Chapter 1
What is the significance (symbolic, thematic, or otherwise) of the rosebush outside the prison door?
-The significance of the rosebush is that it symbolizes Hester. The rosebush grows even though it was unlikely for it to survive. This is like Hester in that even when the odds were against her, she still powered through. She became a big part in the town and she was determined to survive even with her punishment.
Chapter 2
What is Hester’s first action in the novel and what does it reveal about her character? Describe her demeanor as she emerges from the prison.
-Hester's first action in the novel is her coming out of the prison with confidence. This reveals that even in the worst of times she is still confident and isn't going to let people effect her. The guard tried to put his hand on her shoulder, like a guide, but she refused because she wanted to make the walk on her own.
According to the narrator, what is the greatest “outrage…against our common nature”? Do you agree? How might this opinion on the part of the narrator shape the telling of this story.
-The narrator is saying that he think the greatest outrage against out common nature is not being able to hide your face in shame. I think that this is true because when you feel shame you often try to hide your face. I think he uses this because just like Hester couldn't hide her face while standing on the scaffold, she also can't hide the "A".
Chapter 3
Describe the stranger standing next to the Indian during Hester’s punishment.
-This stranger is her husband. He is dressed in a mixture of civilized and savage clothes. He was small in stature and there was remarkable intelligence in his features.
Describe Reverend Dimmesdale. What are his most significant physical features and what do they suggest about his personality and even his soul?
-He was a young clergyman and had come from one of the greatest European universities. He was a person of very striking aspect, with a white, lofty, and impending brow, large, brown, melancholy eyes, and a mouth which, unless when he forcibly compressed it, was apt to be tremulous, expressing both nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint. They suggest that he is a very smart and handsome man.
What argument does Dimmesdale use to try convince Hester to name her “fellow-sinner”? How does Hester respond? How does her child respond?
-He says that it would better for the father to stand beside her knowing that he is no longer hidden. He says that if people know it would be better for him than having to hide a guilty heart. Hester still didn't reveal the father and Pearl looked at Dimmesdale and reached for him.
Why does Hester say the scarlet letter can never beremoved from her breast?
-She says that the "A" is too deeply branded to be taken off and that if she could she would endure the father's agony as well as her own. She said that she was not going to give up the father just to get the "A" removed.
Chapter 4
What does Chillingworth mean when he says to Hester,“We have wronged each other”?
-He means that they have both done wrong to the other. Hester has done wrong by committing adultery against him and he has done wrong by marrying her when he knew she didn't love him.
Chapter 5
The narrator gives two reasons for Hester’s refusal to leave New England, one that is authentic and one that Hester fabricates as a “self-delusion.” Explain each one and what it reveals about Hester’s character.
-One of the reasons Hester refused to leave New England was that her sin and shame had rooted her into the soil. She also says that since she had Pearl here that every other place on earth seems foreign, even her own birthplace. She said that there was an iron chain that bound her here and no matter how hard she tried or how much it hurt her soul she couldn't change that.
Where does Hester live after her leaving the prison? What is significant about this location?
-Hester lives on the outskirts of town. She really doesn't have any neighbors and she is away from the rest of the town. This location does not have fertile soil so it was abandoned by its previous owner for this reason. It looks out on the water. This location is away from everyone else.
What new and special power does the scarlet letter seem to give Hester? What is Hester’s reaction to this new found ability?
-The scarlet letter seems to give Hester the sense of ability to have sympathetic knowledge of other peoples sins. Hester becomes frightened and said their was nothing more loathsome than that because she knows it's only possible to be a dark angel.
Chapter 6
How does the narrator account for Pearl’s wild and untamed character?
-The narrator says that since Hester had passed on her nature to break rules when Pearl was conceived. He said that since Hester was breaking a rule to bring Pearl into the world that Pearl had always had a sense of breaking rules. Since Pearl could not be taught to follow a rule she was wild and untamed.
What purpose might the mother-daughter conflict play in the novel?
-The conflict between mother and daughter shows how much Hester gave up for Pearl. Hester has become an outcast and is judged by everybody because she had Pearl. Even though Hester gave up everything for Pearl, she still causes trouble. This causes conflict between the two because Hester starts thinking if she made the right choose to keep Pearl.
Chapter 7
Describe Pearl’s dress and comment on its significance.
-Hester made Pearl's dress. It was a crimson velvet tunic of a peculiar cut, abundantly embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread. This dress made Pearl the living scarlet letter.
