fwaf Questions for Huck

1. Pap: "I won't have it. I'll lay for you, my smarty; and if I catch you about that school I'll tan you good. First you know you'll get religion. I never seen such a son." Discuss the meaning and irony.

Pap is angry that Huck has turned out to be a somewhat educated young boy that goes to school regularly. Widow Douglas and Ms. Watson were training him to be a nice citizen, and that really irks Pap and he wants to scold Huck for being better than him. The irony is that most parents would want the best for their child, yet Pap is only around Huck for the moment for his money, and despises him for his ability to read and write.

 
2. How does the refusal of the court to grant custody of Huck to the Widow Douglas and Judge Thatcher reflect on society?

The blood relation seems more important to the society. They should be looking at the best interests of the child in question, Huck in this case, for life would be considerably better for him living with Widow Douglas and Ms. Watson as opposed to his abusive father. 

3. Even though Huck is regularly beaten, he prefers to stay at the shanty. Why? How does this reflect one of the major themes?

Because he'd rather have the freedom to swear, not have to pray, and to avoid most responsibility that he'd have to endure under the care of Ms. Watson. He is free from the society out there, even though he is locked inside the cabin most days while his father goes out on a drunken frenzy. The theme of freedom is shown in this behaviour of choosing the torture and pain of life under his father than conforming to the society.

4. Comment on Pap's drunken tirade over the "govment." What message is Twain sending?
Dat govment. Twain is commenting on the people and their eagerness to blame the government and society whenever something goes wrong. 
 
5. What major theme is reflected by Huck's escape from his father and his discovery of Jim?
Death/Rebirth
 
6. What is ironic about Huck wishing Tom were there to help plan the escape? How do you think the plan would have developed had Tom been there? Would it have been successful?
Because Tom would seem to be the mastermind and could help carry out the plan effortlessly. However, Huck comes up with a rather ingenious plan all by himself which ends up fooling everyone successfully.

7. Discuss the irony in Huck's finding bread to eat. He also seems to modify his position on prayer. Discuss.
The bread's purpose was to find Huck's dead body so that the people in the town could find him. The bread found him, yet he was not realistically dead, but he was symbollicaly dead, awaiting to be reborn once he found Jim on Jackson Island.
He figures that Widow Douglas/Ms. Watson wanted the bread to find him so they prayed for it to happen. They got what they wanted through prayer, so he decides that maybe praying actually does work, but just not for certain people. 
 
8. Discuss Jim' actions after meeting Huck.

9. Discuss how running into Jim represents Huck's rebirth. Discuss the resulting conflict in Huck's mind.

10. Significance: "People would call me a lowdown Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum."
The society feels that the people who want to repeal slavery are bad, and thus abolitionist is used as an insult. This is ironic but its alright in the view of the society. 
11. Even though Jim seems to rely on superstition, many of his predictions are rooted in knowledge.
Explain the significance.
12. Discuss the trick that Huck plays on Jim. It that typical of Huck's character? What does he learn?

13. What do we learn about Huck's character from his trip to shore?
He is a bad girl, because he hasn't interacted with too many of them in his life.
14. When Mrs. Loftus discusses the money that Tom had found, a common human trait emerges. Discuss.
15. Discuss the satire revealed in the amounts of the rewards.
The father with a motive to kill his son to get his money who is a known drunk and a liar has been issued an award of 200 dollars. However, Jim is a runaway black slave. He has a reward of 300 dollars which signifies he has done something far worse than Pap, which in the society's eyes, is being black, which is far worse than pretty much anything.

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Huck Discussion Questions: XV - XX

1. Discuss the significance of the fog incident and Jim's interpretation of it. "The lot of towheads was troubles we was going to get into with quarrelsome people and all kinds of mean folks, but if we minded our business and didn't talk back and aggravate them, we would pull through and get out of the fog and into the big clear river, which was the free states, and wouldn't have no more trouble" (64). Consider the major themes as well as foreshadowing.



2. How does Huck feel about playing the trick on Jim? Comment: "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't sorry for it afterwards, neither" (65). How does this statement contribute to the overall meaning of the novel?

Huck feels really bad because he knows that Jim is property, but through their adventures, Jim has developed as a person into Huck's mind and he has made a friend. He needs to apologize because he understands that he has feelings and he must atone for the cruel trick he played.

3. Discuss the significance of the following quotes from Chapter XVI:

"Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom. Well, it made me all trembly and feverish, too, to hear him because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free -- and who was to blame for it? Why me. I couldn't get it out of my conscience, no how nor no way." (66).

Huck begins to question what he is actually doing. He feels that he has done a bad deed in stealing Jim from Ms. Watson. Ms. Watson hasn't done anything bad to Huck which makes this even more troublesome in Huck's conscience. The society he grew up in has morphed his mind to believe what he is doing is wrong, but he is actually doing what is morally right in today's society it seems.

"Here was this nigger which I as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children -- children that belonged to a man I didn't even know; a man that hadn't ever done me no harm." (67). Explain the irony in this quote as well as the significance.

Huck has helped this 'nigger' escape which in essence is stealing someone else's property. However, the irony is that in order for Jim to get his children back, he would have to steal them from their owners. Sadly, this is because his children are the property of someone, however they are HIS children and to whites he is taking away property, but Jim feels he is regaining his family and making them free. He has regained his property, even though he, as a black man, doesn't look at his family in this way.

Huck is confused now because he feels that if he has contributed to the stealing of more property, especially the property of some person he has never met in his life, means he is just adding to an even bigger problem.  

"Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (69).

Huck draws a conclusion for himself. He seems that no matter what anyone does, whether it's right or wrong, the same result seems to ensue. However, he sees that it is more work and harder to keep yourself doing the right thing, when doing the wrong thing is easier, but both bring the same outcome.

"Doan' less' talk about it, Huck. Po' niggers can't have no luck. I awluz 'spected dat rattle-snake skin warn't done wid its work." (70).

Poor black are the exact opposite of those in power in this society. The world in this society is run by those who are rich, own property, and are white. Impoverished black people are the bottom of the social ladder and they are severely out of luck. Jim also reflects the idea of superstition because they have just missed Cairo and that it is only because they have incured bad luck due to Huck touchin and messing around with that rattle-snake.

4. Why do the bounty hunters give Huck money? What is ironic about their reaction to Huck's story?

Because he is having health problems with his family. This is ironic because they hunt down black people for money and probably do it ruthlessly and without question. However, they look at a young white boy who is having their own troubles, and they cater to his needs since he is one of them. It is also ironic because Huck doesn't care about his father, and he is in fact rich.

