- and yet the first things built were a semetary and a prison
- semetary = death
- prison = sin
- and all this on "virgin soil" how strange
This could all be foreshadowing that Dimsdale and then Hesther die and are buried in the same semetary.
We liked Ch 1 right away because of the details and description
Hesther is described as being so beautiful - - she is a very pretty woman and so it seems like we expect sin from her because of her beauty
- tall
- dark
- glossy abundant hair
- regularity of features
- deep black eyes
It is her fault that the sin happened? That is NOT FAIR.
But when she got out of jail she was described as really grey and the A was the most beautiful thing about her. The letter A was exagerated in its beauty.
Just like us today - we always just remember what people do wrong.
A = stood for Adultary, but later people couldn't remember. . . they thought it stood for Able
The reflection of the A in the book symbolizes how Hesther reflects on the lesson of the A
p. 76 - "Badge teaches me daily. . ."
The Scarlet Letter sounded so pretty, beautiful and elaborate - - Why did she make it taht way? She accepted her shame and sin. . . ?
But she tried to cover it up with the baby in Ch 1 - on the scaffold.
in Ch 2 she blushes but shows the A proudly.
Pearl is a symbol of Hesther's sin and punishes her daily - tortures her more than the letter A and is "crazy"!
Pearl = Pearl of great price - purchased with her only treasure.
She loved Pearl for another reason, though - -
- Pearl and the Scarlet Letter taught her a lesson
She wasn't happy with her 1st husband but found TRUE LOVE with Dimsdale.
- She STAYED in the town to OVERCOME - to get to heaven eventually.
She couldn't hide - she had to PAY for her sin - - to make up for it. . . ?
WHY DIDN'T HESTHER RUN AWAY??
- Guilt - - just like Dimsdale's sin eventually 'got to him' Hesteher cannot hide from God anywhere.
- Not that easy - - everyone knows everyone in Puritan times. It would have been too hard to start over somewhere else. We all stay in Hemet after all!
- Eventually she owned it - - in the end she showed that she wasn't ashamed
- The letter was beautiful just like her. She knew that the letter was hers - - she couldn't run away from it.
- The letter was part of her - Even Pearl loved it. It was all that she saw of her mother.
Does Pearl even know what the latter means?
- H couldn't tell Pearl.
- Pearl wouldn't think that H was perfect anymore.
- H couldn't handle it if Pearl knew about her sin and thought less of her.
SECRETS
Why did Chillingsworth keep Dimsdale's secret?
- It was a way to punish Dimsdale - to torture him.
- When and how did Pearl find out what the A really stood for?
- If H told it would have been a humbling experience.
- Pearl was angry because all this time everyone knew it but her
- Don't want to live in the shadow of sin
- I would have left too.
Pearl was not a bad kid - - odd, but not bad.
At first, it seemed as if Hester was ashamed of Pearl and wouldn't mind not seeing her daily. She was a reminder of her sin, which poor Pearl had no control over. Overtime Hester realized she needed Pearl more than anything. She was her motivation to continue to live with her sin, to flaunt her A. Pearl was Hester's odd company all the time. I think Hester would have never turned out as great of a person without the birth of her daughter. It made her lead by example a lot better for the sake of her child. Even though there was a big mystery and question in Pearl's view of the A as to why it was worn and what it stood for, Hester did the right thing by not telling her daughter such harsh and vivid information about herself at a young age. Maybe Hester never wanted Pearl to know because she thought Pearl would change her values and think that's the way to go about things. Hester was in all trying to parent Pearl in a responsible, encouraging way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Julissa. Yes, Hester did feel ashamed of Pearl at first, but like you said, only because it reminded her of the sin she had committed and the guilt she felt towards it. Hester definitely grows to love Pearl whether or not she is known as by the "elf-like child". Pearl is what holds Hester together, she is the only company she has everyday, the one person that was always by her side. Pearl constantly asks Hester what the A on her bosom stands for, as you said she refuses to tell her because she doesn't want Pearl to go through what she went through, and she knows Pearl would most likely want to be like her because since the day she was born she's seen her mother wear the A. I believe Hester did the right thing in not telling Pearl what the A symbolizes. It's her way of protecting her daughter.