Describe the construction and furnishing of Governor Bellingham’s mansion. What does it reveal about Puritan culture?
-The house was large and made of wood. There are still some old houses that are made like that but they are covered in moss. The house was decorated with strange and seemingly cabalistic figures and diagrams. This shows that in the Puritan culture there were a lot of nice, extravagant things.
Chapter 8
What reason does the Governor give for taking Pearl from her mother? How does he “examine” Pearl and for what purpose? How do Pearl’s responses strengthen the elders’biases against her and Hester?
-The governor says that Pearl might be a demon-child and if she is then she needs to be taken away for Hester's safety. He says that if she is not then she needs to be put in a better home that would teach and strengthen God's word. He asks Pearl some simple questions. He does this to see if Hester is teaching her what she needs to be taught like she said she could. Pearl doesn't answer the questions she is asked so that strengthens their bias.
What reason does Hester give for her need to keep Pearl?Who supports her plea and why?
-Hester says that God gave Pearl to her to be a blessing and a curse. Dimmesdale supports her plea. He helps her out by saying that no other person could care for such a peculiar child.
Chapter 9
How does Chillingworth make a place for himself in Boston society? Why are we as readers suspicious of his professional and social motivations? Why does this suspicion seem to be absent from the narrator’s tone?
-Chillingworth becomes the doctor in Boston. The readers are suspicious of his motivations because we know that he is seeking revenge on Pearl's father. This suspicion is not present in the narrator's tone because he does not want to give too much away about Chillingworth.
What biblical stories are portrayed in the decorations of Dimmesdale’s room? What themes or issues are suggested by these stories?
-The story of David and Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet. He had stories portrayed adultery.
Chapter 10
Summarize the disagreement between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale over the confession of sin. What are the points of view offered by each man? Why does Dimmesdale leave the room? What is the larger significance of this conversation?
-Chillingworth thinks that it is best to confess your sins and not be buried with hidden sins. Dimmesdale thinks that sometimes it is better to keep the secret hidden because the truth can cause worse damage than keeping it a secret. Dimmesdale leaves the room because he is afraid he will say something that he doesn't want Chillinworth to know.
What important discovery does Chillingworth make while Dimmesdale is sleeping? How does the narrator describe Chillingworth’s joy and why is this description meaningful?
-Chillingworth moved Dimmesdale robe and found something that made him shudder. The narrator says that Chillingworth's joy was that of Satan when heaven lost a soul and it was won to his kingdom instead. This is showing Chillingworth's evil side.
Chapter 11
How does Dimmesdale’s suffering affect his work as a clergyman? What is the public reaction when Dimmesdale“confesses” his sinfulness from the pulpit? Describe and analyze the narrator’s tone toward Dimmesdale as he describes this confession.
-Dimmesdale's sermons become more powerful. Most of his sermons deal with sin. Dimmesdale has become popular. The public did not realize that Dimmesdale was confessing. The public calls him a saint. The tone is deceitful. The narrator knows what Dimmesdale is trying to do but the public doesn't.
Chapter 12
Why does Dimmesdale go to stand on the scaffold?
-Dimmesdale goes to stand on the scaffold because he had a vision about it. It was his way of getting rid of the pain and guilt of keeping the secret.
What question does Pearl ask Dimmesdale? What is his answer? Why is this interaction significant?
-Pearl asks Dimmesdale if he wills stand on the scaffold with her and Hester tomorrow at noon for the whole town to see. Dimmesdale says no but that he will at a later date. When asked further about this date he says on judgement day. The three are together as a family for the first time.
What “sign” appears in the sky? How is it described? What two interpretations are offered by which characters?
-A meteor appears in the shape of an "A". The town thinks it means "Angel" because of governor Winthrop. Hester and Dimmesdale think it means "Adulterer" as on Hester's bosom.
Chapter 13
How has Hester’s position in the community changed? How is this linked to any change in the townspeople’s perception of the scarlet letter’s symbolism? Explain the narrator’s comment that “the scarlet letter had not done its office.”
-Hester is now a main part in society. The "A" now means "Able". The scarlet letter was supposed to be a punishment but it's not punishing her like they intended. They wanted her to be isolated her the town but the "A" has changed meaning and is helping her in the town.
Describe the changes in Hester’s appearance and temperament that have come as a result of wearing the scarlet letter. Include an explanation of how her view on womanhood has changed.