5. What does the destruction of the "naturally" created raft by the "industrially" created steamboat symbolize?

The power of the society pwning nature. The society takes away the natural stability of the raft.

6. Speculate on why Twain put Huckleberry Finn aside for a few years at the end of XVI?

Because Mark Twain has done enough fooling around with certain themes and such. He needs to lessen this and moves into more explicit/darker themes. He wanted to get a direction for change. 

7. Describe the Grangerford house. What is satirical about the furnishings, art, and poetry? What does this description say about the Grangerfords?

Their dead daughter's art are mixed in with very rich-people paintings such as very romantic Revolutionary War style portraits. Mark Twain sees the mix of the two being somewhat silly, because death is romanticized and the dead daughter's notably disgusting and not very well done art is in the same place as the 'classic' well done art of the romantic era. This is Mark Twain poking fun at the absurdity of Romantic literature and art.

The lawlessness of the South is shown with the Grangerfords, because even though they are quite rich and do relish in the death of their dead daughter, they aren't hesistant to kill their neighbours and bring their shotguns/rifles to church.  

8. The first part of Chapter XVII reveals an example of the theme of Huck playing on Buck's gullibility. Discuss this example as well as other examples of the novel's major themes evident in Chapters XVI & XVII.

He tricks Buck into spelling his name, so Huck can use the spelling for future use in case he needs to use the same persona again. The gullibility, the ignorance theme, the role of the outsider, romanticism vs. realism,

9. What does Huck's reaction to "Moses and the candle" indicate? Discuss the meaning of "Moses" as a motif in the novel.

He doesn't get the joke. He feels that Buck was wasting their time because if Buck knew, why did he ask Huck? He needs a sense of humour... in a way. Moses is important because he led the slaves away from Egypt or something. 

10. What does Twain satirize in his description of the church service and the hogs that sleep under the floor?

Because the sermon is all about brotherly love and how to love your fellow man. Although the two families sit in the pews with their rifles and guns with them and go home and kill one another. The pigs are ironic because the pigs can go in the church whenever they want. Although people never go to church except on Sunday, the day they have to.  

11. What does the feud symbolize? Does this remind you of another famous piece of literature? Explain. Through the feud incident, Twain satirizes human traits and behaviors. Discuss.

Reminds you of Romeo and Juliet. 

12. "I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so clamped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft"(88). Discuss the paradox. Furthermore, this excerpt from the final paragraph of Chapter XVIII is significant in that it pertains to the major themes of the novel. Explain.

The river is the symbol of freedom. Since the river is far away from the society, they are free from Jim being persecuted, and from Huck being controlled and sivilized. The paradox is, that the raft is much much smaller than the actual land that they find themselves in. This is because the rules, laws, and policies found in the cities and towns are more constraining then peace on the boat.

13. Huck and Jim's manner of dress on the raft is symbolic. What do clothes represent?

14. Why doesn't Huck expose the Duke and the King (Dauphin) as frauds?

15. Who is the most shrewd, the King and the Duke or Huck? Why? Give some examples.

16. What does Twain satirize in the plan to present Romeo and Juliet? Discuss Romeo and Juliet as a motif.

17. Discuss the significance of the pirate and the revival meeting. What is Twain satirizing?

18. Is Twain making a statement about society through the antics of the King and Duke? Explain.  

Episode 1 =-= Huck Starts Out

List Important things:
Appearance vs. Reality --- The elephants and A-rabs that Tom says are there, but aren't really. (Even though the magicians are hiding them.)
Superstition/Supernatural --- Huck thinking that praying is just strange and that it doesn't really help you and give you anything you want, contrary to what
Gullibility --- Huck believing that there is a genie that will come out of the lamp and build him a palace, only to actually try it and find out it was just another one of Tom Sawyer's lies.
Death and Rebirth --- Huck's dad coming back after being thought dead.
Loneliness --- Huck not wanting to go to heaven because Tom Sawyer won't be there and he'll feel alone without him. 
   

List any allusions
Don Quixote, Moses and the Bible, 1001 Arabian Nights, Last of the Mohicans,    

List All characters
Huckleberry Finn, Jim, Tom Sawyer, Widow Douglas, Judge Thatcher, Ben Rogers, Joe Harper, Ms. Watson, Tommy Barnes, Aunt Polly, Pap, Deacon Winn,  

Note what part of plot is this?
The Exposition =(



Huck starts out under the care of Ms. Watson and Widow Douglas. He is trying to be turned into a sivilized citizen. The old women try to teach him to pray and the joys of heaven, but there really isn't much there for Huck and he has little to care about since most of the people he talks about are dead, or have been dead a long time. He then starts talking to Tom Sawyer and enters his gang by signing the blood oath along with Ben Rogers, and Joe Harper. They raid a sunday-school picnic in search for diamond-filled elephants. After a bunch of events, Huck gets word of his father returning.

VOCAB Pt. 2 (Pearl in the Future...)

     Pearl stepped out of the church a newly married woman. She was Invigorated with a sense of happiness she had never felt before. The people weren't looking upon her as a little impish child running amok in the colony any more. Instead, Pearl as showered with gifts, compliments, congratulatory words, all sorts of things that made her feel like a reinvented spirit. However, this was short lived...

      After leaving the church and walking across the pale, narrow street to the ballroom, the wedding reception took place where everyone ate and enjoyed a delicious banquet followed by a galliard with the help of professional ballroom musicians and dancers. Pearl was having the time of her life until she walked over to the punchbowl that was on the table closest to the south wall. She was conversing with her friend Lynda while she advanced toward the table, and Lynda had such a loquacity about her that Pearl could not shake. She kept talking, and Pearl, not wanting to be rude or at all disrespectful, kept smiling and resuming eye contact whilst she poured herself a drink. This was impossible, for Pearl had to look away because she noticed that the ladel to scoop juice with was rather heavy, and she wondered if she had scooped an abnormally large batch of ice cubes on accident. She peeked, when Lynda took a break to regain her breath and her jaw dropped down through the floor the second her eyes met the contents of the liquidy saucer. The sombre and disgusting shape of a dead grey rat!

      Within the next minute, everyone was running out of the ballroom, screaming their faces off, running for the nearest policeman on patrol to dispatch the problem. The wedding was officially ruined and all of the participants were all flooding the streets in pure terror.

      Several years later, Pearl and her husband were very successful people in the field of medicine. She looked back on the memories of her wedding, and they were all happy moments to reminisce about. Yet, the dreadful memory of the dead rat turned out to be quite importunate, and she never live it down as the only thing that went wrong in her life while in Europe.  

