The Scarlet Letters Group at eNotes

Pearl's effect on Dimmesdale is associated with Dimmesdale's perception...

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:22:55 PST

Pearl's effect on Dimmesdale is associated with Dimmesdale's perception of his sin. As an unconfessed adulterer, Dimmesdale loathes himself and tries to punish himself by all night prayer vigils and self-mutilation. When he sees Pearl, he is reminded of his sin. Thus, he seems to have very little contact with his daughter. In fact, during the forest scene, it is Hester who says she wants Dimmesdale to "know Pearl." But Pearl is so...

In "The Scarlet Letter," what is Pearl’s effect on Dimmesdale?

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:42:30 PST

In "The Scarlet Letter," what is Pearl’s effect on Dimmesdale?

Both Hester and the villagers think of Pearl as a demonic child. Do you...

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:21:51 PST

Both Hester and the villagers think of Pearl as a demonic child. Do you agree, or disagree? Why?

There is a line of guilt/sin that connects Hester and the Reverend...

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 21:19:28 PST

There is a line of guilt/sin that connects Hester and the Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester, guilty of adultery, holds the secret of her lover's sin in her heart while Rev. Dimmesdale holds his secret sin within himself and is tortured by guilt. Secret sin is the key to the actions of each of the three main characters. This line of guilt/sin extends later to Roger Chillingworth who seeks the secrets in the tortured heart of the Reverend...

What is the line that binds Hester and Reverend Dimmsdale in "The...

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 18:15:07 PST

What is the line that binds Hester and Reverend Dimmsdale in "The Scarlet Letter"?

Infidelity, first, is primarily a matter scorned by religion more than...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:57:39 PST

Infidelity, first, is primarily a matter scorned by religion more than society. Laws in colonial times carried severe penalties for relationship cheaters, particularly if they were women (see The Scarlet Letter). What's more, women who were "known" to be promiscuous became objects of community gossip, and were considered outcasts. Infidelity and prostitution were virtually equated with one another. It was thought that if a woman was willing...

Hester made the letter in red, with gold embroidery to stand...

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:36:05 PST

Hester made the letter in red, with gold embroidery to stand out against the drab, lifeless clothing Puritan women were forced to wear. It represents her courage, her passion for life and her indignation at being forced to wear it. Hester will not surrender her life to the judgement of the town. She wears the letter, as she is required, but by making it colorful, she is being defiant towards those who have so condemned...

Hester's Scarlet Letter

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:46:59 PST

What is remarkable about the scarlet letter Hester makes? What do you think Hawthorne is suggesting by having Hester make such a letter?

Colonial Law and Society in "The Scarlet Letter?

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:38:03 PST

How do religous beliefs and colonial laws intermingle in this story? To what extent do religion and law mix in modern American society?

In one sense she didn't have a choice. It was her and Pearl's...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:47:27 PST

In one sense she didn't have a choice. It was her and Pearl's emotional turmoil that led them to seek help for her. As Chapter 4 describes it when Chillingworth is brought in: "I shall own you [Chillingworth] for a man of skill indeed! Verily, the woman hath been like a possessed one; and there lacks little, that I should take in hand to drive Satan out of her with stripes." Although Hester is fearful and suspects that...

In "The Scarlet Letter," why does Hester speak to Roger...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:17:50 PST

In "The Scarlet Letter," why does Hester speak to Roger Chillingworth after so many years? What does she hope to accomplish?

This section begins as Hester re-enters her world as the new person that...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:27:50 PST

This section begins as Hester re-enters her world as the new person that she has become. There is a great deal that we need to learn about this life. Can Hester support herself? What is Pearl "really" like? Will Hester, the convicted adultress, be allowed to keep her daughter? Will Hester have any continuing relationship with Dimmesdale? Will Pearl have a realtionship with Dimmesdale? What will the consequences of his...

In what ways does Hawthorne move the story forward in Chapters 9-15, and...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:52:49 PST

In what ways does Hawthorne move the story forward in Chapters 9-15, and how effective is his technique?

Because Hawthorne's work is an allegory, it is important to understand...

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:39:24 PST

Because Hawthorne's work is an allegory, it is important to understand that Pearl is the scarlet letter made flesh--the physical embodiment of her mother's "sin." Consequently, Pearl serves as a constant reminder to Dimmesdale of the secret affair that led to her birth, and as such reminds Dimmesdale both in her penetrating questions to him and in her behavior that he cannot come to terms with either his secret or with her until he...

What role does Pearl play in bringing about Reverand Dimmesdale's...

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:56:25 PST

What role does Pearl play in bringing about Reverand Dimmesdale's confession in "The Scarlet Letter"?

Pearl effects the Reverend in many ways. She is his child, so he feels...

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 13:33:23 PST

Pearl effects the Reverend in many ways. She is his child, so he feels affection toward her, but she acts so strangely that he is alienated from him. She is suspicious of him and notices things that a child normally would not. She asks him why he holds his heart in the the same way her mother touchs her scarlet letter. She asks him to stand on the scaffold in the daylight when everyone can see the three of them there instead of in the...

What effect does Pearl have on Arthur Dimmesdale in "The Scarlet...

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 10:54:58 PST

What effect does Pearl have on Arthur Dimmesdale in "The Scarlet Letter"?