Delete-Jasmine Marshall
I agree with this, the only thing I think different is maybe Hester didn't want her knowing the real meaning of the A because she didn't want Pearl to stop looking up to her as a role model. Pearl was already tough to handle and contain without her knowing her mother committed an extreme sin and that she was born in a sinful manner. If Pearl had found that out I feel like she would have been even more rebellious and had more emotional problems.
DeleteI agree with you in that Hester was ashamed of Pearl in the beginning and that she didn't want to have much to do with her because she thought of her as a symbol of her sin, however I think that she did come out of it and love Pearl and recognized her as her own gift. I think Hester wanted to raise Pearl in order to keep her from making the same mistake as she did. The fact that she made Pearl look nicer and tried to raise her as a good christian girl proved her honor as a mother. The only thing I might not completely agree with you on would be how you said that Hester hid the true meaning of the A from Pearl for her own good. I believe that Hester was ashamed and didn't want to make a spectacle out of herself to her own daughter, that may have been one of her more selfish choices rather than Pearls greater good.
DeleteLeAnn Brown
The first thing that the book talks about is how they build a cemetary and a prison. If your trying to build a perfect town that should not be the first thing on your list to build. This show a lot of forshowding in the book. Some how people know that their little town can not be so perfect. I think they knew that something was going to happen in the little utopia. It seems that if anything but perfect comes to their utopia they have a place to put the inperfection in. What I want to know is why did Dimsdal keep his secret for so long and why did he stay in the town, where he can get tormented by it everyday.He could of left the town.
ReplyDeleteI never even thought about what you first said! That is so true how they strangely thought that the first thing they should build in their "perfect" town was the prison...that's not very optimistic. Because if it was a perfect town then they wouldn't need a jail in the first place anyways! So thank you for pointing that out to me(:
DeleteI would have to agree with you on why didn't Dimesdale leave? I mean he knew he had sinned and he was a priest one of the most important people at that time and he had commited a horridable crime punished by death. He could've left but didn't maybe he loved Hester so much that he couldn't just leave her there with having to deal with the discrimination that she faced even though he did until he revealed it at the end of the book. That was something that I always wondered myself! :)
DeleteI agree with you, Barbara. The Puritans had this vision of a perfect holy town. Then I ask myself, why would a cemetery and prison are the first things to be built... Maybe they subconsciously knew that their pristine "utopia" could never be. They're human, even they can't deny that. So when Hester commits her sin the townspeople are enraged. Let alone when their priest has sinned right along with her. Dimmesdale kept his secret because he was a priest, a holy man "free of sin". There was no way he could admit something like that to his followers who looked upon him so highly. After seeing the judgement and hate Hester suffered why wouldn't Dimmesdale want to leave? I think he stayed out of guilt. He felt obligated to accept his sin along side Hester.
ReplyDeleteA very interesting concept was made about the will of Chillingworth in that him leaving all of fortune to Pearl was another form of exacting his revenge. Of course, it can also be viewed as a thoughtful gesture of him ensuring a prosperous life for Pearl but drawing from Chillingworth's ruthless obsession with revenge, that idea is highly unlikely. It takes a extreme amount of cunning and malevolence for Chillingworth to plan this long before his death. Also this shows his fathomless contempt for Dimmesdale by imposing his hatred on Pearl for evermore. Chillingworth truly did see this to the end and beyond.
ReplyDeleteAnother topic I wished were spoken about were if Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale really did go to Europe what would have happened? While they would try to make amends with each other I believe Hester and Dimmesdale's relationship would never truly be the same. Dimmesdale's morality has taken too much psychological damage that reuniting with Hester and Pearl and a change in scenery would do little to his psyche.
Pablo Munoz Per. 3
DeleteI didnt even notice that it could of been some sort of revenge from Chillingswoth, but i was always wondering that it was supicious that Chillingwoth left all that fortune to Pearl unless she open the light inside of him. And if Chillingworth planned this even to when he was dead kind of mysterious.
P.S. This is suppose to be under Kalina's Comment if not under her comment. Internet Explorer acting weird.
