Chapter 1. The Prison Door
The story begins in 17th century Boston, where a crowd of people stand outside of the prison. The people are awaiting what seems a dangerous prisoner to be put on the scaffold. The narrator tell us that the first things that a colony needs is a prison and a cemetery. The prison is a dark, edifice with spikes all over it.The narrator also tells us that the prison is very old and rusty because it was the first thing built in the town. Along the building closest to the road is a place where weeds grow very tall. In the middle of the weeds there is a rose bush that grow greater than all the weeds. This is the first symbol in this book. The narrator explains that one might think it is where Ann Hutchinson might of touched her foot on the ground on her way to prison. The people are very interesting in what is about to come and this reveals that the people don't get very much entertainment in this colony, so they flock when something like this comes up. This Puritan colony is very boring and so they really like to watch criminals to get convicted. Some people came to America trying to create a Utopia, but the Puritans believe that everybody has "past sin" so that why they created this prison. The narrator has a informative tone and really just tells all the information, but is not very interesting in this chapter. "The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery,and another portion as the site of a prison." The text is explaining that even when the people thought that they could create a Utopia they knew that they would need a prison because all people sin and make mistakes. They also knew even if they didn't sin people would still die and this means that they would need somewhere to bur them.
Chapter 2: The market Place
In this chapter the author opens the scene as a group of people outside the jail waiting for somebody. In this large group of people there are a small group of overweight old English type of women. These women are gossiping about the adulterous Hester Prynne. They are waiting outside and talking terrible things about her. Hester Prynne is the ideal of feminine beauty. She comes out with her child with an elaborate letter "A" on her chest which shows the world that she is an adulterous. She is a slender and elegant women and if not charged would have looked like the ideal women. The women are amazed at how she took a punishment and turned it into a way of showing off her skills. They are mad that the magistrates have not taken more punishing actions to show Hester Prynne what she has done wrong. One of the meanest of the group actually thinks it would be better for her to be hanged. The town beadle show her out of the jail and onto the platform which is were she is showed off to the people of Boston to punish her. The pastor and other leaders of the town sit on a balcony in the meeting place to watch the events unfold. Hester thinks to herself are these thing real life and she figures out that they are. In this chapter, another symbol is shown it is Hester Prynne's "A" on her chest. This symbol shows that she is a adulterous and a sinner to the entire colony. "The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale." This is explaining that Hester Prynne was very beautiful and she didn't look like the sinning type. She looks great on the inside, but on the outside she is a dirty, ugly sinner.
Chapter 3: the RECOGNITION
In this chapter, Hester Prynne is on the platform and the people are all watching her when she sees her husband who left her in America and she thought that he would never come back. The audience is kept in the dark in this matter though. In an intense where she spots him and they stare for a very long time at each other. Her husband has a deformity in his shoulders which make him look odd. He asks a passer by what she is charged for and he tells him that she is an adulterous and must be up on the platform for three hours and wear the Scarlet "A" for the rest of her life. The narrator introduces us to Governor Bellingham, Reverend Wilson, and Reverend Dimmesdale. Then Reverend Dimmesdale demands Hester to tell who she had sex with. She says that she will never tell. He again tells her to tell who it is and he also says that she will feel better once she tells the truth. She again denies and will not tell. After the demanding by Dimmesdale, Reverend Wilson starts a sermon on sin. Once he is finished Hester is put back into the prison. "And my child must seek a heavenly father; she shall never know an earthly one!" In this quotes she is stating that she will never tell who the father is. She for some reason doesn't want to bring the father into this. She wants the child to grow up to look to God not a father on this earth.
Chapter 4: The Interview
The setting of this chapter is entirely in the prison. Mr. Chillingworth(Hester's Husband) has gone into the prison to talk to Hester and give her medicine which will make her tell the truth to Reverend Dimmesdale. At this time nobody knows that Mr. Chillingworth is Hester's husband. He enters the prison and gives Hester medicine, but Hester refuses to drink it because she is afraid that he is trying to kill her. This shows that even though they were married they didn't love each other and definitely didn't trust each other. He talks to her saying that he doesn't want to kill her because he wants to get revenge for someone having sex with Hester while she was away. This shows that he is an angry, and rough old man who really doesn't like many people. He talk more with Hester and he wants her to tell him who she adulterated with, but she will never tell. For some reason she will risk her life to not expose this man. This shows that the love she didn't show towards Chillingworth she has given to this man. He also talks about how they have both wronged each other evenly. He has wronged her by leaving her in America for a very long time while he was in Europe, and she has wronged him by committing adultery while he was gone. She gets very angry when he says he wants revenge and she says that he is the devil trying to steal her soul. In this scene it makes you want to know more about who had sex with Hester because she is putting so much at stake to protect him. " The potion I will give her will make her more amenable to just authority." This quote shows how little Roger Chillingworth cares for Hester. He just wants to get revenge he doesn't care if he has to hurt her to get the information out of her. It also shows that he is very skilled with medicines and knows how they work.
