What does Hester say about Dimmesdale?
Hester tells Dimmesdale that Chillingworth is her husband. This news causes a “dark transfiguration” in Dimmesdale, and he begins to condemn Hester, blaming her for his suffering.
What are the effects of the letter on Hester?
At the end of her life, she is much respected and admired. Thus, the scarlet letter seems to turn Hester from a prideful, adulteress who stands defiantly on the scaffold in the first scenes of the novel, to a wise, humble and charitable woman who is known for her virtues.
What does Hester say in the scarlet letter?
“Be it sin or no, I hate the man!” is her final word on the subject.
Does Hester feel responsible for Dimmesdale?
Why does Hester feel responsible for Dimmesdale’s physical condition? Because once he has become aware of the person he has become in his thirst for revenge, he feels that Dimmesdale has done this to him and is therefore even more deserving of punishment and that he takes no responsibility for his actions.
What advice does Hester give to Dimmesdale?
Hester tells Dimmesdale that the man living with him is actually her husband. She advices him to leave town, change his name, and start a new life. Dimmesdale is hesitant. He does not believe that he is worthy of relief from his guilt.
How did Hester change throughout the story?
Through the course of the novel, it appears that Hester changes from an arrogant, unremorseful woman to a much kinder and helpful, repentant woman. In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, we see Hester being punished publicly for the sin she has committed with Arthur Dimmesdale.
What does Hester’s letter eventually represent to the community?
What does Hester’s letter “A” eventually come to represent to the townspeople? The letter, a patch of fabric in the shape of an “A,” signifies that Hester is an “adulterer.” As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live but never followed her.
What chapter does Hester take off The Scarlet Letter?
Chapter 18 – A Flood of Sunshine
Summary and Analysis Chapter 18 – A Flood of Sunshine He reasons that if he is doomed irrevocably, why not be allowed the solace of a “condemned culprit before his execution?” Hester agrees with him and casts off the scarlet letter.
Why does Hester put The Scarlet Letter back on?
Hester puts the scarlet letter back on because it is an important part of her identity, and it allows her to be defiant and help other women, yet it was Hawthorne’s design for her to come back because she is best able to embody these ideals by sacrificing her freedom from the scarlet letter.
What chapter does Hester remove the scarlet letter?
Summary and Analysis Chapter 18 – A Flood of Sunshine He reasons that if he is doomed irrevocably, why not be allowed the solace of a “condemned culprit before his execution?” Hester agrees with him and casts off the scarlet letter. She takes off her cap and lets down her full, rich, luxuriant hair.
What do those whom Hester helps think that the scarlet letter stands for?
Hester goes beyond her punishment and helps the poor, making the townspeople feel that the scarlet letter stands for “able” rather than “adultery” (156). This causes the townspeople to start to think the “A” stands for angel instead of adultery.
What did Hester do at the end of the Scarlet Letter?
Hester is also maternal with respect to society: she cares for the poor and brings them food and clothing. By the novel’s end, Hester has become a protofeminist mother figure to the women of the community. The shame attached to her scarlet letter is long gone.
Why was the scaffold used in the Scarlet Letter?
In fact, this scaffold constituted a portion of a penal machine, which now, for two or three generations past, has been merely historical and traditionary among us, but was held, in the old time, to be as effectual an agent in the promotion of good citizenship, as ever was the guillotine among the terrorists of France.
What does the quote from the Scarlet Letter mean?
The quote foreshadows the lonely life Hester is going to be doomed to lead, but it also hints at the way she will develop unique qualities. Because Hester is removed from society, she can offer a clear perspective and insights that others cannot. My child must seek a heavenly father; she shall never know an earthly one.
Where is Scarlet Letter buried when she dies?
When she dies, she is buried near the grave of Dimmesdale, and they share a simple slate tombstone with the inscription “On a field, sable, the letter A gules.”