winter assignment

Chapter 15
“Pearl took some eel grass and imitated, as best as she could, on her own bosom the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother's. A letter- the letter A...” (page 161)
Explanation: This quotes shows that Pearls recognizes the scarlet letter as an unquestionable trait of her mother. Also leads to Pearl's curiosity of what the letter may symbolize or represent.
“It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart.” -Pearl (page 161)
Explanation: Shows that Pearl understands that there is sometype of connection between Dimmesdale and her mother but does not know what this connection is.
“Ask yonder old man whom thou hast been talking with! It may be he can tell.” -Pearl (162)
Explanation: Also shows that she understands that Chillingworth is interconnected with the reason her mother where's the scarlet letter and the Dimmesdale agony.
Chapter 16
“‘See! Now I can stretch my hand, and grasp some of it.’ As she attempted to do so, the sunshine vanished; or, to judge from the bright expression that was dancing on Pearl’s features” –Hester (166)
Symbol of light and dark is being played here showing how the light fears to touch Hester due to her darkness.
“Oh a story about the Black Man... How he haunts this forest and carries a book with him, -a big, heavy book, with iron clasps; and how this ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to everbody that meets him here among the trees; and they are to write their names with their own blood. And then he sets his mark on their bossoms!” -Pearl (167)
Explanation: Bad things happen in the forrest that there are in so it maybe foreshadowing of bad events that may happen here. Black Man in this case would be the devil or doing bad things (signing your soul to the devil).
“Death was too definite an object to be wished for or avoided. To Hester’s eye, the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale exhibited no symptom of positive and vivacious suffering, except that as little Pearl had remarked, he kept his hand over his heart.” (page 170)
Explanation: In this quote we see that Mr. Dimmesdale externally does not show his suffering, but internally by putting his hand to heart.
Chapter 17
“As concerns the good which I may appear to do, I have no faith in it. It must needs be a delusion. What a ruined soul, like mine, effect towards the redemption of other souls? -or a polluted soul towards their purification? And as for the people's reverence would that it were turned to scorn and hatred!” -Dimmesdale (172).
Explanation: Here Dimmesdale reveals that the good he does is a false and that he really has no goodness in him nor does he believe in it.
Happy are thou, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what aa relief it is, after the torment of a seven year's cheat, to look into an that recognizes me for what I am! Had I one friend or were it my worst enemy! -to whom, when sickened with the praises of all other men, I could betake myself, and be known as the vilest of all sinners, methinks my soul might keep itself alive thereby. Even thus much of truth would save me! But, now it is all falsehood! -all emptiness! -all death! Dimmesdale (173)
Explanation: He shows his desire to let go of his secret of being a bad person. And even wishes for something he already has, someone who already know his secret and think of him a bad person, Chillingworth. This eludes to the fact that he knows partially about chillingworth but not actually fully ware that this very event is actually happening to him.
“Such a friend as thou hast even d for, with whom to weep over thy sin, thou hast in me, the partner of it! Thou hast long had such an enemy, and dwellest with him, under the same roof.” -Hester (175)
Explanation: Tells Dimmesdale about chillingworth, drawing from Dimmesdale very wish of wanting somebody that knew that he was a sinner.
“All of the world had frowned on her, - for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman, - and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes. Heaven likewise, had frowned upon herm and she had not died. But the frown of this pale, weak, sinful, and sorrow stricken man was what Hester could not bear, and live.” (176)
Explanation: This passage shows how Hester cares about the way Dimmesdale thinks of her; it shows how attatched she is to Dimmesdale.
“Thou shalt not go alone!” - Hester (179)
Explanation: Here Hester is talking to Dimmesdale about fleeing away from the village to escape from Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale says he is to feeble to go alone, and Hester says that he won't go alone, giving the implication that she will go with him.
Chapter 18
The tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared no tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, - stern and wild ones, -and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.” (180)
Explanation: Shows how Hester has gained an audacity to do things others may not dare do through the suffering that came from seven years of wearing the Scarlet Letter in public (through things like public humiliation).
“As a man who had once sinned, but who kept his conscience all alive and painfully sensitive by the fretting of an unhealed wound, he might have been supposed safer within the line of virtue than if he had never sinned at all.” (180)
Explanation: Shows how Dimmesdale did not grow stronger after sinning compared to Hester who had seven years to develop. Dimmesdale, instead had to bear his sins private so it was like a wound that never healed.
“She undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves.” (182)
Explanation: Symbol of her giving up her life of beating herself down after sinning and moving forward with her life.
Chapter 19
“Since the latter rambled from her side, another inmate had been admitted within the circle of the mother's feelings, and so modified the aspect of them all, that Pearl, the returning wanderer, could not find her wonted place, and hardly knew where she was.” (186)
Explanation: Pearl is used to being the only one in Hester's world but know with Dimmesdale “in her wonted place in Hester's sphere” she feels replaced.
“Pearl stretched out her hand, with the small forefinger extended and pointing evidently towards her mother's breast.” (188)
Explanation: Shows how accustomed she is to the way her mother was before, with the scarlet letter and bonnet on. And that maybe a sign that maybe the way she was dressed before, coincides with the way her morality is (good or bad).
Chapter 20
“It was the same town as heretofore; but the same minister returned not from the forest... His friends, no doubt, would still have insisted with him, -“Thou art thyself the man! -but the error would have been their own, not his.” (195)
Explanation: After leaving the forest, he left as a new man, not quite himself. He has changed in a way that seems to be more bad than good: “In truth, nothing short of a total change of dynasty and moral code, in that interior kingdom, was adequate to account for the impulses now communicated to unfortunate and startled minister.” (195)
Example of shift to bad person: “It was only by most careful self-control that the former could refrain from uttering certain blasphamous suggestions that rose into his mind, respecting the communion supper.” (196)
Chapter 21
“What a strange sad man is he! In the dark night time he calls us to him, and holds thy hand and mine, as when we stood with him on the scaffold yonder... But here, in the sunny day and among all the people, he knows us not; nor must we know him!”
Explanation: “Shows the secrecy, and Pearl acts like a sound voice of reason that points to how weird and suspicious this behavior is.
“Why, know you not, that this physician here -Chillingworth, he calls himself -is minded to try my cabin fare with you?” (210)
Explanation: Chillingworth knows what they are planning and tries to thwart their plan.
Chapter 22
“He seemed remote from her own sphere, and utterly beyond her reach. One glance of recognition, she had imagined, must needs pass between them... Her spirit sank with the idea that all must have been a delusion” (215).
Explanation: Shows the way that they both must act in public, that they must be secretive of their true nature, intentions. But at the same time there is an obvious change Dimmesdale that makes Hester think that what she had thought that happened a couple days before.
“Dost thou think I have been to the forest so manytimes, and have yet no skill to judge who else has been there? Yea; though no leaf of the wild garland, which they wore while they danced, be left in their hair” (217)
Explanation: This quote helps to strengthen the idea that Dimmesdale has become a bad person more over than before. And that his evilness is becoming more visible.
“With her mind harassed by the terrible perplexity in which the shipmaster's intelligence involved her, she was also subjected to another trial.” (220)
Explanation: This quote shows the anxiety and stress Hester is undergoing, as she is struggling with many conflicting thoughts of Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and those around her. And it becomes clear that this is more stressful then she believed it would be and probably harder to handle later on.