Chapter 24- Conclusion

Summary of Chapter 24

As the title of the chapter suggests this last chapters concludes all answered questions in the story of The Scarlet Letter. Throughout the novel Nathaniel Hawthorne weaves many intricate details within the story and this chapter ties them off. In the previous chapter in a moment of catharsis Dimmesdale reveals all his hidden sin and unites on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl. Soon after his release Dimmsdale dies in Hester's arms. Many rumors circulate about Dimmesdale's death and his last sermon. Some people swear they saw a red letter A on his chest. The rumors of this letter were just as great as the rumors around Hester's matching A. The speculations were as varied as they were many.Some believed that it was a wound Dimmesdale inflicted upon himself as punishment. Others theorized it was the result of guilt he felt for his sins. Another theory was that it was from the poison Chillingworth gave him. The people of high status in the town deny him even having a letter a on his skin. They go further to deny that he even committed adultery and fathered Pearl. Soon after Dimmesdale's death Cillingworth's health quickly deteriorated. He died leaving pearl all of him money in his will. Hester and Pearl disappeared after the death's of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth.
Years later Hester returns to town without Pearl. Hester moves back into her house that had been left untouched all the years she had been gone. While she was gone the stigma her letter a held disappeared  Although Hester still felt the sin that was tied to it the others saw it as somewhat of a badge of honor. The women of the town came to her to seek out advice on how to repent for their own sins. When Hester died she was buried in a grave near Dimmesdale sharing a tombstone.

The Scarlet Letter

The meaning behind the Scarlet Letter changes often through out the novel. In the beginning of the novel the letter A stood for the worst imaginable sin in puritan culture, adultery  Hester was given this to set her aside as a reject from society. She had done wrong and was to spend the rest of her life being constantly reminded what she had done and feeling the burning eyes of hate upon her. Hester rebelled against this not outwardly but through her refusal to let it crush her. She instead she bore her punishment and further punished herself. The letter's next meaning is shown when it appears on Dimmesdale's chest. In this scenario the letter stood for the guilt Dimmesdale felt. His guilt stemmed from his denial of Hester and Pearl and from his lies to the people of his congregation. Unlike Hester's a, Dimmesdale's was hidden from the public. Instead of being able to embrace his a it ate him up inside eventually making him physically. Later the symbolism changes yet again  When people unfamiliar with Hester's story see her letter a they assume it stands for some status she has. This transformation is shown when Nathaniel Hawthorne writes on page 203 of The Scarlet Letter, "But in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, and self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and bitterness, and become a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence, too."  The Scarlet Letter became somewhat of a badge of honor. When she was first forced to wear the A it was meant to shame her but instead over time became a symbol of her strength.

Why did Hester Return?

At the end of the novel Hester returns to the place where she once dreamed of escaping. Her actions seem to not be in line with the way she was treated so why does she return when she finally escaped? Hester realizes at the end of her journey what her purpose is within her society. Hester is not there to be ridiculed or be a warning to children. She instead grows to represent to hope in human kind. Puritans believed that all humans are born evil and only a few can be redeemed  Hester's story proves this wrong. A woman that committed the worst sin imaginable is redeemed in the eyes of her peers. By baring her punishment and refusing to believe she was in fact evil she does not allow the experience to harden her. She never really fully forgives herself but she learns how to forgive others. Her strength set an example for others to live. Through her trials she came to believe that to be good one does not have to be miserable her realization is shown on page 203, when Hawthorne writes, "She assured them, too, of her firm belief  that, at some brighter period, when the world should have grown ripe for it, in Heaven's own time, a new truth would be revealed, in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on surer ground of mutual happiness." Hester returned because she knew there was nowhere else she belonged. She knew she belonged where she committed the sin that changed her life forever. She stayed not just o remind her of her past to also to let people know forgiveness is always a possibility.

Gossamer Threads-

                                          Pearl

                                          Dimmesdale

                                          Hester

Each of these songs represent how the major characters of The Scarlet Letter are affected by sin and the Scarlet letter.

