Group+Four


 * Grou**

Julian Sison, J.T. Ferrara, Adam Morra, ShaffDawg, Joe Satkowski

=ANY EMPTY SECTIONS WERE NOT COMPLETED BY SHAFFY AND JOE.=

__**Chapters 22-24**__

By Michael Shafran. Dimmesdale: Hester Pearl
 * Imagery/ Symbolism:**
 * Character Behavior or Psychology:**
 * With the revealing of his own scarlet letter and guilt, he is finally freed from his private suffering
 * He feels like a different person and dies instantly after, and feels as if he has completed his goal
 * He can finally die in piece without hiding his shame
 * He finally is brave enough to stand alongside Hester and Pearl in front of the entire town
 * She goes along with her previous idea to move away from her town
 * She is free to make her own decisions and is no longer attached to Chillingworth or Dimmesdale
 * With the death of Dimmesdale, her problems are gone though she continues to live with the scarlet letter, becoming a legen
 * Kisses Dimmesdale, showing that she finally respects him and cares for him because of his bravery and acceptance
 * She begins to grow up and understand the world around her
 * She is shown as the connection between Dimmesdale and Hester
 * Instead of being portrayed as the demon child like before, she is shown as a hero and an angel


 * Interesting Passages (note the page number):**

__Chapter 22__ "Hester saw and recognized the self same faces of that group of matrons, who had awaited her forthcoming from the prison-door, seven years ago; all save one, the youngest and only compassionate among them, whose burial-robe she had since made. At the final hour, when she was so soon to fling aside the burning letter, it had strangely become the centre of more remark and excitement, and thus made to sear her breast more painfully than at any time since the first day she put it on"(Hawthorne 217).

__Chapter 23__ " 'Hester Prynne,' cried he [Dimmesdale], with a piercing earnestness, 'in the name of Him, so terrible and so mericful, who gives me grace, at this last moment, to do what--for my own heavy sin and miserable agony--I withheld myself from doing seven years ago, come hither now, and twine thy strength about me!' "(Hawthorne 223).

__Chapter 24__ " 'On a field, sable, the letter A, gules.' "(Hawthorne 233).

Questions: 1. Why did Dimmesdale die? 2. How did the Scarlet letter get on his chest? 3. Will Hester continue to wear her Scarlet Letter? 4. Will the people continue to idolize Dimmesdale, or will they accept that he committed the sin? By Joe Satkowski
 * Questions/ Predictions you have:**
 * Other (connections to modern life or your personal life):**


 * __Chapters 17-21__**

__Removal of the Letter__:
 * Imagery/ Symbolism:**
 * When removing the Scarlet Letter in the forest, the Sun shines on Hester
 * Symbolizing God smiling upon their plans and finally siding with Hester although she had previously sinned
 * Hester changes and seems to regain a part of her former self, more happy and emotional, as opposed to the depressed and lonely state she was in previously
 * Pearl forces her to return to her miserable side, showing Pearl's deep understanding and mental advancement for her age, able to notice the changes in her mother's personality

__Pearl's Statement to Dimmesdale and Hester__:
 * Pearl asks if she, Hester, and Dimmesdale can return to the village hand in hand as if they are still a family
 * Dimmesdale rejects this idea, showing that the three can never truly live together as a family
 * It is announced that Chillingworth will be joining the three on their travel to Europe, confirming this possibility
 * Pearl is disappointed, but realizes that the circumstances cause the family to fall apart and separate them from one another

__Mistress Hibbins__:
 * Speaks with Dimmesdale after his meeting with Hester in the forest
 * Dimmesdale feels guilt after conversing with her, as if he has become closer to the Devil
 * He links the recent meetings with the two sinful women of the village and fears for his own future
 * Dimmesdale also comes in contact with other members of the village, but his joy overshadows his typical outlook and changes the message he usually sends to the villagers

__Hester__: Even though Hester has tried to hide the effect of the Scarlet Letter on her, when she takes it off in the forest she is full of joy. She feels relieved and like her old happy self for the few moments she had. Just the thought of escaping to Europe with her daughter and Dimmesdale brightens her day and her thoughts. __Pearl__: Pearl cannot accept her mother when she takes off her scarlet letter and becomes happy. She won't go over to her mother because of this and waits to her mom puts it back on to hug and kiss her. She also can sense that there is something interesting with Dimmesdale but still does not accept his kiss in the forest. Pearl also wonders why Dimmesdale was so open to them in the brooks but almost ignores them in public. __Dimmesdale__: Dimmesdale is also excited with the idea of going to Europe and for those couple of days of waiting, he changes. Things that use to be normal for him change. Instead of helping people, he says things that go against his former religious beliefs and can barely control himself. He also changes the sermon he is suppose to say on Election day to his new ideas.
 * Character Behavior or Psychology:**


