nagging reminder of the past, and unable to allow Hester to move on. She constantly reminds Hester of the meaning of her “A” and the pain it has caused Dimmesdale. Pearl unknowingly shows herself to be a reminder of what Hester’s past deeds were

In chapter 15, Hester is walking in the woods with Pearl to meet Chillingworth. During the discussion Hester and Chillingworth are having, Pearl create an “A” with sea weed and tries to place it on her mother’s chest.  When Hester then asks Pearl if she knows what the “A” means, Pearl does not. But, when Pearl is asked why her mother wears the “A”, she speculates that it is for the ” . . . same reason that the minister [Dimmesdale] keeps his hand over his heart”(161) , going on  to ask why Dimmesdale doesn’t wear the symbol on the outside of his cloths (169).

I believe this to be significant in showing that Hester will never move on from her mistake. As shown in chapter 13, the town regards her as almost a nun like figure, and “the scarlet A [ is no longer seen] by its original signification. They said that it now meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” (146) Hester is unwilling to move on though, she still bears the shame of what it means. Pearl is a nagging piece of her, the nagging thought in the back of her mind that will not let her move on. Hester committed adultery, Hester caused Dimmesdale’s heart this pain. No matter how many times over Hester has made up for her mistake, she wont allow herself to move on . . . at least, for now she wont.

Though  I have yet to read past chapter 16, it is worth noting that, regardless of authorial intent, Hester’s relationship with Pearl in chapters 15 and 16 carry a very important message as a parable of avoiding holding onto mistakes. It is true that one has to own up to a mistake, but they cannot allow it to consume them and destroy who they are. When people allow themselves to be trapped like Hester is, they begin to become self destructive and cause pain (emotional or sometimes physical) to those around them. Take this parable as a warning to not define yourself by your mistakes, but how you respond to them.

Works cited

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

http://thelibertyblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/OysterPearl1.jp

Sunshine and Sin

Name: Paulina Smolinski

WordPress user name: paulinasmolinski

Blog Title: Scarlet Reader

This post focuses on Chapters 13-16

I have always found Pearl to be an insightful, curious child since I read that she “amused herself with gathering handfuls of wildflowers, and flinging them, one by one on her mother’s bosom, dancing up and down . . . whenever she hit the scarlet letter” (89). The initial curiosity I noticed was often fixated on the scarlet letter her mother wore. This fascination continues all the way up to chapter sixteen where inquisitive little Pearl begins to pester her mother about the letter’s meaning. However, what I found more interesting is the analysis that Pearl stated afterwards.

“Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . . . It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!”

“Nor ever will, my child, I hope,” said Hester.

“And why not, mother?” asked Pearl, stopping short. . . . “Will it not come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown?” (169).

Pearl noticed that the sunshine seems to stray away from her mother. This could symbolize the fact that the sin Hester carries on her soul refutes any sense of forgiveness that the pureness of the sunlight would bring. The Puritan community will not allow her to ever be fully forgiven of the sin that she committed. Even if they do allow for the scarlet letter to be removed, it will be futile as the mark is on Hester’s soul. Another way to interpret Pearl’s analysis is the fact that there is a lack of sunshine or happiness in Hester Prynne’s life. Though regular Puritan life does not seem to be all that spectacular and joyful, Hester still lacks simple elements of happiness in her like such as a loving husband and supportive friends. Pearl is the only sunshine in her life, and regardless of how much Hester loves her, she cannot fill the void of her generally cold life.

Lastly, we see that Pearl believes that she too will receive a scarlet letter once she becomes a women. The fact that the letter represents sin and evil within the community does not restrain the child from wanting one as well. This element express the way in which Pearl looks up to her mother as the good person she is. Hester, in the eyes of Pearl, is a sister of mercy who give food to the poor and clothes the needy. She is not the epitome of sin. Pearl proves to be just like any other child looking to their parent’s as a role model and moral compass. Here Pearl is assuming, as children often do, that her mother is representative of all adults. Her question suggests that she believes that all grown women wear a scarlet letter. She sees it as a part of growing up or an inevitable event in the process of becoming a mature human being. In a way, she suggests that sin is just as undeniable and inevitable as it is human. We can conclude that Pearl sees all adults as bearing their own personal scarlet letter of sin. Regardless of how the community condemns sin an unforgivable, it is still imminent in the lives of all of humanity. Though the sunshine of forgiveness may be afraid of absolving sin within the Puritan lifestyle, the idea of coming out in full truth in the broad daylight and being accepted by the community is still a farfetched concept for Hester Prynne. So until then, the sunshine of forgiveness will forever be fleeting away.

Work Cited

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