Chapter 5: Hester at her Needle
In this chapter Hester is let out of prison after a few months. She is alienated out of the town, and she has to settle in a small cabin on infertile land. She can't really talk with others because they all make fun of her. She is confined to the cabin and she uses her talent of sowing and embroidery. She makes clothes for poor people and makes robes, gloves, and clothing for the magistrates, priests, and for funerals. She could make things for everything but marriages because the government saw it unfit for an adulterous women to make clothing for a marriage. The two things contradicted each other and made it seem not right. Away from all the people she confides in her daughter Pearl. She named her Pearl because she was something that she paid so much for. Another symbol in this story was the name Pearl. It showed that Hester paid her entire life for this little child and she has to live with it for a very long time. This chapter is a jump ahead in time to when Pearl is three.
Chapter 6: pearl
This chapter describes Pearl in great length. The overall feel of how Pearl acts is an imp of evil. Because of her isolation from all the other children make fun of her and this makes her even more imp like and angry at the other people. In this chapter we first see Pearl's interest in the scarlet letter and for some reason she is drawn to it and finds it very interesting. "Child, what art thou?" This quote was from Hester to Pearl when she was especially annoying her about the letter. She is really wondering if Pearl is not a little devil, and she doesn't know why she is so unruly. At the end of this chapter Pearl is now three years old.
Chapter 7: The governors hall
In this chapter we find out that Hester is summoned to give some ornate gloves that she created for the governor. She goes for two reasons, 1 to give the gloves and 2 to see if the governor will try to take Pearl from her. The people from the town all think that she is an unfit mother because of her past sins. This shows how long the puritans hold grudges, and unforgiving they are. The puritans think that their religion can give them right to almost everything even taking a child from their mother. They enter the Governors Mansion which is very English and even has a suit of armor. Peal is amazed by this suit and when Hester comes to look at it she see that the letter dominates the entire reflection. This is another symbol which shows that even though its just some stitching that it is dominating and changing Hester's life for the worse. Another symbol is when Pearl see a rosebush like the one outside of the prison. The one outside of the prison was supposed to be where Ann Hutchinson left her footprint before they killed her for witchery when she wasn't a witch. This rosebush stands for Hester who is trying very hard to change, but the people of this town are killing her on the inside by keeping this letter on her chest and forcing her to wear it because of her sin. "very brightest little jet of flame that ever danced upon the earth" in this quote Hester is explaining how she sees her little Pearl and how amazingly energizing she is.
Chapter:8 The elf-child and the minister
In this chapter we find that Bellingham, Wilson, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale all have summoned Hester and are questioning her on whether she should keep her child. All of these people assault Pearl and call her an imp, a devil, and little sorcerer. Wilson, trying to show that Hester is not a good mother asks Pearl some simple religious questions. She refuses to answer because she hates him because he is mean to her mother. When Pearl will not answer them they now question Hester, and ask her what she can positively give to the child. She says that she can give her wisdom from her punishment and help Pearl to learn how not to sin the way she did. They don't believe her and she tries to find someone who will give her sympathy. She begs and pleads for Dimmesdale to help her with her case. He tells the group that God has given her that child for the good and bad times. God has given her this child to make her stronger. I wonder why Dimmesdale out of all the people in this group helps Hester keep this child? I wonder why he stands up for her? Here we see Dimmesdale's first time standing up for Hester. He helps her keep her child. The men talk it over for a long time and finally agree that she should keep her child. As soon as she is allowed to keep Pearl, Chillingworth talks to the men and ask them to reopen and investigate who Hester committed adultery with. Why does Chillingworth care so much of whom Hester committed adultery with? This shows that Chillingworth wants revenge and fights to see who did this with his wife. After walking out of the governors hall Mistress Hibbons invites Hester to a witches meeting, but she declines because she is happy that she has Pearl. “Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man's book too, and that with mine own blood!” this quote is very important because it shows that Hester once was evil, but because she has Pearl she can resist from sinning. Pearl is a good thing for Hester because it has helped her stay away from sin. Hester has turned over a new leaf and will never go back to those terrible sinning days.