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #40 -~-

"Such a spiritual seer might have conceived, that, after sustaining the gaze of the multitude through seven miserable years as a necessity, a penance, and something which it was a stern religion to endure, she now, for one last time more, encountered it freely and voluntarily, in order to convert what had so long been agony into a kind of triumph" ((Chapter 21/PAGE 197))




The ultimate transformation is the desire of Hester and it's about to come to fruition. The seven years' torture is about to end as the New England Holiday arrives and she is staying out of the view of the public eye as best as she can. Truly, nature has attempted to sooth her guilt and turn everything that has happened into her life troublesome, into a powerful energy, triumph. (T r i u m p h = a seven letter word = complete)


Hester is ready to put this pain to rest, for after this passage, she voices, mentally, "Look your last on the scarlet letter and its wearer! Yet a little while, and she will be beyond your reach! A few hours longer, and the deep, mysterious ocean will quench and hide for ever the symbol which ye caused to burn upon her bosom!"


This is her farewell speech to the letter and her curse, which seems similar to a poem titled "Farewell" which was written by poet Walter de la Mare:

Look thy last on all things lovely,

Every hour. Let no night

Seal thy sense in deathly slumber

Till to delight

Thou have paid thy utmost blessing;

Since that all things thou wouldst praise

Beauty took from those who loved them

In other days.

Another interesting thing that has reoccurred is the mention of the letter being swallowed up by the ocean. The ocean is what is said to have killed Chillingworth, so the ocean should hide the symbol away. However, Chillingworth did not die and the ocean cannot hide the symbol because of his presence in the community. Therefore the symbol cannot be hidden, which is what Roger has planned to do with Arthur; make apparent the symbol upon Arthur's chest to the public to watch him suffer. 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #39 -~-

"Not the less, however, came this importunately obtrusive sense of change. The same was true as regarded the acquaintances whom he met, and all the well-known shapes of human life, about the little town. They looked neither older nor younger, now; the beards of the aged were no whiter, nor could the creeping babe of yesterday walk on his feet today; it was impossible to describe in what respect they differed from the individuals on whom he had so recently bestowed a parting glace; and yet the minister's deepest sense seemed to inform him of their mutability." ((Chapter 20/PAGE 189))

Arthur has reached a significant change in his life and has acted quite strangely. He returns to the community that has remained the same for so long that he feels a tad out of place. The society is, again, never open to alternative interpretations, and aren't ones to cope with new ideas, so this lack of change is not surprising. However, Arthur's change has become something out of character due to his weakness and high position and influence on such a stubborn colony. Nature has given him a more positive outlook on the colony though, because either he feels that if he can undergo such a transformation, there should be no reason that the society cannot open up and change with him. 

It could be this, or he may feel as if he is somewhat delusional and a tad high on life at the moment to really see straight. This would explain his odd thoughts and visions, which would be guilt getting into him and seriously driving him mad! D:< 

Either way, the outward appearance of the society, regardless of what Arthur thinks he sees, is constant, and won't change due to the intolerant nature of the citizens and the government. Therefore, the town will forever be portrayed as this gray, sombre town without happiness and life.. 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #38 -~-

"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true." ((Chapter 20/PAGE 188))


Arthur can't keep living a lie with himself. The statement that nature always prevails and is always more powerful than anything made by men is paralleled with the dual lives Arthur has been living. The private guilt that has been killing him, caused due in part by society, will inevitably come out due to the nature (being public guilt in this instance) always presenting itself when its needed most. Sadly, whenever this happens and the truth is revealed, Chillingworth/society will be waiting and will pounce on the opportunity to make him feel bad and play his weak-willed character until it kills him.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #37 -~-

"Hopefully, but a moment ago, as Hester had spoken of drowning it in the deep sea, there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received back this deadly symbol from the hand of fate. She had flung it into infinite space!" ((Chapter 19/PAGE 184))


In this passage the letter represents Chillingworth and the relationship between him, Hester, and Arthur.

She had removed the scarlet letter, and the flood of sunshine poured in all around her. It has been a burden and has caused emotional stress much like the presence of Chillingworth in the town without anyone knowing but her. Chillingworth is supposed to have "drowned in the deep sea" yet he came back from the dead and came to haunt the two parents. Thus, why the scarlet letter has only been removed for a short while, before coming back and causing shame. 

The inevitable doom she feels is the death of Arthur that has been coming closer and closer as Chillingworth been living with him. The letter of shame returning to the bosom of Hester has reiterated the lack of public outcry from Arthur about his sin, leading to his death by privately containing himself coupled with Chillingworth's motives.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #36 -~-

"A squirrel... chattered at the child, and flung down a nut upon her head... A fox... looked inquisitively at Pearl, as doubting whether it were better to steal off, or renew his nap on the same spot. A wolf... came up, and smelt of Pearl's robe, and offered his savage head to be patted by her hand."
"The truth seems to be, however, that the mother-forest, and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child." ((Chapter 18/PAGE 178))


"Dost thou not think her beautiful? And see with what natural skill she has made those simple flowers adorn her! Had she gathered pearls, and diamonds, and rubies, in the wood, they could not have become her better. She is a splendid child!" ((Chapter 19/PAGE 180)) 

Woodland creatures are taking notice of Pearl. There seems to be a social hierarchy with the three creatures mentioned and their actions. 

The squirrel begins, the smallest of the animals, the most inferior of each, the prey. It throws a nut at Pearl's head. Now that's not very nice, but it seems to be reminiscent of the society's relationship with the religion it prides itself on. The Puritans hold religion so high in their ideals, yet they feel themselves bigger than it, and with a higher presence of authority. With the punishments carried out by them as well as the lack of acceptance of sin by the citizens, it is like the squirrel throwing the nut. Pearl has become this divine creature/wood-nymph who is much bigger than the squirrel, yet the animal still has the nerve to antagonize it and feel itself superior to her. 


The next animal, the fox, remains neutral to Pearl, much like Hester to the society. Hester feels that she is displaced from the citizens and doesn't necessarily like the people associated with dealing with her punishment, yet she knows she is deserving of the scarlet letter. This is why the fox questions whether he should move away from Pearl, or continue sleeping. 

Finally, the savage wolf, who is the largest and most vicious of the three creatures. Ironically, the beast bows his head in respect to Pearl and lets her pet it. The wolf appears to hold a high position, like Arthur, but recognizes his place and still shows his respect to the divine being. However, unlike Arthur, the wolf is a very strong being; well-known as being a sign of power and leadership. The wolf is what the people should aspire to be in relation with nature and God. 