 * Interesting Passages (note the page number):**

__Chapter 17__ " 'None!--nothing but despair!' he answered. 'What else could I look for for, being what I am, and leading such a life as mine? Were I an athiest,--a man devoid of conscience,--a wretch with coarse and brutal instincts,--I might have found peace, long ere now. Nay, I never should have lost it! But, as matters stand with my soul, whatever of good capacity there originall was in me, all of God's gifts that were the choicest have become the minister of spiritual torment. Hester, I am the most miserable!' "(Hawthorne 167).

__Chapter 18__ "But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman. She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest, amid the gloom of which they were now holding a colloquy that was to decide their fate"(Hawthorne 175).

__Chapter 19__ “I have a strange fancy,” observed the sensitive minister, “that this brook is the boundary between two worlds, and that thou canst never meet thy Pearl again. Or is she an elfish spirit, who, as the legends of our childhood taught us, is forbidden to cross a running stream? Pray hasten her; for this delay has already imparted a tremor to my nerves.” “Come, dearest child!” said Hester encouragingly, and stretching out both her arms. “How slow thou art! When hast thou been so sluggish before now? Here is a friend of mine, who must be thy friend also. Thou wilt have twice as much love, henceforward, as thy mother alone could give thee! Leap across the brook and come to us. Thou canst leap like a young deer!”

__Chapter 20__

During all this time, Hester stood statue-like, at the foot of the scaffold. If the minister's voice had not kept her there, there would never the less have been an inevitable magnetism in that spot, where she dated the first hour of her life of ignominy. There was a sense within her-too ill-defined to be made a thought, but weighing heavily on her mind,-that her whole orb of life, both before and after, was connected with this spot, as with the one point that gave it unity. (Hawthorne 215).

__Questions__: 1. How is Hester and Dimmesdale going to react with going on the trip with Chillingworth? 2. Will Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl make it to Europe? 3. Will Pearl ever find out that Dimmesdale is her father? __Predictions__: 1. Dimmesdale is going to reveal his sin in his sermon on election day. He is going to reveal his own Scarlet letter to everyone and Chillngworth will not be able to handle it so he will disappear. 2. Hester and Pearl will make it to Europe without Dimmesdale.
 * Questions/ Predictions you have:**

Many times in society, when some one gets in trouble or an uncomfortable they often hide or escape. This is similar to Dimmesdale and Hester who are trying to escape from their problems and go to Europe. Even in small examples in my life, I try to escape from my problems by leaving what I am doing. Hester's problem was more serious and she could not handle it any more.
 * Other (connections to modern life or your personal life):**


 * __Chapters 14-16__**


 * Imagery/ Symbolism:**

The Black Man

Color Psychology: The Color Black

Black, as a shade, or a color, absorbs all light in the color spectrum, therefore it can be overpowering. The color black is used as a symbol of menace or evil. It can also indicate power but it is often thought of as being a negative type of power because it is thought of as being evil. Oftentimes, it has been used in movies such as Dracula to represent evil. Additionally, it is associated with death and mourning. At the same time, black has the exact opposite quality: in ancient Egyptian cultures, it is thought of as representing life an rebirth.


 * Character Behavior or Psychology:**

Hester Prynne Roger Chillingworth Dimmesdale Pearl
 * has come to like Scarlet Letter
 * she doesn't want it be removed
 * she has come to hate Chillingworth
 * going to tell Dimmesdale he is her husband
 * she comments on how ugly he is and how he is consumed by revenge
 * completely consumed by revenge
 * he realizes what he has become and how he has changed
 * still deteriorating
 * Hester is going to tell him the truth about Chillingworth
 * She has grown more conscious and curious of the Scarlet Letter
 * she asks Hester what the letter stands for
 * she speculates that it is from the Black Man
 * She likes the Scarlet Letter, and makes one on herself


 * Interesting Passages (note the page number):**

__Chapter 14__ “What evil have I done the man?” asked Roger Chillingworth again. “I tell thee, Hester Prynne, the richest fee that ever physician earned from monarch could not have bought such care as I have wasted on this miserable priest! But for my aid, his life would have burned away in torments, within the first two years after the perpetration of his crime and thine. For, Hester, his spirit lacked the strength that could have borne up, as thine has, beneath a burden like thy scarlet letter. O, I could reveal a goodly secret! But enough! What art can do, I have exhausted on him. That he now breathes, and creeps about on earth, is owing all to me!” (Hawtorne 149-150).