Chapter 9: The leech
In this chapter we find out that Dimmesdale is having severe health problem and is seen often clutching at his heart. He is becoming more and more sick as the time goes on. He is in need of some medical health, and he needs someone to watch over him all most full time. Roger Chillingworth has been welcomed into the community as a doctor and is becoming more and more valuable to the community. The two of them decide to room together in a widows home next to the cemetery. Chillingworth starts up an advanced laboratory in his room and Dimmesdale sets up his office for writing sermons. In this chapter we start to see a change come upon old Roger Chillingworth he was once viewed as a far off old man, but now his visage has changed to a face of evil. People throughout the town think he is the devil come from hell to take Dimmesdale's soul. We start to see a dark side of Chillingworth and we see that he has darker motives for being the doctor of Dimmesdale. "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 everything with a cautious touch, like a treasure-seeker in a dark cavern. Few secrets can escape an investigator, who has opportunity and license to undertake such a quest, and skill to follow it up. A man burdened with a secret should especially avoid the intimacy of his physician." This quote shows the change that Chillingworth has undergone. He once was a friendly and kind doctor, but now he is compared to treasure seeker. He is prodding for all the deep down dirty secrets that Dimmesdale has. I wonder why he is so suspicious? He keeps prying open into Dimmesdale's life which is making him more and more sick. This quote shows that of all people a doctor is a person you want to stay away from when you are trying to hide something. This chapter effects the look toward old man chillingworth by the people in this book.
Chapter 10: The leech and his patient
In this chapter we find that Chillingworth is determined on finding all he can get to know about Dimmesdale. I wonder why Chillingworth is so intent on searching every part of Dimeesdale's life. Chillingworth is able to search through Dimmesdale's life because of two reasons. One, he is a doctor and he can say that he is searching for medical reasons when he ask absurd questions. Two, he lives with Dimmesdale so he is almost always with him and he can look at signs of distress or anger. In this chapter Chillingworth is intent on searching his life like a doctor searching for a cure. I think that him being a doctor makes him want to search for bad things in people and fix them even if they are very invasive. At one time Chillingworth is coming back from his searches for medicinal plants with many weeds in his hands. He looked for these plants everyday. Dimmesdale inquires on a certain plant with large, dark leafs and asks what kind of plant that is. Chillingworth informs him that he found it on an unmarked grave and explains that the plant grew from someone who didn't confess sins before his death. This shows that chillingworth is using guilt trips to make Dimmesdale tell him something that readers do not know what it is, but Chillingworth thinks he has done something wrong worth of confession. I wonder what that is? At the end of this chapter Dimmesdale has fallen asleep at his study and Chillingworth look under his shirt, where he puts his hand, and cries out in joy and does a dance when he sees the object. The reader is kept in the dark about what he sees. This chapter shows the evil intent of Chillingworth and how intently he searches for a confession. This is a major plot trigger and makes you wonder what Chillingworth is trying to find in Dimmesdale. "He hath done a wild thing ere now, this pious Mr. Dimmesdale, in the hot passion of his heart!" This quote is important becuase this is the first time Chillingworth really obviously accuses Dimmesdale of a crime or sin. The problem is that we still don' t know what this is. This quote shows the darkness of CHillingworth and how evil he is and what he thinks of Dimmesdale.
Chapter 11: The interior of a heart
In this chapter we find that Chillingworth is so determined to make his revenge sweet that he almost makes Dimmesdale go crazy. Dimmesdale is so distraught that he can't sleep and he sees vision in his sleep. In one of his vision he see Pearl first point at Hester scarlet letter and then he points at his chest where he holds his hand. He is so scared of his sin that he scourges himself with a whip, fasts, and has late night vigils. The only good thing to come out of this is his sermons are the best they have ever been because he can relate with everyone because everyone on the inside has a weak heart. He cannot think of everything but the sin and he is slowly turning into a lunatic and is going crazy. "poor, forlorn creature . . . more wretched than his victim." This quote is important because Hawthorne is voicing the feelings of the whole town. The feeling is that Chillingworth is almost like the devil because he is slowly taking the soul from Dimmesdale. We start to see and turn in the feelings toward Chillingworth he was once viewed as important, but now he is looked on as a crazy man who might be kin to the devil.