Chapter 23 - The Revelation

Summary:  This chapter is the epic climax of the Scarlet Letter in which all conflicts come undone. The Reverend Dimmesdale delivers his final and most wonderful speech of his career about "the relation between the Deity and the communities of man".  The crowd is taken aback and left in awe by the passion and articulated intelligence used to deliver it. Dimmesdale appears holy and angel like to them. When the speech ends he sees Hester and the three of them- Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl- go up onto the scaffolding in front of everybody to come clean. Chillingworth tries to stop Dimmesdale but fails. Dimmesdale needs to use Hester as support while he stands on the scaffolding. He spills his guts and reveals the letter "A" carved into his chest. He falls over, dying, and finally receives a kiss from Pearl on the lips. Hester asks Dimmesdale if they will meet in the afterlife and he responds that it is up to God. He says "farewell" and dies.

Point 1: The Broken Spell

When Dimmesdale is near death and Pearl gives her father the kiss he had wanted, a spell is broken. "the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it... Pearl's errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled". Throughout the novel Pearl represented wildness and passion. Her actions served to break the emotional blocks created by society that prevented Hester and Dimmesdale from living freely and happily. It was her mission from birth to achieve this   and when it is achieved, the role of her existence changes.





point 2: The Defeat of Chillingworth

Dimmesdale is finally aware of Chillingworth's evil intentions and is able to repel his temptations. "Thy power is not what it was! With God's help, I shall escape thee now!" says Dimmesdale. Chillingworth follows them atop the scaffold, and after Dimmesdale reveals the "A" on his chest, he kneels next to the dying minister and accepts his defeat. "Thou hast escaped me!" he says.


Gossamer thread:

skip to 3:40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTvRUSluCRo

Chapter 22 - The Procession

Summary:
     This chapter begins with the grand celebration of the Election Day in the Puritan society. First in the parade came a company of soldiers dressed in their shining armor that dazzled the crowd. After the soldiers came the esteemed congressmen whom Hester noticed to be especially powerful and strong compared to the soldiers. After the politicians came Mr. Dimmesdale, who looked more alive and spiritually awakened than ever. He had changed so much that Pearl did not recognize him and wanted him to kiss her, which is the opposite of the day before. During the parade Mistress Hibbins confronts Hester about her trip to the forest and how she knows that  Mr. Dimmesdale was a friend of the devil. After this confrontation Pearl begin to dance among the crowd and attract the attention of many different people. At first she encounters a Native American from the surrounding woods who noticed her wild side, then the sailors had the same reaction as the Native American. They all noticed that Pearl had a character that was inhuman and much wilder than the normal human spirit. At the finish of the chapter Mr. Dimmesdale begins to give his sermon to the town.

Point One: Differences between Hester and Dimmesdale
    Hester and Dimmesdale have been connected since the beginning of the novel through their adultery, but both have dealt with the guilt and pain of living with a secret sin very differently. While Hester has to bear the all of the shame and consequences of her sin to the public, Dimmesdale is able to hide himself from the public's judgement, yet he becomes physically weak and cannot bear the thought of his secret sin inside of him. This difference demonstrates Hester's true strength compared to Dimmesdale's cowardice and weakness. Hester is able to bear the pain of having a child that no one approves of, living alone, and facing the wrath and spite of the entire town, but Dimmesdale cannot even handle the sin inside himself, which Hester also has to live with. Hawthorne could be criticizing the Puritan society by having such a prominent figure in their society have no valiant morals or good qualities when trying circumstances came around. Had Arthur Dimmesdale faced their adultery with courage than he would not have to live with the secret sin and his life would have been much better. He would not be followed around by the sinister Dr. Chillingworth and he would no longer have to clutch his heart when any painful memory came about.
     Also, Mr. Dimmesdale had the ability to disconnect his moral life form his public life. He was able to continue to be a minister at the church, while Hester had to sacrifice her entire being for their child. His disconnection from their life together is the main difference between the two. When he needed help he was able to show his feelings through his powerful sermons, but when Hester needed assistance she envied him
"for being able so completely to withdraw himself from their mutual world; while she groped darkly, and stretched forth her cold hands, and found him not." (Hawthorne 185).  Her lack of help from Dimmesdale portrays how Dimmesdale is not honorable and as valiant and incredible as the Puritans make him out to be. Once he is in a trying moral circumstance he abandons the ones he loves to maintain society's respect. His questionable morals display how the Puritan society forced perfection, and when this perfection could not be achieved guilt and anguish would envelop a person. However, once Dimmesdale believes that he is moving to Europe he abandons all of his misgivings and "he exhibited such energy as was seen in the gait and air with which he kept his pace in the procession." (Hawthorne 184). His giddiness demonstrates how his morals were not bound to himself and his spirit, but rather to the society and approval. Hawthorne is clearly criticizing the Puritan society here by displaying their culture as devoid of true values.

