Taylor's Blog!!

 Well, well, well. Our dear friend Dimmesdale still hasn’t learned.

We open Chapter 12 with Dimmesdale heading to the scaffold where Hester and Pearl must stand during the day and be made a spectacle of. He decides, most likely, to make himself feel better, that he will share their embarrassment and stand on the scaffold. However, there are just a few differences. He is alone in the town square, it is the dead of night, and everyone in town is asleep. Or so he thought. For some reason, he lets out a loud cry and immediately looks around to see if anyone has heard him. He is sure that he will be outed by the entire town…even though they are asleep! To his surprise, no one hears him. Shocker! The only one who possibly could hear him is Mistress Hibbins, the town’s suspected witch. After this moment, he sees Reverend Wilson, presumably heading home after being at the death-bed of Governor Winthrop. Dimmesdale seemingly cries out to him but, strangely, Wilson doesn’t even glance in his direction. For some reason after this strange encounter, Dimmesdale believes that everyone in the town will magically arise at the same time, looking completely disheveled and catch him in this embarrassing state. Then, Hester and Pearl walk by, also coming from Governor Winthrop’s and are invited to join Dimmesdale on the scaffold. They stand hand in hand and witness a sign from nature. A light shines from the sky and projects a gleaming red A. Hmmmm. Interesting that this sign was shown when Dimmesdale MANS UP and joins Pearl and Hester in their embarrassment. Oh wait! He didn’t! He refuses to join them at their routine public humiliation during the day! You were soooo close Dimmesdale but so far! Then…Oh no! They are discovered by Roger Chillingsworth! Dimmesdale begs Hester and Pearl to tell him what they know about their dear friend but Hester refuses and Pearl only tells him nonsense (maybe!). Even after this strange experience, Dimmesdale lies the next morning at his Sabbath sermon (which was unusually good) and is “surprised” when his sexton tells him about the A in the sky. 

In Chapter 13, I was relieved to see that the society has moved on from Hester’s mistake! She has won the forgiveness of her fellow townspeople by working hard and showing that she is useful within their society. In fact, the townspeople see the “A” as a badge of honor or as a mark of benefit. She is praised for her generosity and kindness! Thankfully, it’s revealed that the society has morals and can see past Hester’s mistake! However, the “A” still has a deleterious (vocab word!) effect for Hester because she has lost a part of her womanhood. Still, she is optimistic and turns from passion to thought. She ponders the role of being a woman and the patriarchal society in which they live. Finally, she considers her time with Dimmesdale and Chillingworth and concludes that she chose the wrong side between the two men. She notices that Dimmesdale might be a lunatic (yeah Hester you think?) but still recognizes that her decision to side with Chillingsworth was done in vain and is now below her. She decides to switch sides and wants to be honest and transparent about her decision with Chillingsworth so she goes to meet him…

In Chapter 14, we get the long-awaited rematch between Hester and Chillingsworth! Chillingsworth starts off their conversation with the mention of a rumor that Hester’s “A” might be removed from her bosom. She responds by saying that the badge would have to “fall away naturally” (Hawthorne 153). Hester looks intensely at Chillingworth and realizes that he has changed since she last saw him and has become a fierce man. Hester then reveals that she believes it was a mistake to side with him between Dimmesdale. Chillingsworth becomes VERY angry when he hears this news and states that he has wasted time with the minister. Hester defends Dimmesdale as Chillingworth comes to the realization that he is in the grips and inner workings of the devil. He releases Hester from her promise of silence (FINALLY!) and accepts his fate as a fiend (not FE!N)

I hope within the next chapters that Hester can be honest with the townspeople who have come to respect her and that she will reveal Chillingworth for who he truly is! I also hope that Dimmesdale will MAN UP and take responsibility for being the father of Pearl!