-She is no longer isolated because she has the "A". She use to be described as lady-like because of her youth like beauty. She is now more of a woman because of what she has gone through.
Chapter 14
During his conversation with Hester, what opinion of Dimmesdale’s character does Chillingworth offer? Why does he refuse to leave him alone? Why does he insist that Dimmesdale has “increased the debt”?
-Chillingworth hates that Dimmesdale is praised by the town when they don't even know him that well. He says that if they really knew him, they wouldn't praise him. Chillingworth wants Dimmesdale to pay for what he has done to him. He thinks that Dimmesdale should pay for what he has done. This is how Dimmesdale has "increased the debt".
Chapter 15
Explain Hester’s statement, “If this be the price of the child’s sympathy, I cannot pay it.” Later, in chapter 16, what does the narrator say Pearl needs in order to “make her capable of sympathy”?
-Hester can't tell Pearl even if she'll finally get her sympathy and Pearl needs to grieve.
Chapter 16
Why hasn't Hester ever visited Dimmesdale in his study? What does Hester’s desired meeting place suggest about the nature of their relationship?
-Hester feels that Chillingworth will find them in the study. She doesn't want to make things worse for either of them. They have to meet in secret and this sums up their whole relationship. It is all a secret.
What questions does Pearl repeat throughout chapters 15 and 16? What do these questions suggest about Pearl and about her relationship with her mother?
-Pearl wants to know why the minister keeps his hand over his heart. This question shows how Pearl is growing up and is becoming curious about her mother and who her father is. She is also curious about the ways of the town.
Chapter 17
How do they view repentance and redemption differently?
-Repentance is when you ask for forgiveness for something that you did wrong. Redemption is when someone else pays the price for something that you did.
Why does Hester reveal the truth of Chillingworth’s identity? How does Dimmesdale react? What is your reaction to his reaction?
-Hester feels that it is hurting Dimmesdale more by not knowing the truth. She feels he is better off knowing. Dimmesdale gets mad at her at first because he claims that she is the cause of all his suffering. He soon forgives her. I think that he shouldn't have gotten mad because of all the suffering she has had to go through alone because he wouldn't come forward as Pearl's father. In what way does each need the other?
-Dimmesdale is getting weaker and weaker and he needs Hester so that he is not alone. Hester needs Dimmesdale to help her raise Pearl.
Chapter 18
In the second paragraph of chapter 18, the narrator uses the phrase “a moral wilderness.” What is this intended to describe?
-This is intended to describe Hester. It is saying that if her and Dimmesdale move to Europe, then she will be free from all the extra rules she has been sentenced to here. How does “Nature” react when Hester removes the Scarlet Letter? What is the significance of this in light of Pearl’s statement in chapter 16 that “the sunshine does not love” Hester? What thematic message is solidified in this moment? (You might consider the statement in this same paragraph that “Love…must always create a sunshine.”)
-The sunshine shines on her once again. It is no longer afraid of the "A" that is on her bosom because she took it off. In chapter 16, Pearl says that the sun does not love her because she wore that "A", now that the "A" is off, the sun loves her again.
Chapter 19
Why is Pearl unable to share her mother’s joy over the Scarlet Letter’s removal? Why does she insist that Hester put the Scarlet Letter on again? Why does she reject Dimmesdale’s kiss?
-Pearl is use to seeing her mother with the "A", so when she doesn't have the "A" she gets scared. Hester has to put the "A" back on to get Pearl to come over to her. Pearl rejects Dimmesdale's kiss because he will not go stand on the scaffold with them. She still wants the public to know that he is her father.
Chapter 20
What four temptations does Dimmesdale face on his way home? What does Dimmesdale assume is the source of these temptations? What alternate explanation does the narrator offer? What further explanations for Dimmesdale’s“temptation” might be apparent to a modern reader?
-He faces a sailor, and elder of the church, and elderly woman of the church, and a group of children. He thinks that he might have made a deal with the Devil. The narrator says that it was Dimmesdale's dream. I think that he was just so shocked by all that was happening that he couldn't think straight.
What does Mistress Hibbins perceive when she meets Dimmesdale? When contrasted against Hester’s meeting with Mistress Hibbins at the end of chapter 8, how does Dimmesdale’s response to her further our understanding of the contrast between the two lovers?
-She thinks that Dimmesdale went into the woods to meet with the Black Man. In chapter 8, Hester says that if Pearl had been taken away, she would have gone to the meeting with her. Mistress Hibbins starts talking bad about Hester.
