Scaffold Scenes In The Scarlet Letter
The Scaffold Scenes
In the novel, The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne shows two scaffold scenes. The scaffold scenes are different in many ways. Seven years from when Hester Prynne stood in shame, wearing her scarlet A, holding her demonic child Pearl, during the day. Dimmesdale now stands alone in the middle of the night. In the first scaffold scene with Hester everyone in town saw the high reverend Dimmesdale question her as her thought to be dead husband stood there as a witness of her punishment. In the second scaffold scene Dimmesdale has no light, no questions and at first no witnesses. After Dimmesdale stands for a while Hester and Pearl join him and his witness, Chillingsworth appears. Both Scaffold scenes give different views …show more content…
One of the things that stand out most are the questioner and the man who shows up to the scene. The Reverend that questions Hester is Dimmesdale, the father of Pearl. He says that the father of the child should have to also be on the “pedestal of shame” he says this in a “sweet, rich, deep, and broken voice” (47) Reverend Dimmesdale wanted Hester to speak his name for all to hear do that he would not have to do it himself . Chillingsworth, Hester’s husband stands and watches his wife hold a child who is not his with a Scarlet “A” on her bosom, but all he does is puts his finger to his mouth so Hester will not reveal his true identity. The first scaffold scene has a mood of humiliation, guilt and pain.
In the second scaffold scene stronger feeling of guilt is present. Reverend Dimmesdale has committed adultery and he is no longer able to bare it. Dimmesdale “under the influence of somnambulism” climbs the scaffold in the “dark gray of midnight” (101). He does not want to be seen just as he did not want his sin to be seen. This is shame on a more personal level than Hester experienced. Dimmesdale is able to laugh and be joined by his daughter, Hester and his unwanted witness Chillingsworth. Dimmesdale’s darkness is no longer as dark as he wanted it to
In the novel, The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne shows two scaffold scenes. The scaffold scenes are different in many ways. Seven years from when Hester Prynne stood in shame, wearing her scarlet A, holding her demonic child Pearl, during the day. Dimmesdale now stands alone in the middle of the night. In the first scaffold scene with Hester everyone in town saw the high reverend Dimmesdale question her as her thought to be dead husband stood there as a witness of her punishment. In the second scaffold scene Dimmesdale has no light, no questions and at first no witnesses. After Dimmesdale stands for a while Hester and Pearl join him and his witness, Chillingsworth appears. Both Scaffold scenes give different views …show more content…
One of the things that stand out most are the questioner and the man who shows up to the scene. The Reverend that questions Hester is Dimmesdale, the father of Pearl. He says that the father of the child should have to also be on the “pedestal of shame” he says this in a “sweet, rich, deep, and broken voice” (47) Reverend Dimmesdale wanted Hester to speak his name for all to hear do that he would not have to do it himself . Chillingsworth, Hester’s husband stands and watches his wife hold a child who is not his with a Scarlet “A” on her bosom, but all he does is puts his finger to his mouth so Hester will not reveal his true identity. The first scaffold scene has a mood of humiliation, guilt and pain.
In the second scaffold scene stronger feeling of guilt is present. Reverend Dimmesdale has committed adultery and he is no longer able to bare it. Dimmesdale “under the influence of somnambulism” climbs the scaffold in the “dark gray of midnight” (101). He does not want to be seen just as he did not want his sin to be seen. This is shame on a more personal level than Hester experienced. Dimmesdale is able to laugh and be joined by his daughter, Hester and his unwanted witness Chillingsworth. Dimmesdale’s darkness is no longer as dark as he wanted it to