Chapter: 12 The minister's Vigil
In this chapter we find that Dimmesdale has mounted the platform and he starts to go crazy. He sees Reverend Wilson in his craziness and he laughs. He starts to yell becuase the pain in his chest is unbearable. Some people hear him, but they think his voice is just a witch flying overhead. He is worried about people finding and he starts to think of what the people would think if they all saw him up on the platform just like Hester many years ago. He is laughing hysterically when he hears Pearl's laugh. Pearl is with Hester and they are coming from the deathbed of Winthrop. Hester was there to make the burial robe. He invites the two of them up on the platform and they stand in a circle of energy. He is happy that they are here and he feels warmed by their presence. This shows that Dimmesdale loves Pearl and Hester very much and it is his destiny to be with them. He really wants to be with them and he feels right when they are with him. This shows that through all this trouble and bad times that even if they are sinners they are meant to be together. "There was a fire in her [Pearl] and throughout her; she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment." This shows Dimmesdale's feeling toward Pearl in that even if she is unruly he still loves her. He is finally manning up to the sin that has haunted him for so long. He is ok now that he sinned, but he is saing that he will stay with Hester forever. I wonder why he doesn't just say it to Hester that he loves her.
Chapter 13:Another view of Hester
In this chapter we find Hester Prynne seven years down the road. She has changed dramatically she once was beautiful, passionate, and had long flowing hair, but she has changed. She now has become only a skeleton of her past self, she has become a helper of all people , and has put her hair up into a cap. She has now become someone who the community takes pride because she is so giving and helpful. Many people in the town have changed their opinion on what the "A" on her chest stands for. They one thought it stood for adulterous, but now it stands for able. Hester is a person now that will help all and not stop to think about herself. I wonder what made the change happen? This shows that Hester has changed completely and is someone who can be a great mother to Pearl. "[T]here seemed to be no longer anything in Hester's face for Love to dwell upon" this quote is important because it shows the great change in Hester. It shows that Hester once used to be a passionate lover,but has no become a model citizen who is only focused on other people and has forgotten entirely about herself.
Chapter 14: Hester and the PHysician
In this chapter we find out that Hester is going to talk to Chillingwoth about loosening his grip around Dimmesdale's soul. So Hester and Pearl find him by the ocean collecting plants for his medicine. He tells Hester that good things are happening for her and that the people are thinking about removing the "A" from her chest. She replies back saying that no human hands can remove this letter only the hands of God can remove this letter. She says to Chillingworth that she wants to tell Dimmesdale that he is her father. Once she tells him this you can see a great turn in Chillingworth's attitude. He once was a kind and education seeking doctor, but now he has turned into a mindless revenge seeking animal on Dimmesdale's track. He is out to break Dimmesdale down into nothing and he has almost succeeded. This chapter shows a dark side of Chillingworth never revealed. Why is he so intent on getting this revenge? Why does he want the revenge to bite so deep into Dimmesdale? “Let the black flower blossom as it may!” This quote is by Chillingwoth to Hester saying that he wants this revenge. He is saying that Dimmesdale has committed this sin let him pay for it and let me be the one who makes him pay. This is a symbol to the time where DImmesdale asked about the plant that came from the cemetary that was black. These black plants that Chillingworth is talking about are the sins of people who don't confess before they die.
Chapter 15: Hester and pearl
In this chapter we find that Chillingworth has walked away and now Hester searches for Pearl. While searching she realizes that she is in sin also. She has sinned because she hates her husband. She looks back on times when she thought she was happy, but now she realizes that this was self delusion. She recognizes her sin,but does not turn from it. I wonder why after turning from all her other sins she doesn't turn from this? She finds Pearl on the beach acting like a mermaid. She uses seaweed to make a green "A" similar to the one on her mothers chest. Pearl knows there is significance in the letter, but she doesn't know what. She also finally puts together that Hester has the "A" and Dimmesdale clutches his heart. This reveals that they both have marks on their chest saying that they are sinners together. This is almost like their own mark so everyone can tell that they are the same person in one. The entire way back and many days after this event Pearl ask her mother consistently what the letter means, but her mother will never tell her because she thinks she is to young to understand. "'Truly do I!' Answered Pearl, looking brightly into her mother's face. 'It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart!'" This is where Pearl finally recognizes that Hester and Dimmesdale have similar things on their chest. Hester has the A on the outside showing all, but Dimmesdale is to afraid to keep his on the outside so he covers it with a shirt. This shows that Hester is stronger than Dimmesdale because she car bear the weight of people seeing her sin and he cannot.