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-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #35 -~-

"All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest, gladdening each green leaf, transmuting the yellow fallen ones to gold, and gleaming adown the gray trunks of the solemn trees."
 "Such was the sympathy of Nature--that wild, heathen Nature of the forest, never subjugated by human law, nor illumined by higher truth--with the bliss of these two spirits! Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world." ((Chapter 18/PAGE 177))



Again, the colours of nature show the sanctification of the seventh year as described in the previous blog, as well as the colours being a sign of society (gray) losing its hold on those it controls. 


These passages show how the religion and the control it places on peoples' lives is, in itself, a very evil thing. Sudden smile of heaven, again shows God's blessing of the connection made between Arthur and Hester and the removal of the society's control by ripping off the letter from her chest. Then again, it is stated that nature is never subjugated by human law, which has been noted time and time again; yet, it says nature is never brightened or illuminated by higher truth/power. Could it be that God or a religion has been plagued by the society and Puritan lifestlye, that it can't be used as a healing device and has lost a certain aspect of divination? The only thing that can really bring out the healing power of nature is the true happiness between two souls overcoming life's challenges through suffering. "such was the sympathy of nature with the bliss of these two spirits!"

 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #33 -~-

The number seven is quite prevalent in the latter half of the book. It correlates with the religious/spiritual theme of the book and ties into the forgiveness vs. sin and punishment which I'm thinking of writing my essay on.

-Seven years' weight of misery (Arthur)
-Pearl's age (Approx.)
-How long Arthur has kept a secret

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Genesis 2:1-3

"God rested on the seventh day because his work of creation was complete, entire, perfect. Thus seven represents this perfect completeness and also it represents rest, as in the rest that is taken from work. It is from this same word that the Sabbath, the day of rest comes."

The seven is used in this book because the forgiveness of the sin has come full circle with Hester and Arthur accepting who they are as a couple and handling it publicly with nature. Thus, the seven long years they've waited, and the story at this point is in its seventh year, which would mean it is the year of completion, of rest, where their emotions aren't depleting their body. 

When the ray of sunshine covers the forest, this could be God blessing/sanctifying the seventh year. Perhaps he/she/it feels that seven years has been long enough, and all the work Hester has done for the community and Arthur for the congregation, has finally paid off and they have achieved the peace and ease of mind they have longed for through public shame.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #34 -~-

"The decision once made, a glow of strange enjoyment threw its flickering brightness over the trouble of his breast. It was the exhilarating effect--upon a prison just escaped from the dungeon of his own heart--of breathing the wild, free atmosphere of an unredeemed, unchristianized, lawless region." ((Chapter 18/PAGE 176))





They're getting out of America!! Such a relief to get out of such a dreadful place such as the Puritan settlement. The enjoyment emits a strange glow from Arthur. (Like the meteor light!)


This 'exhilarating effect' comes from the departure of the religiously-strong place along with Hester to settle their guilt. The prison of the town is the only escape, along with death, detailed in the beginning of the book. However, Hester and Arthur have proved otherwise by overcoming such a force in the civilization as they have communed with nature and have decided to go back to their roots (!!!) and retreat to their home country. 


Some of the word choice towards the end seem to signify the importance and strength of nature. Suggesting that the land desirable is pure nature, unaltered by Christianity and laws made by men. 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #32 -~-

" 'Woman, woman, thou art accountable for this! I cannot forgive thee!'

3-4 paragraphs later:

'I do forgive you, Hester, I freely forgive you now. May God forgive us both! We are not, Hester, the worst sinners in the world. There is one worse than even the polluted priest! That old man's revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold, blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so!" ((Chapter 17/PAGE 170))


Not a whole lot of time passes by between these two sentences, and it's almost instantly that Arthur has forgiven Hester. This is great because Arthur represents a huge role in the Puritan community being the high power in a position of people who are heavily reluctant to forgive. This shows the strengthening power of forgiveness as it seems to strive Dimmesdale away from his weak, spineless character, leading him towards speaking higher of himself and Hester, admitting they are not the worst sinners.  

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #31 -~-

"It was fear, and tremulously, and, as it were, by a slow, reluctant necessity, that Arthur Dimmesdale put forth his hand, chill as death, and touched the chill hand of Hester Prynne. The grasp, cold as it was, took away what was dreariest in the interview. They now felt themselves, at least, inhabitants of the same sphere." ((Chapter 17/PAGE 166))


Arthur's hand: 'Chill' = 'Death'

Hester's hand: 'Chill' = 'Death'


Both are being tormented emotionally and spiritually by CHILLingworth who is hoping to privately guilt them to death, more notable Arthur than Hester. The private guilt he hopes to cause both of them has frozen them both and hurts their emotions. Yet, when they come together, and embrace the guilt, making it public and known, the warm hold between the two cancels out the coldness and allows them both to cope with their previous sin. They feel that they are in the same sphere when they are within each others' hands which allows them to be free from the pain of private shame and renders Chillingworth's efforts useless. Hester and Arthur felt like themselves with this contact; their love setting them apart from the society and reuniting themselves with nature (This taking place in the forest strongly suggests this as well.). They have essentially broken free of the religious culture and have become their own people, reconnecting themselves with happier spirits. Their eventual leave to England places them further from such a horrid, sad place.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #30 -~-

"Who speaks?!? Answered the minister. Gathering himself quickly up, he stood more erect, like a man taken by surprise in a mood to which he was reluctant to have witnesses. Throwing his eyes anxiously in the direction of the voice, he indistinctly beheld a form under the trees, clad in garments so sombre, and so little relieved from the gray twilight into which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkened the noontide, that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow. It may be, that his pathway through life was haunted thus, by a spectre that had stolen out from among his thoughts."



Arthur truly epitomizes the society as a whole with his startling reaction upon hearing his name spoken by Hester. He slumps and is obviously being himself, crouching/writhing in pain of the self-inflicted A carved upon his chest and stooping with emotional turmoil. When presented with a social encounter, he promptly turns to a false readiness, standing straight up and hiding his outward pain from any witnesses. 

The reaction of Arthur is symbolic of the society as a whole because the grand idea of those who sinned are presented as the worst people to have ever existed and deserve to get rusty nails hammered into their eyeballs. Yet, everyone sins, but no one is willing to accept it, therefore everyone must struggle to hide their guilt and keep it within themselves. (Leading to their deaths.)

