proud stature that does not cower to the crowd of disdain that surrounds
her. On her chest she bears the scarlet letter ‘A’ that is surrounded by
shining gold thread upon a gown that scandalizes the women of the town.
Clutched close to her breast is the child that was produced by her adultery
and the apparent reason she was not more harshly punished for her crime.
She stood there under public scrutiny, not with a look of shame but almost
bewilderment that her life had panned out as it had.
Chapter 3: Mistress Prynne is placed upon the pillory for three hours so
all can see her shame. As she is standing there with her babe, she notices
a new man in town along with an Indian. From the moment she sees him, she
cannot take her eyes from him. An angry look quickly flashes across the
man’s face at the sight of her and he inquires to the town person next to
him why the woman is made to stand upon the pillory. Both the man and the
readers are informed that Mistress Prynne was married to a man who has not
yet returned from the Netherlands where they sailed from to New England.
Because she was so long away from her husband, it is obvious that he was
not the father of her child. The man asked of her sentence, and of the man
who did father the child and the town’s person told him that the father is
not known. The Governor of the town who is standing on a higher platform
then appeals to the Reverend Dimmesdale to extract the name of father from
Mistress Prynne. After an emotional plea to Mistress Prynne, she still
refuses to state the name of the father of her child, and states that her
child has only a heavenly father.
Chapter 4: When Mistress Prynne was returned to the prison, she was in such
mental disarray that the jailer, Master Brackett, decided to call in the
physician. Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s real husband, introduces himself
as the physician for Mistress Prynne and as soon as he enters the room, she
goes perfectly still. Mr. Chillingsworth was the same man who she saw when
she was on the pillory. He began to examine the baby and Hester expresses
her concern that he will hurt the child as revenge on her.
They talk about their failed marriage, and how there was never love
between them, and Roger tells her not to reveal to anyone who he really
was. After giving her a draught to calm her, he asks her who the father of
the child was. Again, as she did when asked by the Reverend, she refuses
to give the name of the father. At her refusal, he tells her that he will
find out who the man is and that she not breathe a word of his identity to
anyone.
Chapter 5: Hester was released from prison and free to go wherever she
wished. Instead of fleeing the town she moved to a little cottage outside
of it, and supported herself with her needlework. She sewed for many
different people of the town but kept herself in plain clothing, save the
letter upon her bosom. She took all of the passion of her life and used it
to ply her needle. Much of her work she donated to the poor as penance for
her guilt. Although they all coveted her services, she was still an
outcast looked upon with malice and her sin burned deep in her soul.
Chapter 6: Hester named her child Pearl because she was her treasure in
life. Pearl was beautiful and intelligent, and had an air of a nymph about
her. Even as a baby, the child was fascinated by the scarlet letter Hester
wore upon her breast. This was a constant reminder for Hester of her sin.
Pearl was a happy laughing child who had a fiery passion and temper that
made Hester and others wonder if she was a demon with her black eyes.
Everywhere Hester went Pearl went also. They had only each other. Hester
attempted to raise her daughter with Puritan values but could not
discipline her and Pearl held the strings on whether or not she did what
she was told. Chapter 7: Hester and Pearl went to the Governor
Bellingham’s house to deliver a pair of gloves she had embroidered for him.
More than the delivery, Hester was there to plead to be able to keep
Pearl. The people of the town thought that because of her sin, Hester was
unfit to raise her child. When she arrived to the house, the governor was
with other gentleman in the garden and they waited for a chance to speak
with him. As they were waiting, Pearl was examining a shining suit of
armor and saw Hester in it. She was delighted by the sight, and Hester’s
image was lost behind the large shiny red letter that was magnified by the
polished armor.
Chapter 8: The Governor, the pastor John Wilson, Reverend Dimmesdale, and
Roger Chillingworth exited the garden to find their path blocked by the
nymph Pearl. Struck by the beauty of the scarlet clad child they ask her
to whom she belongs. She answers that she is Pearl, and her mother’s
child. As they enter the hall, they see Mistress Prynne and are happy that
she has come so they can discuss what to do with Pearl. Testing to see
whether the child has been properly instructed so far, the dotting John
Winston asks young Pearl who made her. Pearl, though she knew the correct
answer was the Heavenly Father answered that she had been plucked by her
mother from the rose bush by the prison door.
