Pearl is not meant to be a realistic character. Rather, she is a complicated symbol of an act of love and passion, an act which was also adultery. She appears as an infant in the first scaffold scene, then at the age of three, and finally at the age of […]
Read more Character Analysis PearlCharacter Analysis Roger Chillingworth
Roger Chillingworth, unlike Hester and Dimmesdale, is a flat character. While he develops from a kind scholar into an obsessed fiend, he is less of a character and more of a symbol doing the devil’s bidding. Once he comes to Boston, we see him only in situations that involve his […]
Read more Character Analysis Roger ChillingworthCharacter Analysis Arthur Dimmesdale
Dimmesdale, the personification of “human frailty and sorrow,” is young, pale, and physically delicate. He has large, melancholy eyes and a tremulous mouth, suggesting great sensitivity. An ordained Puritan minister, he is well educated, and he has a philosophical turn of mind. There is no doubt that he is devoted […]
Read more Character Analysis Arthur DimmesdaleCharacter Analysis Hester Prynne
What is most remarkable about Hester Prynne is her strength of character. While Hawthorne does not give a great deal of information about her life before the book opens, he does show her remarkable character, revealed through her public humiliation and subsequent, isolated life in Puritan society. Her inner strength, […]
Read more Character Analysis Hester PrynneSummary and Analysis Chapter 24 – Conclusion
Summary Several versions circulate of what actually transpired in the marketplace. Most people say they saw a scarlet A imprinted on Dimmesdale’s chest, but there is conjecture as to its origin. Some think the emblem is a hideous torture the minister inflicted on himself, others think it is the result […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 24 – ConclusionSummary and Analysis Chapter 23 – The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter
Summary At the end of Dimmesdale’s Election Day sermon, the crowd emerges from the church, inspired by powerful words they have just heard from a man whom they feel is soon to die. This moment is the most brilliant and triumphant in Dimmesdale’s public life. As the procession of dignitaries […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 23 – The Revelation of the Scarlet LetterSummary and Analysis Chapter 22 – The Procession
Summary While Hester ponders Chillingworth’s smile, the Election Day procession begins. First music adds a “higher and more heroic air.” Then comes a company of gentlemen soldiers, brilliantly garbed. Next are the political dignitaries, stable, dignified, and drawing a reverent reaction from the crowd. Finally comes the minister, Dimmesdale, whose […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 22 – The ProcessionSummary and Analysis Chapter 21 – The New England Holiday
Summary Hester and Pearl go to the marketplace to watch the procession and celebration as elected officials assume their offices. Hester thinks about leaving Boston with Dimmesdale and having a life as a woman once again. While she meditates on her future, Pearl, agitated by the crowd and celebration, dances […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 21 – The New England HolidaySummary and Analysis Chapter 20 – The Minister in a Maze
Summary Dimmesdale leaves the forest first, almost believing what has transpired has been a dream. When he looks back, he sees Hester weighed down with sadness and Pearl dancing because he is gone. Turning over their plan in his mind, he believes that going to Europe is the better choice. […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 20 – The Minister in a MazeSummary and Analysis Chapter 19 – The Child at the Brook-Side
Summary Hester decides the time has come for Dimmesdale to meet Pearl. Hester and Dimmesdale are joined spiritually and genetically to this child, and “in her was visible the tie that united them.” While Dimmesdale confesses that he has always been afraid someone would recognize his features in Pearl, Hester […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 19 – The Child at the Brook-Side