Beejen Patel Period 2
ReplyDeleteIn our discussion, I found the topic of why Hester did not run away very interesting and I enjoyed it as well. I believe that by all means, she had the right to leave the town since she committed a big sin and everyone looked upon her with scorn, disgust, and distrust. I would have felt awful and possibly not wanting to live if I was her due to the fact that everyone hated her. She could have left and started life all over again somewhere else and possibly say a lie about where her husband was(she could say he died). But I think it was her pride and ego that made her stay. I think that if she had left, then she would have been regarded as weak and not taking responsibility for her own actions by the townspeople. Therefore, she stayed because she knew she committed a grave mistake and wanted to repent. And she did so by offering to the poor. After many years, many folks disregarded her 'A' as adultery, but instead as able, because she was able to live with the burden and be repenting at the same time, which I'm sure would've been very difficult to do, especially in her financial and social situations.
A topic we talked about, but was cut short by the bell, that I wanted to elaborate on was why Chillingsworth left his property to Pearl. I said that maybe because he wanted Pearl (and maybe Hester too) to remember about Hester's sin and constantly be reminded, and he wanted to like 'haunt' her with the land/property--(*mind-blown moment*). But I wanted to know if there were any other reasons or ideas that other students came up with on why he may have done so.
Kelly Thornock, period 3
DeleteI like what you have to say about Hester not running away, Beejen! I agree that it is interesting as to why she didn't just run away and start over. It does take a lot of courage to stay in a place where everyone looks down on you. However, she was able to rebuild her reputation and drop the "A". I also think that as the story goes on, she sees Pearl as a way to motivate her and help her because Pearl is her reminder of what she did and I feel that overtime, it made her more determined to be a better person and prove herself to society.
Chad Schelly
Deleteper 2
I like your ideas about how she had every right to leave the colony. I especially liked your idea that she stayed because she wanted to repent. I think the reason she stayed is because if she had left the colony she wouldn't have ever been capable of forgiving herself. She would have gone through the same process which destroyed Reverend Dimmesdale for not owning up to his sin publicly. If Hester had ran then the knowledge of her unforgiven sin she would have taken with her would have destroyed her spiritually more than any public scorn or humiliation ever could.
I do agree with you beejen but i also feel like she does not run away because she wishes to be with Dimmesdale and to see him all the time instead of going away and never seeing him again.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting topic was mentioned about whether or not, if Pearl really knew all along what the scarlet letter symbolized. Throughout the book Pearl was the constant reminder of Hesters sin. From the day kids were making fun of Pearl as the "demon child" to when she kissed the letter in the forest. I believe that Pearl didn't know what it meant because if she did know ,things would have been different. If Pearl would have known that her father was Dimmersdale, then she would have blurted it out and told everyone in town. That or think less of her mother.
ReplyDeleteAnother topic that i expected to be discussed was why didn't Hester react when she clutched baby Pearl against her chest creating her to screech? Did she not feel sympathy for her child? She wasn't acting motherly to baby Pearl. i believe she was trying so hard to cover her sin, the scarlet letter, that she didn't think about her actions.
Nick Browen; period 3
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how on the very first page of the book, this Puritan community is described as a Utopia, but is quickly told there after that a cemetery and prison were one of the first institutions built, places of death and sin, rather than a hospital or schools, places of learning and life. This showcases the Puritans' awareness of sin, and perhaps foreshadowing the dark events that will take pace in this so called "Utopian community." And yet, outside the prison grow a rosebush, perhaps symbolizing the hope still alive in this dreary town.
A topic which I wish was brought about in the Socratic Seminar was the many illusions to Roger Chillingwoth as the "Black Man", what equated to the devil. Even Pearl, a child, warned her mother to stay away from the Black Man who has already taken Dimesdale. We see throughout the book Chillingworth become more and more bent on revenge and the evil come out from within him.
Nick, you're right about the beginning of the book. There was a strange contrast to the idea of Utopia and jails. If it were truly Utopia, you wouldn't need a jail, right? You bring up an interesting point about the foreshadowing. I'd never thought of it that way, but it certainly could be true. I also like the idea of the rosebush as a symbol of hope. It would be a beautiful contrast to the "dreary town", especially because its right next to the jail.