__Chapter 15__ Her final employment was to gather sea-weed, of various kinds, and make herself a scarf, or mantle, and a head-dress, and thus assume the aspect of a little mermaid. She inherited her mother’s gift for devising drapery and costume. As the last touch to her mermaid’s garb, Pearl took some eel-grass, and imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother’s. A letter,—the letter A,—but freshly green, instead of scarlet! The child bent her chin upon her breast, and contemplated this device with strange interest; even as if the one only thing for which she had been sent into the world was to make out its hidden import (Hawthorne 155).

__Chapter 16__ The child went singing away, following up the current of the brook, and striving to mingle a more lightsome cadence with its melancholy voice. But the little stream would not be comforted, and still kept telling its unintelligible secret of some very mournful mystery that had happened—or making a prophetic lamentation about something that was yet to happen—within the verge of the dismal forest. So Pearl, who had enough of shadow in her own little life, chose to break off all acquaintance with this repining brook. She set herself, therefore, to gathering violets and wood-anemones, and some scarlet columbines that she found growing in the crevices of a high rock (Hawthorne 164-165).

I believe Dimmesdale is entering his last stages. I think that he is going to die very soon, and will muster up the strength to admit his sin toward the end of the novel, and he will shatter the entire basis of the Puritan society, being that the entire town respects him especially because he seems so pious and devout.
 * Questions/ Predictions you have:**

However, some questions I have are: 1) Who is the "Black Man", or is he just some evil entity not seen but believed in, such as the devil? 2) What will happen to Dimmesdale being that his overall health is declining quickly? 3) How will Hester confront Dimmesdale about their actions in the past? 4) Do you think Dimmesdale's secret will ever escape? If so, then who will expose it? 5) What will be the fate of Pearl?


 * Other (connections to modern life or your personal life):**

Often, children copy what their parents do. Pearl sees that her mother has the scarlet letter so she wants one for herself. She does not completely understand why her mother has it but she wants to be just like her.


 * __Chapters 11-13__**

16. a. Hester lives publicly with her sign, bearing the scarlet letter on her chest, symbolized by the broad daylight. Dimmesdale's suffering occurs at night, because he suffers in the dark and avoids admitting his sin to the rest of the town. He punishes himself in private, while the town has already acknowledged Hester's actions. b.The occasional references to light make the theme of overwhelming darkness significantly more intense. Hawthorne juxtaposes the moments of light with the dark to remind the reader of the severity of the events, such as how Hester's good deeds sharply contrast with the Roger's status as a leech and Dimmesdale's deteriorating condition. Pearl is shown as a moderate, linking the two opposites together symbolically and physically when the three stand together on the scaffold. "They stood in the noon of that strange and solemn splendor, as if it were the light that is to reveal all secrets, and the daybreak that shall unite all who belong to one another". c. Dimmesdale screamed out to Wilson in pain on the scaffold in his imagination; he believed he was shouting but was actually silent. Hawthorne uses the idea of sound to describe Dimmesdale's actions and thoughts as he realized he was in danger of being seen by villagers passing by. d. Hawthorne describes the night not only in the sense of what is happened, but also in the physical feelings and atmosphere. First Hawthorne explains the sky as “muffled” and then calls the color of the midnight “dark gray”. Then he describes Dimmesdale in a physical feeling of older age and pain that would be caused by the “chill night-air”. All of these physical feelings parallel the emotional feelings and weight of the situation. e. Hawthorne gives an image of how alone Dimmesdale is during his vigil through the sight, sound, and feeling of the night. The image he conveys shows how Dimmesdale feels alone a separated from the town, even though they look up to him. His sin creates a barrier between him and others that he cannot break unless he reveals his sin. f. The "electric chain" symbolizes how the Scarlet Letter connects both Dimmesdale and Hester, and Pearl is the link between them. They create an "electric chain" because even though they are now separated in their lives, they will stand together in the same chain on judgment day. The link between them is too strong to be broken, and runs through all of them like an electric current.