The description of his apparel and surroundings further reinforces this. His sombre clothing, the cloudy (Gray) sky, the gray twilight, darkened the noontide, Hester's shadow. All are colourless, and emotionless, one-sided depictions which coincide with the narrow-mindedness of the culture the Puritan religion has set up. 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #29 -~-

"But the brook, in the course of its little lifetime among the forest-trees, had gone through so solemn an experience that it could not help talking about it, and seemed to have nothing else to say. Pearl resembled the brook, inasmuch as the current of her life gushed from a well-spring as mysterious, and had flowed through scenes shadowed as heavily with gloom. But, unlike the little stream, she danced and sparkled, and prattled airily along her course." ((Chapter 16/PAGE 163))


The connection with Pearl and an appendage of nature is something made obvious and leaves me with little to elaborate on. The brook has lived very little, such as Pearl has, being roughly only 6-7 years old. Many things Pearl does not understand; things such as the Black Man, the scarlet letter, the actions of Mr. Dimmesdale. Things she can't help but constantly ask her mother about, such as the little water way 'whispers' of the sorrows it has witnessed and there is nothing more for it to voice.

The line, "But, unlike the little stream, she danced and sparkled, and prattled airily along her course." seems a bit false. The stream is currently under the spell of the society due to the presence of Hester just on the other side of the waterway. All of the sunshine within the presence of the scarlet letter must shriek away in horror for "the sunshine does not love her!". Nature can resume its prosperity and happiness once the grip of the society has gone away. (Which is contrasted by Pearl not joining her mother and Arthur until the symbol is replaced on Hester's chest.) The stream could dance and sparkle just as well as Pearl, but only until the horrible letter/society has ended its reign within the brook's presence. The one thing that sets the two beings apart, is that Pearl is the letter and a stronger symbol of nature than the letter is of society, therefore she can dance and sparkle and live as a free spirit without the worry of the society crushing down on her and filling her with impurities and guilt.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #28 -~-

"Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now, see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me; for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!'
'Nor ever will my child, I hope,'
'And why not mother? Will not it come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown?'
'Run away, child and catch the sunshine! It will soon be gone."
((Chapter 16/PAGE 160))


The sunshine hates you! >:O

...


What is the sunshine? Is it the appearance of nature and new understanding brought to fruition by the flying meteor? Could it be the escape of society? Or is it Pearl; hesitant to love Hester due to the struggle between her and the letter to bring peace to Hester's mind? 

Of course Pearl can't NOT love her own mother, but she doesn't love the public guilt in the form of the scarlet letter. It is taking Pearl's job; it is an intrusion made by the society of where an object of nature (Pearl) can alleviate the sin and guilt better than anything for sin is something man-made.

Despite this, everyone sins throughout their life. This is why Pearl insists that she will wear an icon upon her bosom at least some time in the future. The sin will come of its own accord, and Pearl will have her own public shame to live through via whatever consequence comes from her actions. (Such is life = ability to live with the consequences.)

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #27 -~-

"In all the seven bygone years, Hester Prynne had never before been false to the symbol on her bosom. It may be that it was the talisman of a stern and severe, but yet a guardian spirit, who now forsook her; as recognizing that, in spite of his strict watch over her heart, some new evil had crept into it, or some old one had never been expelled. As for Little Pearl, the earnestness soon passed out of her face." ((Chapter 15/PAGE 158))

The seven years that Hester has worn the symbol upon her chest, she has never once lied about its whereabouts/origins. This paragraph marks the first time she has been untrue about it, despite the regulations set forth by the society saying that the symbol must be worn to show the trueness of Hester's impure character.

The fact that Hester tells a lie to her own child is a little stunning, unless it was to shut her up from asking soooooo many questions.

If this is so, a petty fib simply means nothing, but after telling it, it provokes a response in Hester. The symbol is holding her back from achieving her social status and riddance of guilt through public shame. This symbol has kept watch over her for seven years while she served her community, doing selfless acts of charity and being 'Able'. She has blown her child off to repel her annoying pestering thus lying to her which provoked the symbol to combat Hester's mind by adding more guilt to it. The scarlet letter has added more plagues to her conscience in retaliation for lying to Pearl.

The relationship between the letter and Pearl is shown due to the battle between the empowerment and betterment of Hester; the opposing sides of good (Pearl, by means of nature) and evil (Scarlet Letter, by means of society). Lying to Pearl has weakened Pearl's purpose and has given the letter an upper hand in messing with Hester, giving her more inner guilt. (Which is the killer in this book!) 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #25 -~-

"How he haunts this forest, and carries a book with,--a big, heavy book, with iron clasps; and how this ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to everybody that meets him here among the trees;..." ((Chapter 16/PAGE 161))



This is said by Pearl, who we are to assume is either a very intuitive and intelligent little girl, or a little imp! In chapter 18 she transforms into a fairy/wood-nymph, which in certain folklores, are said to be repelled by iron. It has been said that people would wield iron or lay it around their houses or villages to repel faeries and little woodland spirits from entering their houses and stealing their things. This could be the reason why Pearl asks of the Black Man so frequently for she is scared of the iron he possesses.

The symbolism of iron is the life force within someone, as blood (which is coloured red!) has the presence of iron as well as the smell of it. The book that the Black Man carries is coated in iron most likely due to the life that he has sucked from the people he's encountered. The names that are written in the book are sketched in blood according to Pearl which further proves this. Pearl is scared and curious of the Black Man because she fears her mother must've written her name in the book to receive the letter on her chest, which Pearl must think has been eating away at her. (Which would give Pearl her purpose of trying to save Hester from the shame and pain of her crime.)

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #23 -~-

"...did your reverance hear of the portent that was seen last night? A great red letter in the sky,--the letter A,--which we interpret to stand for Angel. For, as our good Governor Winthrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof!" ((Chapter 12/PAGE 138))

I have said this before in a previous post, but the meteor is a sign of good as it has brought something natural as a symbol of understanding and tolerance within the elitist, Puritan town. The reaction of the townsperson in this page is happy and bright, contrary to what we have seen in previous chapters. Everyone is drab, emotionless it seems, just like the people outside the jail at the beginning of the book; all old, gray, unhappy people. Here, with the brightening of the town and the happiness that spread, the sexton has received a positive attitude towards the sad death of Governor Winthrop. 

