Analysis of Key Chapters in The Scarlet Letter
Analysis of Key Chapters in The Scarlet Letter
Several chapters in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne are critical to the shaping of the story. Hester Prynne is an extreme sinner in the eyes of Puritan society in the 1640s; she has gone against the Bible, committing adultery. Hester is forced to live on the dirty outskirts of Boston. For committing the sin of adultery, Hester is forced to wear a scarlet letter, “A” for adultery. Hester stood alone in her sin, the father of her child, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale refused to confess. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingsworth came back to Boston and found Hester with her baby Pearl. Eventually Dimmesdale confessed to his mutual sin and died. Many chapters in the book play essential roles. Three of these chapters in The Crucible shape the book and how the characters interact. These chapters are XV, XVIII, and XXIII, respectively.
In a naïve blur, Hester married Chillingsworth, and she resents him for allowing the marriage to happen. In chapter XV, Hester realizes that she hates her husband, Roger Chillingsworth; her only happiness came from earlier delusion. Hester finds Pearl in a tide pool pretending to be a mermaid, but one thing throws Hester off- Pearl has an “A” on her chest made of grass. Pearl wants Hester to ask her what is it, and Hester talks to Pearl about the “A”, but since Pearl is so young, she cannot fully grasp adultery, sex, and shame, but she understands that the “A” is something her mother has always had. Pearl also makes the connection between the “A” on her mother’s chest, and Dimmesdale always grabbing at his heart. For the next few days, Pearl consistently asks her mother about the letter and why Dimmesdale is always clutching his heart. The easiest explanation Hester is able to give Pearl is that she had a meeting with the “black man” and that was her mark. Pearl is able to distinguish a small connection between Dimmesdale and Hester, but it is not until later in the book that Pearl understands fully.
After years of scorn, Hester and Dimmesdale met in the woods and decided that they should move to Europe to escape the harsh treatment of the Puritan society. Both Hester and Dimmesdale felt joyous, and Hester smiled and...