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. 

Dialectical Journals #1-10

Dialectical Journal 1 (Page 45)

“But on one side of the portal… was a wild rose-bush… which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in…”

      In this, Hawthorne is speaking of a rosebush growing by the entrance of a prison. It is a symbol of how, in this strict Puritan society, the only wild and free thing is this rosebush. Its beauty brings comfort to those entering the prison, and is rumored to have been created by Ann Hutchinson as she walked into the Boston Prison.           

Dialectical Journal 2 (Page 50)

 'On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. It was so artistically done.... had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore…was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.’

      Hester embroidered the “A” in a very intricate way, transforming her punishment into something of her own. Even though the letter has condemned her to solitude, it has changed into a symbol of her abilities.      

Dialectical Journal 3 (Page 57)

 ‘like a man chiefly accustomed to look inward, and to whom … might have passed for calmness.’

      The man who arrives at the market place is deformed with snakelike qualities: evil and menacing. He is deceptive, arriving as a stranger, when in fact he is Hester’s presumed-to-be-dead husband. He is like a snake waiting to strike at his victim.

Dialectical Journal 4 (Page 73)

 ‘Hester Prynne, therefore, did not flee….Hester established herself, with her infant child.

      Hester is alienated and forced to live away from the townspeople, but she doesn’t give up hope or run away from her problems. She accepts what she has done and shows that she is willing to accept the consequences. Her living between the forest and the town represents how her life is just sort of in the middle of nowhere.

Dialectical Journal 5 (Page 76)

 ‘there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every….rest of humankind.’

      Even though the townspeople view Hester as a symbol of sin and evil, they are hypocritical because they admired her sewing talent and use it. She would never belong to a group but is called upon to sew for all, but interesting never a bride. Maybe they felt that it was going to far and would bring the bride bad luck. Even the Governor and minister both wore items made from her. 

Dialectical Journal  6 (Page 77)

‘But sometime, once in many days, or perchance….Had Hester sinned alone?’

      Hester connects with strangers and can briefly see inside their souls and is in this way saint-like. Both side’s sins unite, but the stranger eventually withdraws. This leaves her with the pain from both of them.

Dialectical Journal 7 (Page 79)

‘what interest their imaginations, had a story about the scarlet letter….incredulity may be inclined to admit.”

     Hester’s scarlet letter A seems like it has supernatural powers because it appears to glow red when she walks at night. This concept was referred to earlier when the townspeople saw the letter glowing when Hester was walking back to her cell at the prison. This beautiful letter has a sort of mystical appeal.

Dialectical Journal  8 (Page 85)

‘The spell of life went forth from her ever creative spirit…whom Pearl smote down and uprooted, most unmercifully.’

      Although she is a very young girl, Pear can sense the hostility from the other villagers and their children. She retaliates against the children, her voice sounding like that of a witch using an unknown tongue. She goes home and reenacts the scene, using dark trees to represent grown-ups and the ugly weeds as the children, which she violently rips out of the ground.

Dialectical Journal  9 (Page 81)

 ‘So magnificent was the small figure…picture of her just as perfect.’

Pearls begin their existence as a speck of sand inside an oyster, but end up incredibly beautiful. Pearl’s name symbolizes that although one may be born of a dirty sin, they can still develop into something lovely.

Dialectical Journal 10 (Page 92)

 "The bond-servant, perhaps judging from the decision of her air and the glittering symbol in her bosom, that she was a great lady in the land, offered no opposition."
      The bond-servant sees Hester and Pearl for the first time when they come to the Governor's home. He sees Hester’s A-embroidered clothing, but thinks her a woman of high authority and nobility. Thusly, he lets Hester and her daughter in.

5 Things: A Very Weak Connection to the Theme Established in Chapter 1

1. Hawthorne writes of the grass-plot in front of the prison.  

2. The summer day was nice, but it was unrecognized

3. The baby shielding its eyes from the sunlight

4. the scaffold represents nature’s ability to be dark

5. the unadulterated sunshine

Vocabulary Words List 4 Sentences

Constrained – forced, compelled, obliged; verb

Although Louis’ work provided groundbreaking knowledge in particle theory, he was constrained by a lack of funding.

Amenable – open to influence; adjective

The amenable child turned to a life of crime after witnessing her brother shoplift in every store.

Averred – to assert or affirm with confidence; verb

The lawyer averred that his client was not guilty after presenting the evidence

Heterodox – not in accordance with established or accepted doctrines or opinions; adjective

The girl’s negative opinion on The Avengers was heterodox, seeing as how the movie got incredible reviews from everyone else in the class. 

Vocabulary Words List 4

Anathema – a person or thing detested or loathed; noun

Emolument – profit, slavery, or fees from office or employment, compensation for services; noun

Mountebank – attractive and influencing an audience by tricks, storytelling, etc.

Deleterious – injurious to health, harmful; adjective

Misanthropy – hatred, dislike, or distrust of humankind; noun

Indefatigable – untiring; adjective

Constrained – forced, compelled, obliged; verb 

Amenable – open to influence; adjective

Averred – to assert or affirm with confidence; verb

Heterodox – not in accordance with established or accepted doctrines or opinions; adjective