Point Two: Pearl as the Devil
     Throughout this chapter Pearl becomes much more of a devilish figure, rather than an elfish or impish figure in the novel. Previously in the novel Pearl had been described as a child that seemed to live in the sunshine of the world and frolic in life, but in this chapter her untamed and wild side is noticed by the townspeople. Mistress Hibbins even goes as far as saying "Wilt though ride with me, some fine night, to see thy father?" (Hawthorne 187). Mistress Hibbins inquiry of Pearl to come join her cult of witches and meet Pearl's father, or the devil, in the woods demonstrates how Pearl represents the devil because she is the spawn of passion and a horrible crime. To the townspeople she is the representation of a crime, and her clothes and demeanor only encourage their speculation. Her vivid clothes draw attention to herself and compare herself to the scarlet letter that Hester wears with shame.
Pearl is also displayed as the embodiment of the devil through her interactions with he townspeople during the parade. At the parade Pearl interacted with Native Americans and sailors, two groups of people who have completely different moral guidelines compared to the strict Puritans. Both groups cannot believe the spirit and wildness that are within her. Her character demonstrates how she is the embodiment of the devil in the novel because their is no way to handle or tame her and she runs on impulses and desires.

Wow Factor: "Love is Greed" - Passion Pit

This song is representative of the Scarlet Letter because it demonstrates Hester's attitudes towards love in the chapter. She is starting to realize that she may have made a larger mistake than she realized in the beginning of the novel. After viewing Dimmesdale and Pearl act as themselves she becomes scared that the love she has been seeking from coming together with Dimmesdale could be an unreal and far-fetched reality. She especially begins to fear her fate when she learns that Dr. Chillingworth had weaseled himself into her plans and she may never be able to escape the stigma that her selfish love had earned her.   

Chapter 21- The New England Holiday

Summary:

In The New England Holiday, Hawthorne describes a large assembly of townspeople in the marketplace, preparing to celebrate the inaugural of a new governor. It doesn't register in the reader's mind as a modern celebration, but for the Puritans it was a festival nonetheless. As they walk to the town square, Pearl is cheerfully skipping and singing, and she asks Hester if Reverend Dimmesdale will join them, as he did in the forest. The chapter concludes with the Spanish captain of the ship on which Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale will sail to England approaching Hester and nonchalantly mentioning that Roger Chillingworth would accompany them on the journey. Hester looks across the crowd at the doctor, who is smiling sinisterly back at her.

