The Scarlet Letter

1. The Scarlet Letter By Avery Sauer and Olivia Dodd

2. Chapter 19 Summary • At this point in the book it’s revealed to the reader that Dimmesdale is Hester’s lover. In chapter 19, Hester and Dimmesdale are sitting by the brook with their daughter Pearl. Hester is telling Dimmesdale about Pearl since he hasn’t really been present in her life and they realize how Pearl resembles him a lot. Pearl is apprehensive about meeting this Dimmesdale because he is a stranger to her. She refuses to listen to Hester and will not join Dimmesdale and her mom. Pearl then gets upset because Hester isn’t wearing the scarlet letter A so Hester puts it back on. Hester and Dimmesdale then begin discussing their plans to leave America and the A behind forever.

3. Chapter 20 Summary • Reverend Dimmesdale leaves Pearl and Hester behind in the forest and Pearl quickly rejoins Hester once he is gone. He starts thinking about his and Hester’s plans for leaving the colony. In three days there was a ship headed back for the Old World and he, Hester, and Pearl would be onboard it. As he is leaving the forest he notices how much energy he now has, he is getting through the forest very easily compared to a few days ago. He keeps running into people from his town, first the oldest church member then the youngest converted church member and a witch as well. He has absolutely no scripture to speak to them and has the urge to corrupt and speak blasphemous teachings to them. Satan keeps tempting him with different people as he makes his way through the town. He finally reaches the safety of his study without selling himself to the devil. But oh no, Chillingworth lives with him… Chillingworth insists that he needs to do medical work on Dimmesdale so that Dimmesdale will be ready for his last sermon but Dimmesdale refuses. With all these foreign feelings inside of him, he throws away his old Election day sermon and begins working on a new one.

4. Symbolism • The symbolism in chapter 19 is how Pearl wants to put Hester’s scarlet A back on. She isn’t used to seeing Hester without it and it’s symbolic because in Pearl’s eyes the A isn’t Hester’s sin, it’s just apart of Hester’s daily look. The A has lost its meaning. • The major symbolism in chapter 20 is when Dimmesdale meets with Hester and talks about their plans to leave Boston. After this discussion, Dimmesdale runs through the woods with ease. This symbolizes his guilt easing off his shoulders a little bit and as the guilt is dissipating his health is improving.

5. Chapter 19 Vocabulary • Prattle- Idle, foolish or irrelevant talk • Thou- Archaic form of the word ‘you’ • Thitherward- Toward that place • Deportment- The way a person behaves toward people • Accosting- Approach someone with an offer of sexual favors • Mollified- To be more favorably inclined, make softer • Multitudinous- Too numerous to be counted

6. Chapter 20 Vocabulary • Vicissitude- Mutability in life or nature • Disquietude- Feeling of mild anxiety about the possible future • Introspection- To reflect on one’s own thoughts and feelings • Irrefragable- Not able to be disputed • Plashy- The sound of water splashing • Weathercock- Weathervane in the form of a rooster • Obeisance- The act of obeying

7. Themes • The theme of chapter 19 is sin may mark you but it doesn’t define you. Even though Hester is wearing an A to mark her sin, it doesn’t change who she is in the eyes of the people who love her. • The theme of chapter 20 is riding of your guilt and making things right will set you free. As Dimmesdale is bringing his issues into the open, he is feeling physically strong enough to run through the forest. • Also, a theme of chapter 20 is if you fake something for long enough you’ll eventually snap in the opposite direction. This wording is weird but as Dimmesdale is running through town he keeps thinking of corruption and blasphemy. It’s almost like, now that he’s almost free of being a puritan Reverend he wants to rebel in more ways than just simply leaving the colony with Hester. He thinks he almost made a deal with the devil.

8. Character Development • Dimmesdale has developed a lot in these chapters. He is kind of (in a way) coming out into the open with his sin. He is also starting to rebel against everything he stands for. Dimmesdale is finally seeing his church’s corruption and wants the town to know how silly they are for buying into some of the things he has taught them. • Pearl is about to have a lot happen in her life, she already is in the dark about a lot of her mother’s life and now she’s about to leave her home with her mom and some strange man. Pearl has begun to feel jealous and apprehensive because someone is wedging his way into her and her mom’s life. She is also developing a rebellious spirit as well because she refused to listen to her mom at the brook.

9. Literary Devices • Foreshadowing- When Dimmesdale throws away his old manuscript and begins a new one it foreshadows a lot. He is about to bring the whole church down and tell everyone about his new beliefs. Omg • Irony- It’s ironic that the head Reverend of the church is the corrupt one. Besides being an adulterer, he used a woman’s sexual attraction to him to convince her to come into the church. He has now come to grips with this too.

10. Quiz • 1. Why does Pearl get upset towards Hester? • 2. What does the word prattle mean? • 3. Where are Hester and Dimmesdale going to? • 4. Where did Dimmesdale leave Pearl and Hester? • 5. What does Chillingworth insist?