Delete-Alena Dinh
*period 2 not period 3
ReplyDeleteChad Schelly
ReplyDeleteper 2
I liked when the question was brought up about why Hester embroidered the Scarlet with such detail. I think that she made the letter so apparent and beautiful and eye catching because she wanted to show that she was going to completely own up to her sin. Although she felt ashamed and wanted to hide the letter from the public's view while on the scaffold i believe she knew while making the letter that the only way she would feel forgiven of her sin is if she didnt try to hide any of it. She had to completely accept her transgression and let the public become fully aware of her mistake if she would ever be able to be forgiven by God and by herself. If she didnt make the letter a significant part of who she was then she wouldnt be able to fully repent and she would never completely forgive herself on the inside because she would always feel as though she hadnt tried her hardest to be forgiven. So even though she feels embarrassed and ashamed in public, i think she made the scarlet letter very ornate and detailed because she knew it was the only path to complete forgiveness
Noah Munsinger
DeletePeriod 3
I like the ideas that you put forth on the topic of her accepting the transgression for which she is being punished, but I feel more like she made the A stand out because she wanted to seem like it didn't even bother her when she was in public. I don't believe that she was worried about forgiveness in the beginning, but that she was worried about putting out an image of pride to the public.
Bryce Johnson Period 2
ReplyDeleteThe scarlet A on Hester's chest symbolizes so much hate and sin in the world and only one person seems to see the good in it. Her daughter Pearl looks as it, as if it adds to her beauty, not take away from it. People say the A as being able not under the context of adultery. Pearl looked beyond the sin within the A, but instead brought out the joys of her mother which in turn made her look as if she were to be a devil of such.
I wish we had discussed why Hester decided to keep wearing the scarlet letter even though it had no effect in her life anymore. If she were to take it off and go into a new town, no one would be recognize the sin she has committed and she would be treated like a regular person.
Barbara Torres p.2-
ReplyDeleteIn our discussion i liked that we talked about ideas beyond the book, like how Hester never left the town or why Mr.Dimmesdale stayed aswell. I believed Hester stayed because maybe she wanted to face her sin or her punishment. She might of thought staying there and feeling that pain would help her feel better about her sin. I'm not really sure why Mr. Dimmesdale stayed suffering like he did or not just confess his sin to feel better. I think he might of stayed because he wanted to stay near his lover, Hester.
In the discussion i wished we would of talked more about the relationships with Roger Chillingsworth and his patient Mr. Dimmesdale. I don't get how Mr. Chillingsworth plan would of ever worked out or did anything to benefit him.
Jailene Vazquez per.2
ReplyDeleteIn the discussion I enjoyed the topic.of.how pearl admires the scarlet letter. we talked about how when Hester threw the scarlet letter.into the creek.pearl.brought it back. and how pearl didn't recognize who her mother really was without the scarlet letter. pearl was so used to seeing Hester with the scarlet letter that the letter.is now a part of her and her life. peals whole life evolved around the letter that represented her mother sin that brought pearl.to the world in which the world treated her as a demon child.pearl never did nothing wrong but she either way is punished for just being who she is...
a topic I wish we could of talked about was why the governor wanted to take pearl away from.hester. I mean its not his decision wheather Hester wanted to keep pearl or not. I also was wondering why all of a sudden Hester defended the right of her keeping pearl when all.she wanted was for the sin to be gone it just was weird.to ke how all of a sudden pearl is everything to.hester.why did she finally accept.her sin?
I like your point with how much Pearl admired the Scarlet Letter, that was definitely true, and i never really thought of it that way. However, i think it is mostly that Pearl strives to be like her mother, as most children do and admires the Scarlet Letter because it is something Hester wears.
DeleteSusana Cabrera Period 2
ReplyDeleteDuring the socratic semenar we discussed how the townspeople believed they lived in a perfect community, but however had a jail and cementary. These topics were the first things described in the book, ironically contradicting the belief they had, therefore giving readers a foreshadowing idea. We aslo talked about how Chillingsworth kept Dimmesdale's secret a secret. We came to the conclusion that Chillingsworth didn't say anything about the secret so he could keep torchering Dimmesdale...
In the discussion I would of wanted to talk about why Dimmesdale decided to stay instead of leaving when he found out Hester was being punished for an action he was part of?
Esmeralda Acevedo; Period 2
ReplyDeleteIn the discussion I enjoyed talking about the irony of the first thing being built in a purtian community is a prison and a cementary. I also enjoyed talking about how Hester took pride in her letter, and how she didn't try hiding it. She embroided it beautifully and made it very eye catching.
In the discussion I would have liked to talk more about Hester and Dimmesdale's romance, and why they never left the purtian community together in the beginning of the story.