What is the significance (symbolic, thematic, or otherwise) of the rosebush outside the prison door?
-The significance of the rosebush is that it symbolizes Hester. The rosebush grows even though it was unlikely for it to survive. This is like Hester in that even when the odds were against her, she still powered through. She became a big part in the town and she was determined to survive even with her punishment.
Chapter 2
What is Hester’s first action in the novel and what does it reveal about her character? Describe her demeanor as she emerges from the prison.
-Hester's first action in the novel is her coming out of the prison with confidence. This reveals that even in the worst of times she is still confident and isn't going to let people effect her. The guard tried to put his hand on her shoulder, like a guide, but she refused because she wanted to make the walk on her own.
According to the narrator, what is the greatest “outrage…against our common nature”? Do you agree? How might this opinion on the part of the narrator shape the telling of this story.
-The narrator is saying that he think the greatest outrage against out common nature is not being able to hide your face in shame. I think that this is true because when you feel shame you often try to hide your face. I think he uses this because just like Hester couldn't hide her face while standing on the scaffold, she also can't hide the "A".
Chapter 3
Describe the stranger standing next to the Indian during Hester’s punishment.
-This stranger is her husband. He is dressed in a mixture of civilized and savage clothes. He was small in stature and there was remarkable intelligence in his features.
Describe Reverend Dimmesdale. What are his most significant physical features and what do they suggest about his personality and even his soul?
-He was a young clergyman and had come from one of the greatest European universities. He was a person of very striking aspect, with a white, lofty, and impending brow, large, brown, melancholy eyes, and a mouth which, unless when he forcibly compressed it, was apt to be tremulous, expressing both nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint. They suggest that he is a very smart and handsome man.
What argument does Dimmesdale use to try convince Hester to name her “fellow-sinner”? How does Hester respond? How does her child respond?
-He says that it would better for the father to stand beside her knowing that he is no longer hidden. He says that if people know it would be better for him than having to hide a guilty heart. Hester still didn't reveal the father and Pearl looked at Dimmesdale and reached for him.
Why does Hester say the scarlet letter can never beremoved from her breast?
-She says that the "A" is too deeply branded to be taken off and that if she could she would endure the father's agony as well as her own. She said that she was not going to give up the father just to get the "A" removed.
Chapter 4
What does Chillingworth mean when he says to Hester,“We have wronged each other”?
-He means that they have both done wrong to the other. Hester has done wrong by committing adultery against him and he has done wrong by marrying her when he knew she didn't love him.
Chapter 5
The narrator gives two reasons for Hester’s refusal to leave New England, one that is authentic and one that Hester fabricates as a “self-delusion.” Explain each one and what it reveals about Hester’s character.
-One of the reasons Hester refused to leave New England was that her sin and shame had rooted her into the soil. She also says that since she had Pearl here that every other place on earth seems foreign, even her own birthplace. She said that there was an iron chain that bound her here and no matter how hard she tried or how much it hurt her soul she couldn't change that.
Where does Hester live after her leaving the prison? What is significant about this location?
-Hester lives on the outskirts of town. She really doesn't have any neighbors and she is away from the rest of the town. This location does not have fertile soil so it was abandoned by its previous owner for this reason. It looks out on the water. This location is away from everyone else.
What new and special power does the scarlet letter seem to give Hester? What is Hester’s reaction to this new found ability?
-The scarlet letter seems to give Hester the sense of ability to have sympathetic knowledge of other peoples sins. Hester becomes frightened and said their was nothing more loathsome than that because she knows it's only possible to be a dark angel.
Chapter 6
How does the narrator account for Pearl’s wild and untamed character?
-The narrator says that since Hester had passed on her nature to break rules when Pearl was conceived. He said that since Hester was breaking a rule to bring Pearl into the world that Pearl had always had a sense of breaking rules. Since Pearl could not be taught to follow a rule she was wild and untamed.
What purpose might the mother-daughter conflict play in the novel?
-The conflict between mother and daughter shows how much Hester gave up for Pearl. Hester has become an outcast and is judged by everybody because she had Pearl. Even though Hester gave up everything for Pearl, she still causes trouble. This causes conflict between the two because Hester starts thinking if she made the right choose to keep Pearl.
Chapter 7
Describe Pearl’s dress and comment on its significance.
-Hester made Pearl's dress. It was a crimson velvet tunic of a peculiar cut, abundantly embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread. This dress made Pearl the living scarlet letter.
