What happens at the end of scarlet letter?

What happens at the end of scarlet letter?

In the end, Chillingworth is morally degraded by his monomaniacal pursuit of revenge. Dimmesdale is broken by his own sense of guilt, and he publicly confesses his adultery before dying in Hester’s arms. Only Hester can face the future bravely, as she prepares to begin a new life with her daughter, Pearl, in Europe.

What does the scarlet letter symbolize in the end?

The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester. The letter’s meaning shifts as time passes.

Why does Hester return to Boston in the end?

Hawthorne deliberately leaves the reasons why Hester returns to Boston ambiguous, yet with the evidence presented, it is clear that Hester returns to Boston to continue her defiance of Puritan law and to repin the letter that makes up so much of her character.

Who is the father of Hester’s baby?

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale In a moment of weakness, he and Hester became lovers. Although he will not confess it publicly, he is the father of her child.

What happened to Pearl at the end?

Hester returns to live the rest of her life in her cottage, and she becomes famous throughout the community for her help with the poor and sick. The narrator infers that Pearl is happily married and living overseas in Europe. Hester eventually dies and is buried in the cemetery at the site of the King’s Chapel.

What ultimately happens to Pearl?

What ultimately happens to Pearl, and why do you think Hester chooses to remain in the village? She leaves to go seek a new life in Europe. Chillingworth left all his inheritance to Pearl, after he died. Pearl became super rich, she got married, and started a family.

What is the most important symbol in The Scarlet Letter?

A
The letter “A” is the most overt symbol in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, as it’s referenced even in the title of the book. The scarlet “A” that Hester Prynne is ordered to wear stands for her sin of adultery.

What is Hawthorne’s message in Scarlet Letter?

Written in 1849 and published in 1850, the novel The Scarlet Letter by American Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 – 1864), delves deeply into the concept of sin, the awareness of guilt, and the effects that religious fanaticism can have on human communities and individuals.

Why does Hester keep Chillingworth’s secret?

Why does Hester agree to keep Chillingworth’s identity a secret? She only accepts to do it perhaps out of fear, or because she knows that disclosing this information would make matters worse for everybody involved.

Are Maxine and Pearl the same person?

Despite their age gap and Pearls’ homicidal tendencies, the characters are essentially one and the same, with Pearl acting as a prediction of Maxine’s future. Most films would have simply cast different people, but horror director Ti West always knew he wanted the same actor to double for Maxine and Pearl.

Where did Dimmesdale make his final confession?

This third and final scaffold scene serves as a catharsis, as all unsettled matters are given resolution. Pearl acquires a father, Dimmesdale finally confesses, and Chillingworth definitively loses his chance for revenge.

Who is to blame in the scarlet letter?

The one person in this messy triangle who seems to escape the feeling of guilt is Chillingworth—but he gets plenty of blame. By the end of The Scarlet Letter, both Hester and Dimmesdale agree that Chillingworth is the real villain in this situation.

  • October 12, 2022