Another way to view this, could be another reference to the private guilt being the death of Arthur. Arthur has dwelled on the A on Hester's chest for years, remarking it to be the epitome of public shame that would crush him should he receive one on his chest. The society cast a horrible symbolism and harsh sin to go along with the letter, which is the only viewpoint Arthur has of the punishment. Although it seems to be helping Hester, and the new understanding the meteor brings seems to make light of the letter, allowing it to represent something divine and wonderful. (Which would be Hester in Arthur's eyes; someone who is divine and beautiful to him.)

What's sort of ironic is the fact that the person who voices the news of the positive interpretation of the meteor is the sexton of the church. The sexton is someone who does menial tasks around the church, most notable taking care of the dead and tending to the graveyard, which isn't someone whom one would normally picture delivering good news. The irony is also apparent in the fact the the sexton is telling Arthur such news because the letter, as he understands it as of now, is only a sign of evil and it has been deteriorating his spirit and his sense; killing him slowly. Therefore the sexton is providing an example that is trying to save his life by giving him a new path of thought in accordance to the letter.   

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #22 -~-

"Pearl's inevitable tendency to hover about the enigma of the scarlet letter seemed an innate quality of her being. From the earliest epoch of her conscious life, she had entered upon this as her appointed mission. Hester had often fancied that Providence had a design of justice and retribution, in endowing the child with this marked propensity; but never, until now, had she bethought herself to ask, whether, linked with that design, there might not likewise be a purpose of mercy and beneficence. If little Pearl were entertained with faith and trust, as a spirit-messenger no less than an earthly child, might it not be her errand to soothe away the sorrow that lay cold in her mother's heart, and converted it into a tomb?--and to help her to overcome the passion, once so wild, and even yet neither dead nor asleep, but only imprisoned within the same tomb-like heart?" ((Chapter 15//PAGE 157))

The first thing in Pearl's life was the scarlet letter and it has been a point of obsession and wonder for her throughout her life. The constant pressure and questioning from Pearl that occurs to Hester has been seen mostly as petty annoyances, but perhaps there is some divine reason for her actions? Is she the embodiment of the sin and a sign from God teaching Hester of her wrong doing? It could be that the Puritan society have been going about the situation all wrong with the public shame in the form of a constant symbol on the bosom, and the public humiliation of a child should be enough. Hester has become more and more confident and apart from her sin the longer she wears the letter it seems, but it is really Pearl that has brought her back from the dark. 

Pearl is a sign of public guilt that is infinitely stronger than that of the scarlet letter. She has wondered about it since her birth because it has been the biggest object working against her in the objective in soothing her mother's pain through public shame. The letter has done little more than hold the progress Pearl made back. This is why Pearl is thought of as not just a child, but as a spirit-messenger that has brought a lesson and lifestyle from God to Hester. Her goal in life seems to be to 'soothe away the sorrow that lay cold in her mother's heart' and the tomb where Hester's pain is taken is Arthur. He feels the pain increase proportional to the decrease in shame and pain that Hester feels. Arthur is a tomb both because of his locked up secret, buried where no one will find it, and because of his inevitable doom at the hands of Chillingworth, attempting to place him in a tomb of his own after suffering a long, painful life of withholding a lie.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #21 -~-

"But before Mr. Dimmesdale had done speaking, a light gleamed far and wide over all the muffled sky. It was doubtless caused by one of those meteors, which the night-watcher may so often observe burning out to waste, in the vacant regions of the atmosphere. So powerful was its radiance, that it thoroughly illuminated the dense medium of cloud betwixt the sky and earth. The great vault brightened, like the dome of an immense lamp. It showed the familiar scene of the street, with the distinctness of midday, but also with the awfulness that is always imparted to familiar objects by an unaccustomed light." ((Chapter 13/PAGE 135))


!!! D:


The strong light bears a new understanding about the little Puritan town. Later, it is revealed that the people believe that the meteor was Governor Winthrop's soul ascending to heaven. The 'A' emblazoned on it also brings a new meaning to the 'Adulterer/Adultery' title upon Hester and changes it to 'Angel'.


Since the light bears such a positive meaning for everyone in the town, it reflects on the town/society with a change as well. If Hester has transformed from a sinner to an Angel or Able by the interpretations of this natural occurrence, the town has underwent a similar alteration in the next couple of sentences after the excerpt:

 'The wooden houses, with their jutting stories and quaint gable-peaks; the doorsteps and thresholds, with the early grass springing up about them; the garden-plots, black with freshly turned earth; the wheel-track, little worn, and, even in the marketplace, margined with green on either side;--all were visible, but with a singularity of aspect that seemed to give another moral interpretation to the things of this world than they had ever borne before."

Note, the nature references above: the freshly-turned earth, early grass springing up, margined with 'green' on either side. The beauty of nature that seems desolate and practically non-existant within the culture is revealed when the gleaming light of the meteor shines through the township.
 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #20 -~-

"The aged members of his flock, beholding Mr. Dimmesdale's frame so feeble, while they were themselves so rugged in their infirmity, believed that he would go heavenward before them, and enjoined it upon their children, that their old bones should be buried close to their young pastor's holy grave. And, all this time, perchance, when poor Mr. Dimmesdale was thinking of his grave, he questioned with himself whether the grass would ever grow on it, because an accursed thing must there be buried!" ((Chapter 11/PAGE 125))


The personal guilt is just spewing from Arthur's mind at every possible instance. He can't come to terms with his sin and it is killing him exponentially.


The fact that Arthur can't cope with his inner struggle shows the power of the society/Puritan religion. The Puritans will hold every sin and blow it out of proportion and Arthur knows this all to well and dwells on it intensely. However, the length of this private guilt is obscene and countered by Hester's guilt slowly decreasing. Arthur is so fearful of being criticized and condemned by the people who shun every sinner, yet he holds such a high position of power within the very system that he fears. Arthur's weak character and dependence on Hester to convey his feelings and make decisions for him is again reinforced with this example.


As for the grave, the connection Chillingworth made between the grave of the made up priest and the lack of nature surrounding his grave obviously struck something within Arthur's mind. He has remembered it and thought about his own grave and the shame that would come with having a black, drab weed pile aside his resting place. The secret must come out so that the plants can grow as the society keeps nature out as much as it can, and the grave symbolizes this due to the society being the thing that Arthur fears, which in turn negates the beauty and truth of nature from showing itself; remaining hidden.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #19 -~-

"But not to suggest more obvious reasons, it may be that they are kept silent by the very constitution of their nature. Or,--can we not suppose it?--guilty as they may be, retaining, nevertheless, a zeal for God's glory and man's welfare, they shrink from displaying themselves black and filthy in the view of men; because thenceforward, no good can be achieved by them; no evil of the past be redeemed by better service."