1. Hiding Inner Emotions and the Irony of Puritanism

 The festivities of the holiday in New England depict the double standard on which Puritanism is based- the idea that what one portrays to the rest of society and their inner thoughts and feelings are two entirely separate entities. This chapter in particular focuses on the differences between one's outward appearance and what one masks from others. Hester in particular is forced to hide her excitement about leaving for Europe in the presence of the town. The chapter opens describing her disguising her emotions behind her impassive face and under her drab cloak. The one element of her that is not actively concealing her mental state is her daughter Pearl, who herself is the result of a catharsis of passion between Hester and Dimmesdale and the discarding of the barriers that the members of the society put up to protect themselves. Pearl dances and skips alongside Hester, conveying "by the very dance of her spirits, the emotions which none could detect in the marble passiveness of Hester's brow" (175). By this statement, Pearl is thus the physical manifestation of Hester's inner feelings. As discussed in chapter 19, Pearl represents an agent of truth, and in this instance, she is showing Hester's actual feelings through her cheerful and lighthearted spirit. The other townspeople also, in a way, project emotion on the day of the festival. The Puritans "compressed whatever mirth and public joy they deemed allowable to human infirmity; thereby so far dispelling the customary cloud, that, for the space of a single holiday, they appeared scarcely more grave than most other communities at a period of general affliction" (177). This bit of satire illustrates that compared to non-Puritan society, the holiday they celebrate is still more serious than times of distress. The irony comes with the fact that the Puritan idea of "letting loose" and showing emotion for a special occasion is still relatively uptight and somber. While not going nearly as far as to reveal their innermost secret sins, the townspeople let down their guard, if only marginally, to create a risque environment, in terms of their society.

2. Outsiders to Society as Sinners

In this chapter, Hawthorne also describes certain characters and groups as being outsiders to the Puritan society- Native Americans, Spanish seamen, and Hester Prynne herself. In each of these cases, there is some sin that causes the separation. At the edge of the marketplace stands a group of Native Americans, observing the scene from afar. By Puritan standards, these "savages" sin by their very way of life, and as such are not welcome to proceed further into the throng. Even more set apart are the Spanish sailors, who spend their lives on the vast, unknown, hellish ocean, and by extension, cannot be pure. However, because of the overall insecurity and terror of their lives at sea, the Puritans overlook the seamen's scandalous behavior. It is interesting that they are all but excused from sin in terms of social standings when they live lives of unrighteousness, whereas Hester repents every day for her sin, and is still punished by the townspeople.
       Ever since she was found to be guilty of adultery, Hester has been shunned by society for being a sinner. This is especially shown in this chapter, when Hawthorne describes her standing alone, with no individual willing to come near her, save the captain of the Spanish ship. He writes, "a small vacant area- a sort of magic circle- had formed itself about her, into which, though the people were elbowing one another at a little distance, none ventured, or felt disposed, to intrude" (180). Hester herself belongs to the society, but because she has grievously sinned, no one dares to come near her and risk being infected by what they see as a form of the devil. This is yet another reminder that although she is about to escape, Hester still serves as a warning and a precedent to others in the town of the consequences of sin and giving into one's desires. In each of these distinct groups, sin is the separating factor that denies them acceptance from society.


Gossamer Thread:

Just as Hester Prynne conceals her excitement about escaping to Europe in front of the townspeople, on race day, rowers must control and camouflage their emotions before the start. If anyone has attended a regatta, he or she will know that the commotion of launching crews, frantic coaches, and thronging spectators forms a connection to the hustle and bustle of the Puritan settlement preceding the procession. In the midst of it all, experienced rowers are calm and focused leading up to the start. The bigger the race, the more excitement, nerves, and adrenaline course through their bodies. Even though every crew on the water that day experiences the same flood of emotion, no one reveals any of it. To show any sign of nervousness drops a crew's intimidation factor tenfold, and over-excitement at the start can lead a crew to "fly and die," a novice mistake almost guaranteed to result in a lost race. Rowers must put on a "mien of calmness" (181) despite whatever excitement, trepidation, or pre-race jitters they might be feeling and save the catharsis for after they take the final stroke, thus exemplifying Hester's serene countenance.