__**Chapters 7-10**__


 * Imagery/ Symbolism:**

Hester’s Reflection Pearl Leech Buried Sin
 * The scarlet letter was her most prominent feature
 * Dominated almost the entire image
 * Symbolizes how the letter has taken over her entire life and how people only notice her adulterer status when meeting her
 * Pearl makes a big deal about the scarlet letter, showing how the letter has taken over her life as well
 * Saved her mother from Satanic activity
 * If Hester had not been able to keep Pearl, she would have gone to the witches’ gathering
 * Irony because the girl who has been considered a demon-child has become the savior of the mother
 * Play on words calling Chillingworth a leech, because a doctor was known as a “leech”, and he manipulates Dimmesdale
 * He uses Dimmesdale to get information about Pearl’s father
 * Uses the idea of healing Dimmesdale for an alibi to open up the investigation of Hester’s scandal
 * Chillingworth describes how Hester lives with her sin completely exposed and therefore is more honorable than Pearl’s father who lives in secrecy
 * Reveres how she lives an empty life and Dimmesdale describes how private guilt is equally difficult to live with
 * Dimmesdale avoids the subject by stating that matters are the concern of God, which was his reply when Chillingworth tried to open up the investigation of the adultery scandal again


 * Character Behavior or Psychology:**

Hester Prynne Pearl Roger Chillingworth Dimmesdale
 * Afraid of losing her daughter
 * becomes protective of Pearl
 * believes she has a motherly right to keep Pearl
 * she believes she can teach Pearl better because she has learned from her sins
 * Scarlet Letter is taking over her image
 * all she sees in the mirror is the Scarlet Letter
 * it is her most prominent feature
 * She is defiant and different than other childrens
 * some people believe she is a Devil child
 * they want Pearl to be taken away from Hester to be taught more strictly
 * She denies she is born from God
 * She is the image of the Scarlet Letter
 * Her outfit is like the outline of the Scarlet Letter
 * becomes attached to Dimmesdale like a "leech"
 * knows that Dimmesdale is hiding something
 * he is suspicious of Dimmesdale
 * he tries to get Dimmesdale to tell him his secret
 * finds something of Dimmesdale's chest at the end of Chapter 10
 * physical condition is slowly deteriorating
 * this is caused by his emotional distress
 * he is hiding a secret that is eating away at him
 * he represents goodness in the town
 * he is afraid of losing this image by revealing his secret
 * however, by not revealing this secret, he is getting sicker


 * Interesting Passages (note the page number):**

Chapter 7:

// Pearl stands out from the other children because Hester has taken to dressing her in scarlet trimmed in fancy gold embroidery—the scarlet letter in another form. On their way to see the Governor, they are accosted by children hurling mud and insults. Pearl drives them off, and the two continue on (Hawthorne 90). //

Chapter 8: // The Governor explains that for the sake of Pearl’s soul, the authorities are considering removing her from Hester’s care and raising her more strictly. When Hester replies that she can better teach morality to the child because of what she has learned from the scarlet letter, they decide to question the child to see if she has been reared properly (Hawthorne 95). //

Chapter 9: // The elders persuade him to seek the advice of the learned doctor. Though Dimmesdale says he prefers death to Chillingworth’s medicines, he and the doctor spend long hours together talking about many subjects. To allow him to “help” the minister even more, Chillingworth arranges that the two of them should live together in separate apartments at the home of a widow (Hawthorne 105). //

Chapter 10: The doctor observes the girl sticking burrs from plants in the graveyard onto her mother’s scarlet letter, an act which Hester endures quietly. Chillingworth wonders about the child’s personality, and Dimmesdale offers that her personality is the result of a “broken law.” Pearl throws a burr at Dimmesdale through the open window and runs away shouting that the “Black Man” (the Devil) has taken hold of the minister (Hawthorne 120).

__Questions-__ 1. Why does Chillingworth really want to help Dimmesdale? 2. Why does Hester not hide her scarlet letter? __Predictions-__ 1. Chillingworth is secretly torturing Dimmesdale to remind Dimmesdale of his guilt. Eventually, Dimmesdale will reveal to Chillingworth what he did. 2. Chillingworth sees an A shaped mark on Dimmesdale's chest.
 * Questions/ Predictions you have:**