"...she threw one of the prickly burrs at the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. The sensitive clergyman shrunk, with nervous dread, from the light missile." ((Chapter 10/PAGE 117))



The word choice here is slightly interesting. The above passage is from the mouth of Dimmesdale, explaining the certain secrets and puzzles inside of a sinner who can't come to terms with his wrong doing. (Who does that sound like?)
However, speaking of all sinners keeping their secrets and remaining out of the spotlight isn't what he's doing, for he is so weak to devalue his clerical position and his reputation and public attitude, he is revealing his inner pain 'indirectly' to Chillingworth.


While men will be guilty of sin, they will still appear to stay true to God, and keep a pious lifestyle despite the actions of their sin. They will 'shrink' from replicating their sin, and will never make it apparent of the misdeed. There is no reason to, because no matter how much good you do; once you've sinned, no amount of charity or servitude can redeem yourself from Satan.
While who have sinned will essentially 'shrink', Arthur in turn does so when Pearl throws the prickly plant at him through the window. He 'shrinks' which is just an action that he has no control over doing because he doesn't want a face full of little spikes. Unfortunately, Chillingworth picks up on this, and furthers his suspicions about Arthur and his wife-stealing.


However, Hester seems to be getting along great! She seems to embody the counter-argument for Arthur's words here. The sin she committed, while it is the same as Arthur's, has been taken way out of proportion by the community, but by this point of the book, they have almost forgotten about it. 'A' is already turning into angel by being nice and serving the community through her art and work. This outlook on her is a direct opposite of what Arthur thinks will happen to him.

New Vocab (2nd week of November)

Loquacity - (n.) A certain trait of being talkative, speaking at length and without pause.
"Norman has the loquacity which interferes with his relationship with friends."
 
Importunate - (adj.) Persistent, always present to the point of hostility and contempt.
"Cassie's habit of being excessively importunate lead to her face being demolished by the sledgehammer."
 
Chirurgical - (adj.) An old form of the word surgical.
"The caveman uses very primitive chirurgical methods that I would rather not have done to my body."
 
Physiognomy - (n.) A person's facial expressions and characteristics.
"People mocked Darius for his strange physiognomy after his car accident."
 
Ignominy - (n.) Public shame or disgrace.
"Benny became a recluse due to the ignominy he faced when Herbert gave him a wedgie in front of all the eighth-graders."
 
Misanthropy - (n.) The hatred of human and human nature.
"Jim's misanthropy was discovered when the police found many dead bodies in his front lawn."
 
Invigorated - (adj.) Having a feeling of strength or added energy.
"After D.J. won the BMX competition, he was so invigorated, he almost exploded."
 
Irrefragable - (adj.) Irrefutable, indisputable, cannot be rebutted.
"People were amazed at the scientist stated the irrefragable fact that the Sun was hot."
 
Galliard - (n.) A very lively, complex dance done by old people back in the old days.
"When Allen found his parents dancing a galliard in the living room, he proceeded to cry in his closet for the next two weeks."
 
Sombre - (adj.) Dark, dull, drab, lacking life or colour.
"The horse's mane was anything but sombre with it's vibrant purple colour."

What Does Hester Think?!?!?

          Hester spoke aloud in her bedroom, with a florid expression of despair and fear on her face.
"Finding poor Dimmesdale on the scaffold all alone seems to have traumatised me. I am simple lost for words. Such a man of veneration and reverance falling so fast into whatever devillish method Chilllingworth is imploring him to partake in. I fear that Chillingworth is making him suffer too hard. If we both partook in the sin of equal ignominy, then why is it that he hath been given the harsher sentence. His mind and conscience is obviously plague and there is a dearth of hope and happiness within him."

Hester was quiet for a few moments, but then realized that she took out a $500,000 life insurance policy on him just the other day. Her lit up happily and an evil, menacing smile grew upon her face.
 "Actually, Chillingworth can continue with what he is doing. Without Dimmesdale, Pearl and I can become Magnates in the colony, having so much wealth that people will flock to our homestead begging for everything and everything! MWUHAHAHA!"

Once she had calmed down a bit, she continued.


 "All the things I could buy! I could feed Pearl for the next 200 years! Chillingworth has vitiated Dimmesdale's life and I don't know how to thank him. Perhaps I'll take him back. I always knew there was a reason I married him."

She stood up from her bed, exited her room, and walked out of the house to find Pearl playing in the lawn, fastening nooses from blades of grass. Hester smiled, then called out, "Come Pearl, we're going to the insurance agency!" 

 

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #18 -~-

"So Roger Chillingworth--the man of skill, the kind and friendly physician--strove to go deep into his patient's bosom, delving among his principles, prying into his recollections, and probing every thing with a cautious touch, Like a treasure-seeker in a dark cavern." ((Chapter 9/PAGE 109))


Connected with the previous post, but occuring earlier in the book, is this excerpt once again suggesting that Chillingworth is to go into the deepest, darkest part of Dimmesdale's soul/heart. The highlighted section is the more important because the Chapter 10 correlates directly with this image. Chillingworth will spend a long time mining in the darkness of the inner Dimmesdale to find that dreadful secret he so anxiously desires. The implications on the rest of the words in this passage; such as 'delving', 'prying', and 'probing' all suggest that there could be something deeper to Dimmesdale than we, the readers, could imagine. Or perhaps it reflects the sadistic nature of Chillingworth for believing that Arthur has such a deep, sinful life that no one is aware of, and he hopes to expose him for what he is. This would also mesh ironically with the first sentence stating that Chillingworth is a 'kind and friendly physician' despite him going through so much trouble just to inflict suffering upon two people.

   Arthur's other secrets could be real however, and not just something that Chillingworth imagines. Arthur is very keen in keeping his secrets and private life out of the book and in his mind. Therefore, he is likely punishing himself severely not just for one sin, but to make up for many in the past.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #17 -~-

"I know not Lethe nor Nepenthe, but I have learned many new secrets in the wilderness, and here is one of them..."

"...Drink it! It may be less soothing than a sinless conscience. That I cannot give thee. But it will calm the swell and heaving of thy passion, like oil thrown on the waves of the tempestuous sea." ((Chapter 4/PAGE 67))

What I found interesting here is the connection to the Greek culture as well as the underworld. The River Lethe and the Nepenthe plant were both things that the Greek said could be absorbed, drunk to forget. The forgetfulness is what Hester wants/needs. She is making a scene in her holding cell and she needs to calm down, however Chillingworth does not know true forgetfulness, for the pain of his wife's treason weights heavily on his mind. He administers a drink (or potion!) and insists she drinks, stating that he cannot guarantee her conscience to forget her sin, yet this is what he wants for Hester, so she can suffer for her disastrous deed. 

