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Mr X Clues In The Scarlet Letter

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Mr X Clues In The Scarlet Letter
Mr. X clues essay

In chapter three of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are clues that point to the father of Pearl, or Mr. X. The first of these clues or details was the fact that when John Wilson asked Reverend Dimmesdale if he was going to be the one to determine the fate of Hester Prynne, or if Wilson himself was going to have to determine Hester Prynne’s fate, Dimmesdale hesitated. He didn’t want to be the one to determine Hester’s fate because he feared what Hester’s response would be and feared that she would give him up as her lover. The second clue or detail that reveals Mr. X’s identity is when Dimmesdale is asking Hester to reveal who her fellow sinner is, he does it in a soft, kind tone. “The young pastor’s voice …show more content…
X’s identity is when Hester refuses to reveal the name of her fellow sinner/adulterer; Dimmesdale holds his heart in relief and drew back with respiration, relieved and happy that Hester did not reveal that he was her fellow sinner/adulterer and lover. Also, in the next paragraph, it says that Dimmesdale had carefully prepared himself for this moment most likely because he knew that Hester could give him up. That is why he “drew back, with a long respiration.” The fifth and final clue or detail that can lead to Pearl’s father/Mr. X’s identity is when Reverend Dimmesdale is saying that Hester will not reveal the name of her lover and fellow sinner/adulterer, he comments on the strength and generosity of a woman’s heart. He is grateful for that strength and generosity because without it he easily could have been given up by Hester as her lover and fellow sinner/adulterer, which would have gotten him in a lot of trouble with Mr. Wilson and Governor Bellingham, and would have gotten him exiled from the rest of the town and townspeople, just like Hester Prynne was. All of these clues or details point to the identity of Mr. X, or the father of Pearl. Mr. X is Reverend Arthur
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