People in the book often relinquish the responsibilities of bad actions to the devil. The people who decide what is “right and wrong” say that the people who do wrong are possessed by the devil. The idea of the devil is a scapegoat for people to blame actions that are against the beliefs of the mainstream, usually a of a church. Without diving in to the much deeper meaning with in the descriptions of the settings by Hawthorne, it seems as though he appreciates the simple beauty of architecture and the visual imagery that is conveyed. An example of this is in chapter 7's description of the governors house. The great detail that is written about walls. It must be noted that the deep symbolism can not be analyzed with out the superficial descriptions, and the descriptions are worthless without the deeper meaning. To connect to my personal life, I too value both the surface detail, as well as the underlying interpretation. My hobby is photography. In photography, I need to make sure that the photo has the proper lighting, focus, and exposure to make the photo look nice, but I also deeply consider the composure of the shot. The location of the elements, color, and position of the objects, all are utmost importance to the meaning of the photograph. Anyone could take a picture of a shiny wall or a fancy house, but relating that to a significant person is truly beautiful.
 * Other (connections to modern life or your personal life):**


 * __Chapters 1-3__**


 * Imagery/ Symbolism:**

Rosebush and Jail Divine Maternity >
 * Rosebush represents the forgivingness of nature
 * Nature's heart can sympathize and pity with society's prisoners
 * Jail represents the vindictiveness of society
 * Society is the "black flower"
 * People abide by society's rules
 * Hawthorne implies that the women are scolding Hester for the sin of adultery, abbreviated by the letter “A” on her clothing. They continue to criticize her for the great detail and beauty of the sign that seems to contrast with Hester’s horrible misdeed.
 * “Divine Maternity” refers to the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ. Hawthorne uses this image to relate the birthing of a savior to the birthing of an illegitimate child
 * The irony of comparing these two mothers is that the Virgin Mary is portrayed as the picture of good, never once committing sin, and Jesus is the savior of the world. Hester, however, is viewed as a devil by the crowd for her sin, with her baby who is illegitimate and disrespected by the people. However, both the Virgin Mary and Hester were viewed as adulterers during their time, which contrasted with the actual occurrences of the time.


 * Character Behavior or Psychology:**

Hester Prynne Mr. Prynne Father Dimmesdale Father Wilson
 * nonconformist
 * goes against the demands of society
 * will not reveal the name of the father to her illegitimate child
 * sympathetic
 * she is protecting the father's life
 * does not want him to also take the fall for her mistakes
 * being held hostage by Indians
 * vows to find father of illegitimate child at all costs
 * does not want to pressure Hester to reveal father's name
 * pushes Dimmesdale to try and get Hester to reveal the father's name


 * Interesting Passages (note the page number):**

__Chapter 1__ The building, a concession to the fact that crime exists even among a people dedicated to perfecting themselves, is itself very ugly. The only hint of beauty is a rose bush blooming at one side of the door. The narrator suggests that it sprang from the footstep of Anne Hutchinson, a woman persecuted for her religious beliefs and held in this same prison. The narrator further suggests the moral of his story, like the solitary rose, may be the only bright spot in the forthcoming tale of human sorrow (Hawthorne 39).

__Chapter 2__ Hester is now led into the sunshine after her three-month imprisonment. She is carrying her child and wearing a scarlet letter “A” attached to her bodice with gold embroidery. Her first impulse seems to be to cower, but she walks with grace and beauty to the scaffold and begins three hours of public humiliation. As she stands upon the scaffold, her mind retraces her life from a poverty-stricken childhood in England to her arranged marriage to an old, misshapen scholar, to her arrival alone in Salem, and to her present predicament (Hawthorne 45).

__Chapter 3__ Dimmesdale delivers an impassioned plea to Hester to consider her actions and how they might affect the father, who may not himself have the courage to confess his sin. Hester refuses to name the father and, after enduring an hour-long sermon by Reverend Wilson, is led back with her crying child to the prison. Several report seeing the scarlet letter cast a lurid gleam as she walks through the dark passageway (Hawthorne 55).


 * Questions/ Predictions you have:**

__Questions__: __Predictions__:
 * 1) What will Mr. Prynne do to find her wife's adulterer?
 * 2) Will Hester reveal it to her husband?
 * 3) How will Hester's husband treat her after their long time apart?
 * 1) Father Dimmesdale played some role in the adultery, due to his unwillingness to cooperate by Father Wilson's instructions
 * 2) Mr. Prynne will go to all lengths to ensure he will find the father to his wife's illegitimate child.


 * Other (connections to modern life or your personal life):**
 * "Death by Stoning"
 * The article of a woman who was raped by a man and deemed an adulterer
 * The jury did not listen to her pleas and she was considered guilty
 * Life in Islamic societies
 * Suppressive of women's rights
 * Male-dominated society with beatings and public shame
 * Women cannot leave without the company of a relative, such as a brother, father, or husband
 * Similar to __The Scarlet Letter__ since women are considered guilty in almost all cases of adultery without attention to the actual happening