Describe the construction and furnishing of Governor Bellingham’s mansion. What does it reveal about Puritan culture?
-The house was large and made of wood. There are still some old houses that are made like that but they are covered in moss. The house was decorated with strange and seemingly cabalistic figures and diagrams. This shows that in the Puritan culture there were a lot of nice, extravagant things.
Chapter 8
What reason does the Governor give for taking Pearl from her mother? How does he “examine” Pearl and for what purpose? How do Pearl’s responses strengthen the elders’biases against her and Hester?
-The governor says that Pearl might be a demon-child and if she is then she needs to be taken away for Hester's safety. He says that if she is not then she needs to be put in a better home that would teach and strengthen God's word. He asks Pearl some simple questions. He does this to see if Hester is teaching her what she needs to be taught like she said she could. Pearl doesn't answer the questions she is asked so that strengthens their bias.
What reason does Hester give for her need to keep Pearl?Who supports her plea and why?
-Hester says that God gave Pearl to her to be a blessing and a curse. Dimmesdale supports her plea. He helps her out by saying that no other person could care for such a peculiar child.
Chapter 9
How does Chillingworth make a place for himself in Boston society? Why are we as readers suspicious of his professional and social motivations? Why does this suspicion seem to be absent from the narrator’s tone?
-Chillingworth becomes the doctor in Boston. The readers are suspicious of his motivations because we know that he is seeking revenge on Pearl's father. This suspicion is not present in the narrator's tone because he does not want to give too much away about Chillingworth.
What biblical stories are portrayed in the decorations of Dimmesdale’s room? What themes or issues are suggested by these stories?
-The story of David and Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet. He had stories portrayed adultery.
Chapter 10
Summarize the disagreement between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale over the confession of sin. What are the points of view offered by each man? Why does Dimmesdale leave the room? What is the larger significance of this conversation?
-Chillingworth thinks that it is best to confess your sins and not be buried with hidden sins. Dimmesdale thinks that sometimes it is better to keep the secret hidden because the truth can cause worse damage than keeping it a secret. Dimmesdale leaves the room because he is afraid he will say something that he doesn't want Chillinworth to know.
What important discovery does Chillingworth make while Dimmesdale is sleeping? How does the narrator describe Chillingworth’s joy and why is this description meaningful?
-Chillingworth moved Dimmesdale robe and found something that made him shudder. The narrator says that Chillingworth's joy was that of Satan when heaven lost a soul and it was won to his kingdom instead. This is showing Chillingworth's evil side.
Chapter 11
How does Dimmesdale’s suffering affect his work as a clergyman? What is the public reaction when Dimmesdale“confesses” his sinfulness from the pulpit? Describe and analyze the narrator’s tone toward Dimmesdale as he describes this confession.
-Dimmesdale's sermons become more powerful. Most of his sermons deal with sin. Dimmesdale has become popular. The public did not realize that Dimmesdale was confessing. The public calls him a saint. The tone is deceitful. The narrator knows what Dimmesdale is trying to do but the public doesn't.
Chapter 12
Why does Dimmesdale go to stand on the scaffold?
-Dimmesdale goes to stand on the scaffold because he had a vision about it. It was his way of getting rid of the pain and guilt of keeping the secret.
What question does Pearl ask Dimmesdale? What is his answer? Why is this interaction significant?
-Pearl asks Dimmesdale if he wills stand on the scaffold with her and Hester tomorrow at noon for the whole town to see. Dimmesdale says no but that he will at a later date. When asked further about this date he says on judgement day. The three are together as a family for the first time.
What “sign” appears in the sky? How is it described? What two interpretations are offered by which characters?
-A meteor appears in the shape of an "A". The town thinks it means "Angel" because of governor Winthrop. Hester and Dimmesdale think it means "Adulterer" as on Hester's bosom.
Chapter 13
How has Hester’s position in the community changed? How is this linked to any change in the townspeople’s perception of the scarlet letter’s symbolism? Explain the narrator’s comment that “the scarlet letter had not done its office.”
-Hester is now a main part in society. The "A" now means "Able". The scarlet letter was supposed to be a punishment but it's not punishing her like they intended. They wanted her to be isolated her the town but the "A" has changed meaning and is helping her in the town.
Describe the changes in Hester’s appearance and temperament that have come as a result of wearing the scarlet letter. Include an explanation of how her view on womanhood has changed.