The gentlemen were appalled by the child’s answer and decided that Hester
should not raise her further. Hester was angry with this and pleaded
Reverend Dimmesdale who knew she was capable of guiding the child
spiritually to let her keep Pearl. She argued that God gave her Pearl, and
that they could not take away the only joy that God gave her. After
discussing it further among themselves, with the Reverend giving an
impassioned plea for Hester, they decided to let her keep Pearl. Hester
was thankful, and she and Pearl left for home. Mr. Chillingworth offered
to figure out the identity of the father of the child, but his offer was
refused. As she leaves, Hester realizes that she would have sold her soul
to the devil if it meant she could keep her child.
Chapter 9: Since his first appearance in town, the people looked on Roger
Chillingworth as a blessing. They were thankful that such a learned
physician was given to them. As time went on, Mr. Chillingworth and the
Reverend Dimmesdale became very close. Though he was young, the Reverend
was growing sicker and sicker by the day and the people of the town
implored him to let the physician examine him. He refused but continued to
become closer and closer to the old man. After a while they even began
living together in the home of a respected matron of the town. As time
passed, the people began to look at Mr. Chillingworth differently however.
Instead of seeing a man sent from God to help them, they saw in his old
disfigured form, a servant of Satan that was sent to haunt the Reverend.
Chapter 10: Mr. Chillingworth watched the Reverend searching him for the
secret sin of his soul. Searching for Hester’s lover became the secret
purpose of his life and it clouded his head and heart. Slowly he was
trying to get the Reverend to confess to the deed, and one afternoon began
a discussion with him about unconfessed sin and how it eats away at the
soul. While they are talking, they see Hester and Pearl in the cemetery.
They look up at the men in the window and they wonder if the mischevious
nymph like, Pearl, is true evil. After the woman and the child leave the
cemetery, the men continue with their conversation.
Mr. Chillingworth accuses the Reverend that he cannot cure him until he
knows the pain upon his soul because that sin is part of his bodily
ailment. In a moment of passion, the Reverend blows up at him telling him
that he will reveal nothing to the earthly man and leaves the room. This
display of passion makes Mr. Chillingworth exceptionally pleased because it
brings him closer to finding out that his suspicions of Hester and the
Reverend are true.
Chapter 11: As the days went by the Reverend Dimmesdale continued to be
haunted more and more by the sin upon his soul. He would look upon his
companion the physician with disgust and feel as if the black part of his
heart was spilling over into the rest of his life. The people of the town
began to worship him more, saying he was a wonderful and saintly young
preacher. As they looked up to him with greater fervor, he began to hate
himself more. Many a time he stood on his pulpit aching to tell them of
his sin, release it from his heart. However, all he could manage to say
was that he was a terrible sinner, which only inspired his congregation
more because they saw him as virtually flawless. He fasted, prayed, and
kept vigils in order to purge himself, but the sin upon his soul haunted
him without end.
Chapter 12: It was midnight and Reverend Dimmesdale was so tortured by his
sin that he took himself out and stood upon the scaffold that Hester had
stood. He planned to stay there all night suffering from his own shame.
At one point he cried out hoping in his mind to wake the whole town so they
could see him standing there, so his sin could finally be revealed and his
mind eased. However, no one in the town was awakened by his cry. At one
point from his perch, he saw the Pastor John Winston walking towards him,
but the man was wrapped up tightly in his cloak and did not notice the
Reverend on the scaffold.
His mind wandered to what he would look like in the morning when his body
was frozen with cold, and at the image of himself in his mind, he laughed.
His laugh was returned by a sprightly laugh in the darkness that was none
other than Pearl’s. He cried out to her in the night, and to Hester. They
appeared having been out measuring a robe for a man who had died that
evening. At the Reverend’s request, they came to stand upon the scaffold
with him and they joined hands in their sin. Pearl asked the Reverend
repeatedly if he would come stand with them on the scaffold the next day at
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