Chapter 20 - The Minister in the Maze (Christina Caviston)

Chapter 20- The Minister in the Maze
 
Summary:
This chapter begins with Dimmesdale returning to town after agreeing to go to Europe with Hester. He is amazed by his regained health and his new view of the town. His agreement with Hester has given him his strength back and he is now realizing different things about the town. He's been gone for a few days and it feels like years. Dimmesdale is relieved that Hester's charity work got his family onto a ship to Europe. He is also ecstatic that it leaves in four days, because he can give a sermon at Election Day before he leaves. As he walks into town, he encounters various church members. With each encounter, he feels as if he can't hold back his corrupting ideas. He feels as if the Devil is trying to make him say things to shatter others beliefs. When Dimmesdale returns home, he tells Chillingworth that he no longer needs his medicine because he is feeling better. Once Chillingworth leaves, Dimmesdale throws his old sermon for Election Day. He starts a new sermon which he writes with passion that he has now found inside himself due too his visit to the woods.

Hester's Effect:

After Dimmesdale's meeting with Hester, he is changed. He sees the town differently and feels different. The decision he made with Hester has changed him. "The excitement of Mr. Dimmesdale's feelings, as he returned from his interview with Hester, lent him unaccustomed physical energy, and hurried him townward at a rapid pace" (166). Dimmesdale is beginning to feel free from his sin because he now has a way out. Now that he has agreed to go to Europe with Hester, he no longer feels the burden. Even though sin is a bad thing, the fact that he is choosing to be good with Hester has helped him and brought him relief that led to physical improvement. Not only has the meeting brought better health, but new a new outlook on the town. Hawthorne describes, "As he drew near the town, he took an impression of change from the series of familiar objects that presented themselves. It seemed not yesterday, not one, nor two, but many days, or even years ago, since he had quitted them" (166). Dimmesdale recognizes familiarities in the town, but he feels as if he has been gone for a while. He feels as if everything has changed since he left. He has a new perspective on things within the town since he met with Hester. Hester is having a positive effect on Dimmesdale. Their meeting has helped him feel a sense of relief from his sin and affected him in positive ways.
 
Dimmesdale's Encounters:

On Dimmesdale's walk to his house, he encounters many different church members. Each person he meets is younger and more innocent than the first. Dimmesdale wants to let go of everything he is feeling, "at every step he was incited to do some strange wild wicked thing or other, with a sense that it would be at once involuntary and intentional" (167). He first meets with an old deacon. He was shaking and turning pale because he couldn't say what he wanted. He was laughing on the inside thinking about what the deacon would say to his new thoughts. An old widow then talks to him and he thinks, "The instilment thereof into her mind would probably have caused this aged sister to drop dead at once, as by effect of an intensely poisonous infusion" (168). Dimmesdale leaves the old woman with a smile on her face, and he doesn't remember what he told her. His beliefs and ideas are so far from the Puritan ideals that if he told people they would think he was crazy. His last encounter is with a pretty young woman who found relief in the church. As he talks to her he feels as if the devil is trying to sway him to say something to corrupt her. He fights the urge because he does not want to ruin the church for her. He then comes along a group of young children, and he gets an impulse to teach them "wicked words". He fights the urge and his last encounter is with Mistress Hibbins, the rumored witch. She asks him to take her to the woods next time. It is said that she is haunted by the devil, and he feels the same. After he takes in all that has just occurred he exclaims, "What is it that haunts and tempts me thus? [...] Am I mad? or am I given over utterly to the fiend? Did I make a contract with him in the forest, and sign it with my blood? And does he now summon me to its fulfilment, by suggesting the performance of every wickedness which his most foul imagination can conceive?" (170). Dimmesdale thinks that his agreement to leave with Hester is causing the devil to force him to let out his evil. He wonders if going away from the Puritan ideals and beliefs is a bad idea. These new revelations cause him to go home and start a new sermon full of passion.

Gossamer Thread:

I connected this chapter with this clip from Scrubs. Carla has just found out a secret from her friend Elliot, and she is tempted to tell it to everyone. She feels as if she can't keep it bottled in her. She wants to tell but she knows if she does it will have bad consequences. Carla's secret links to the new feelings Dimmesdale has and he is torn whether or not to tell them or not.