Dialectical Journals #11-20

Dialectical Journal 11 (Page 94)

 “Hester looked, by way of humoring the child…In truth she seemed absolutely hidden behind it.” 

When Hester looks at her reflection, the scarlet letter is the only thing she sees.  It appears larger than it really is because of the convex mirror. Hester’s character is being shaped by the letter.  She could have chosen to leave the village, but instead, Hester stays to raise her daughter among a group of strangers who treat her like dirt.  Through this, Hester is becoming a stronger person and she is raising a child with a mind of her own.

Dialectical Journal 12 (Page 100)

“God gave me the child…I will die first”

In Hester’s plea to keep Pearl, she tells them that Pearl gives her great joy, but she is also reminded of the sin she committed and will have to live with the rest of her life.

Interestingly, Pearl is compared to the scarlet letter, which is only capable of being loved. The two are intertwined in Hester’s life (joy from the child and the sin she committed), and she cannot live without both in her life.  She and the young minister, speaking on Hester’s behalf, had turned this situation into a good thing.

Dialectical Journal 13 (Page 103)

“As they descended the steps…mine own blood!”

By bringing Gov. Bellingham’s sister into the picture, it shows the real forces of darkness and evil. 

Dialectical Journal 14 (Page 106)

‘Some declared, that, if Mr. Dimmesdale were really going to die…..indicative of pain.’

Dimmesdale represented spirituality and Chillingworth medicine. Both should have worked together to cure his affliction, but couldn’t . Dimmesdale was messed up because he could confess that he was the father of Hester’s child, Pearl. He refused to marry any of the women who are concerned over him because of moral considerations. By waiting for God to help sort things out, he was causing Hester to suffer move. The colors white like a pearl representing Pearl and good; and black representing the Black Man and evil shows the differences between light and darkness.  Because Hester was able to keep her child, she was prevented from taking the path to darkness. 

Dialectical Journal 15 (Page 108)

‘For the sake of the minister’s health, and to enable the leech…among the treetops.’

Physicians were called leaches because they used leeches to draw blood out of the sick, just as Chillingworth was sucking the life out of Dimmesdale by needing to know everything about him.

Dialectical Journal 16 (Page 111) ‘And the Reverend Dimmesdale’s best discerning friends….and the mysterious old physician.’

Dismmesdale and Chillingworth moved into an abode with a pious widow. The physician was sure he would be able to cure Dimmesdale, but his health continued to decline. The Puritans felt and saw something ugly and evil in Chillingworth’s face. They felt that Dismmesdale was being hunted by the devil in the form of Chillingworth. 

Dialectical Journal 17 (Page 113) ‘This man, said he, at one such moment, to himself, ….dig farther in the direction of this vein.’

The physician suspects that Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl and tries to pry the truth out of him. Dimmesdale does say he is not sick in body but of the soul. The clergyman had this perception that something bad had become between them. He also no longer trusted man as his friend.

Dialectical Journal 18 (Page 114)

‘Even in the grave-yard, here at hand…when all hidden things shall be revealed.’

Like the serpent he is, Chillingworth tried to pry a confession out of Dimmesdale and fueled Dimmesdale’s struggle with his soul. Chillingworth speaks of the unknown, ugly weed growing out of an unmarked grave to that of a buried secret that lies within the heart of man.

Dialectical Journal 19 (Page 119)

‘No! not to thee! …. Not to an earthly physician.’

Dimmesdale knew he would never confess to a physician; only to the Physician (God) of the soul because it was a soul disease. He felt that Chillingworth was meddling in something that should happened between him and God. Chillingworth said they would be friends again. A theme Hawthorne repeatedly states was that nobody should have the right to look into another person's mind or soul.

Dialectical Journal 20 (Page 121)

‘But what distinguished the physician’s ecstasy from Satan’s was the trait of wonder in it!’

Until this point, Chillingworth was compared to Satan. He couldn’t be Satan because Satan would not be surprised due to his knowing of everything. He would just have to prove that Dimmesdale was Pearl’s father. Chillingworth was surprised and gleeful to discover the hidden letter etched on Dimmesdale’s chest.