-She is no longer isolated because she has the "A". She use to be described as lady-like because of her youth like beauty. She is now more of a woman because of what she has gone through.
Chapter 14
During his conversation with Hester, what opinion of Dimmesdale’s character does Chillingworth offer? Why does he refuse to leave him alone? Why does he insist that Dimmesdale has “increased the debt”?
-Chillingworth hates that Dimmesdale is praised by the town when they don't even know him that well. He says that if they really knew him, they wouldn't praise him. Chillingworth wants Dimmesdale to pay for what he has done to him. He thinks that Dimmesdale should pay for what he has done. This is how Dimmesdale has "increased the debt".
Chapter 15
Explain Hester’s statement, “If this be the price of the child’s sympathy, I cannot pay it.” Later, in chapter 16, what does the narrator say Pearl needs in order to “make her capable of sympathy”?
-Hester can't tell Pearl even if she'll finally get her sympathy and Pearl needs to grieve.
Chapter 16
Why hasn't Hester ever visited Dimmesdale in his study? What does Hester’s desired meeting place suggest about the nature of their relationship?
-Hester feels that Chillingworth will find them in the study. She doesn't want to make things worse for either of them. They have to meet in secret and this sums up their whole relationship. It is all a secret.
What questions does Pearl repeat throughout chapters 15 and 16? What do these questions suggest about Pearl and about her relationship with her mother?
-Pearl wants to know why the minister keeps his hand over his heart. This question shows how Pearl is growing up and is becoming curious about her mother and who her father is. She is also curious about the ways of the town.
Chapter 17
How do they view repentance and redemption differently?
-Repentance is when you ask for forgiveness for something that you did wrong. Redemption is when someone else pays the price for something that you did.
Why does Hester reveal the truth of Chillingworth’s identity? How does Dimmesdale react? What is your reaction to his reaction?
-Hester feels that it is hurting Dimmesdale more by not knowing the truth. She feels he is better off knowing. Dimmesdale gets mad at her at first because he claims that she is the cause of all his suffering. He soon forgives her. I think that he shouldn't have gotten mad because of all the suffering she has had to go through alone because he wouldn't come forward as Pearl's father. In what way does each need the other?
-Dimmesdale is getting weaker and weaker and he needs Hester so that he is not alone. Hester needs Dimmesdale to help her raise Pearl.
Chapter 18
In the second paragraph of chapter 18, the narrator uses the phrase “a moral wilderness.” What is this intended to describe?
-This is intended to describe Hester. It is saying that if her and Dimmesdale move to Europe, then she will be free from all the extra rules she has been sentenced to here. How does “Nature” react when Hester removes the Scarlet Letter? What is the significance of this in light of Pearl’s statement in chapter 16 that “the sunshine does not love” Hester? What thematic message is solidified in this moment? (You might consider the statement in this same paragraph that “Love…must always create a sunshine.”)
-The sunshine shines on her once again. It is no longer afraid of the "A" that is on her bosom because she took it off. In chapter 16, Pearl says that the sun does not love her because she wore that "A", now that the "A" is off, the sun loves her again.
Chapter 19
Why is Pearl unable to share her mother’s joy over the Scarlet Letter’s removal? Why does she insist that Hester put the Scarlet Letter on again? Why does she reject Dimmesdale’s kiss?
-Pearl is use to seeing her mother with the "A", so when she doesn't have the "A" she gets scared. Hester has to put the "A" back on to get Pearl to come over to her. Pearl rejects Dimmesdale's kiss because he will not go stand on the scaffold with them. She still wants the public to know that he is her father.
Chapter 20
What four temptations does Dimmesdale face on his way home? What does Dimmesdale assume is the source of these temptations? What alternate explanation does the narrator offer? What further explanations for Dimmesdale’s“temptation” might be apparent to a modern reader?
-He faces a sailor, and elder of the church, and elderly woman of the church, and a group of children. He thinks that he might have made a deal with the Devil. The narrator says that it was Dimmesdale's dream. I think that he was just so shocked by all that was happening that he couldn't think straight.
What does Mistress Hibbins perceive when she meets Dimmesdale? When contrasted against Hester’s meeting with Mistress Hibbins at the end of chapter 8, how does Dimmesdale’s response to her further our understanding of the contrast between the two lovers?
-She thinks that Dimmesdale went into the woods to meet with the Black Man. In chapter 8, Hester says that if Pearl had been taken away, she would have gone to the meeting with her. Mistress Hibbins starts talking bad about Hester.