Chapter 16: A forest walk
In this scene we find Pear and Hester are walking through the forest to find Dimmesdale. Hester wants to find him so she can tell him the true identity of Chillingworth. On the way to find Dimmesdale Pear ask about the black man. Pearl asks if the letter on her chest is from the black man. She urges Hester to tell her if she signed her name in the book and he left his mark on her chest. After much discussing she tells her that she did meet the devil once and the letter is his mark. While they walk Pearl sees that for some reason the sun runs from Hester and loves her. I wonder why the sun hates Hester. The sun is a symbol that stands for God's eyes he doesn't want to look at Hester because she is sinful and God cannot look at sin. Pearl is innocent and so God ( the sunlight) doesn't mind Pearl. They hear a noise in the woods and Pearl ask if it is the black man and Hester tells her to go play because it is the minister and she wants to have some private time with him. “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!” This quote shows to the reader that God's eyes do not want to look at Hester because she is sinful, but Pearl is innocent and pure and God's eyes lover her.
Chapter 17: The Pastor and His Parishioner
In this chapter we find Hester and Dimmesdale have secluded themselves in the forest and they show the first moment of love in this entire book. They hold each others hands and talk. Hester tells Dimmesdale that Chillingwworth is her husband and this puts a dark transfiguration on to Dimmesdale. He starts to condemn her and he blames her for the pain and suffering he has gone through. Hester begs him to forgive her and she grabs his head and thrusts in onto the scarlet letter and doesn't allow him to move. She begs and pleads that he forgives her and he does. He realizes that Chillingworth has done a worse sin than they have done. Hester tells Dimmesdale that now that they are going to live together he should change his name and move to Europe with her and Pearl and live a happy life away form their past lives."Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!" This quote is from Dimmesdale saying that he has lived for such a long time with people who do not accept him and try to break him down to nothing. He is saying that he has finally found someone that looks through all his sin and just see him on the inside no the sin. This is the closest thing we have to someone saying I love you. But in the Puritan way this was about as close as it gets. This is were Dimmesdale and Hester decide to be together.
Chapter 18: a Flood of sunshine
In this chapter we find that Dimmesdale and Hester both are energized from the knowledge that they will soon move to England. Dimmesdale says he can finally feel joy again. Hester lets down her hair and most of he past beauty comes out again. She looks as good as she did when she was on the platform. When she lets down her hair the sunshine that was running away from her before now lit up the entire forest. She also unstitches the Scarlet letter and tosses it into a stream. Once they have made their decision Hester call for Pearl, but when she sees her mother all beautiful and without her scarlet letter she is scared and approaches wearily. "There played around her mouth, and beamed out of her eyes, a radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing form the very heart of womanhood. A crimson flush was glowing on her cheek, that had been long so pale." This quote is when Hester lets down her hair and becomes the woman she used to be. Her old self came out but in a new better form that is amazing. She is literally coming back to life and now she is and Dimmesdale can run away free.
Chapter 19: The child at the brookside
In this chapter Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl are all still by the stream where Hester threw away her scarlet letter. Pear not seeing the scarlet letter will not come to them unless her mother has her letter on, so Hester pins it back on and they all hold hands. When Hester puts the letter on she somehow transforms back into the women she used to be pale and sad looking. Hester tries to get Pearl to like Dimmesdale but she runs from his embrace and washes off his kisses he gives to her. She knowing that a plan is made ask if Dimmesdale will come back with them and Hester says no. Pearl now angry washes off the kisses he gave to her. "'At least, they shall say of me,' thought this exemplary man, 'that I leave no public duty unperformed, nor ill performed!'" this quote is important because Dimmesdale is saying that even though he is running away he has not left any job undone that a minister should do. He is saying that even if he leaves he will still be a minister in another location.
Chapter 20: The minister in a maze
Now, we find the minister arriving back to town with an excitement, and a hope that a new environment will allow his health to get better. Hester while Dimmesdale is getting ready for the trip is getting acquainted with a crew of a ship going back to England. She talks with the crew and they say that they are leaving in 4 days and that they will have a secure passage. Dimmesdale now can't tell everyone he talks to about and he fights hard to hold his tongue. He is seeing that now things he used to think normal now seem odd. He first talks with an elderly women who is scared of dying and Dimmesdale almost yells at her for not trusting God's will, but he doesn't. He then ignores a young women recently joined the church because if he is nice and then leaves it will leave her mad because he left. He then sees Mistress Hibbons and she says she can't wait to go with him next time in the forest and he thinks he has made a deal with the devil. He finally gets to get back at Chillingworth for all the times he has been evil toward him. He goes up to him and says I will no longer need your care and goes into his office tears up his old sermon and makes a newer and better one for the election sermon. "The physician knew then, that, in the minister's regard, he was no longer a trusted friend, but his bitterest enemy." this is where we see the two men are now utmost enemies. They once thought they were friend but now they are nothing but evil toward each other. The two men no longer can be friend and must fight until one of them dies or leaves.