The mentioning of the River Lethe brings up some dark imagery. Referring to the Greek Underworld suggests that Chillingworth is much darker than previously imagined. A place roughly equivalent to the Christian Hell is mentioned which makes his moniker as the 'Black Man' all the more eery. 

Given the other names of the Rivers in the Underworld, each of the five represents something deeper about the characters and society of the book by bringing up a powerful emotion easily associated with either of the aforementioned elements.

The River Styx = The river of hate. Hate fuels Chillingworth's ambition for suffering. Overall, he hates life! He finds no joy in it other than the insatiable quest for infinite knowledge and Hester who had forsaken him. The hate is also felt by the Puritan followers for Hester, whom they feel as an abomination to the land who shall be shunned and publicly shamed.


The River Cocytus = The River of Lamentation/Grief. Chillingworth laments his loss of Hester, but takes his emotion and uses it as a tool, a weapon, against Arthur and his wife. Arthur laments the fact he is too weak to tell anyone about what he had done with Hester. The situation the characters are in is something that they will grieve over 'til they confess, die, or fulfill their ultimate revenge. 


The River Acheron = The River of Pain. Pain seems to be the most apparent emotion out of all, next to hate. Despite all of the emotions widespread throughout the entire story, this one is, of course, painful and shows a great deal of impact on the actions of the characters. The pain in Arthur reflecting his guilt, the pain of Hester when she is going mad in the jail, the pain of Pearl being ridiculed by the local children. It's everywhere! Even better, Chillingworth feeds off of pain and wants Hester and Arthur to feel it as much as a soul is capable of enduring.


The River Phlegethon = The River of Fire. Granted, fire is not an emotion, however it burns like the passion felt by Chillingworth for Hester. Burns like Arthur's heart whenever Pearl or Hester bring forth his guilt. Burns red congruent with the crimson mark upon Hester's chest, the infinite guilt that is burned/branded onto her.


The last thing to mention, not as important, is the last bit of lines where he says, "like oil thrown on the waves of the tempestuous sea." which is an obvious reference to infamous Greek fire! :O

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #16 -~-

"The child probably overheard their voices; for, looking up to the window, with a bright, but naughty smile of mirth and intelligence, she threw one of the prickly burrs at the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. The sensitive clergyman shurnk, with nervous dread from the light missile. Detecting his emotion, Pearl clapped her little hands in the most extravagant ecstacy. Hester Prynne, likewise, had involuntarily looked up; and all these four persons, old and young, regarded one another in silence, till the child laugh aloud..." ((Chapter 10/PAGE 117))

The 2nd scaffold scene?!?!?

All four main characters are in this scene and we are faced with the same placement as the first.

The shameful ones that are to looked down upon forever are placed at the bottom:
1st Scene:                   2nd Scene:
-Platform                    -The path near the Church (Ground)
(Hester and Pearl)      (Hester and Pearl)

And the people who are elevated are those who are in power, revered throughout the community as pure men who hold positions of power.

1st Scene:                                 2nd Scene:
-Balcony                                    -Church Window
(Governor, Arthur, and Wilson)   (Chillingworth and Arthur)

I noticed the missing of a character. The balcony had 3 magistrates on it, and the 2nd only having two men. There's not much of a pattern here, however, I'm going to assume that the final 'scaffold scene' will only place one man in the raised platform, be it Arthur or Chillingworth. (More likely Chillingworth due to the hinting death that Arthur is going to suffer.)  


There is a noticeable lack of public shame from the citizens of the Puritan town, but it isn't entirely missing. Oddly enough, it is those who are higher above that feel the shame. The pain is felt by Arthur and Chillingworth, who see the woman they love. For Arthur, it pains him to see that she is shunned by the community and that because of this, his child Pearl has in turn morphed into an imp! For Chillingworth, he is seeing the woman that was the only joy in his life being separated from society. This doesn't hit him as hard, but the only joy in his life gone and developing into the scum of the Earth, leads him down a spiteful journey in life that can only be cured by watching the others around him suffer. It is a sad life for Chillingworth to have to pain those who have wronged him in order to feel retribution. 

Finally, there is one more hint to add to Chillingworth's suspicion, when Pearl sees her father in the window, she immediately smiles and playfully throws and spiky thorn at him. She is a little deviant, but she is trying to show affection. Moreover, she quickly moves her gaze from her father to the man standing next to him, and in the next paragraph she shouts, "Come away, or yonder Black Man will catch you! He has got hold of the minister already." This, serves well as a contrast between the two characters and their Pearl's disposition towards both of them, it also suggests that Chillingworth already has Arthur's soul/fate in his possession.

-~- DIALECTICAL JOURNAL #15 -~-

"Where, my kind doctor, did you gather those herbs, with such a dark, flabby leaf?"

"Even in the graveyard, here at hand! They are new to me. I found them growing on a grave, which bore no tombstone, nor other memorial of the dead man, save these ugly weeds that have taken upon themselves to keep him in rememberance. They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime." ((Chapter 10/PAGE 114-115))

The Scarlet Letter in this stage of the book is reminding me more and more of Cask of Amontillado since it appears that Chillingworth can't stop hinting at Dimmesdale's doom/guilt just as Montresor couldn't stop hinting at Fortunato's fate in the depths of a dark, cobweb-infested cellar. 


Yet here, Chillingworth takes nature; something that has been symbolizing purity, serenity, and beauty, and is using it against the man of God. It is only fitting that since the truth is sought after, there is no better way of personifying it through nature, which cannot lie or keep secrets. Again, Chillingworth hypothetically puts Arthur in the grave again where he found his herbs. The guilt of the man in the grave was so intense since he died with a secret so sinful that weeds were all that were there to remember him.


Arthur is in a tough position at this point. Chillingworth is implying that his reputation, as of now, is clean and pure. He is a man of God who has brought liveliness to the quaint Puritan town and has inspired masses of people, driving their faith and love. Hester who is equally as pure, not as a woman of faith or social status, but as a product nature and beauty; a gift. Save for one incident, she is forever remembered by her sin and is doomed to die with no lasting memory or impact on the world other than a lesson to those who go against God.
Arthur will surely suffer the same fate, if he announces his adultery within the community. He will no longer be the purest, pious man in the town, but a puppet of Satan and a man destined to be banished to Hell to suffer with his fellow-sinner.