A Letter To Arthur Dimmesdale – The Scarlet Letter

If I was one of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale’s parishioner in The Scarlet Letter, this is what I would write him….

Dear Rev. Dimmesdale,

I am your humblest parishioner, writing from my humblest heart, as I happened to know the deepest secret you have kept in your heart for the last seven years. I know that what you have done was a sin, no one would disagree that, but I also remember from your sermons, many times you have emphasized that our God is a Merciful God. Thus, when people fall in sin, and they really regret it and ask for repentance, you told us yourself, that God would forgive them. So, why don’t you just do that, instead of torturing your own soul with the realization that people see you as a holy person while you are far from it?

Dear Mr. Dimmesdale, no mankind is free from sin, Jesus was the only Man who have never committed sin. You might not know, but your colleagues are definitely sinners too, including your senior Rev. Wilson. Even St. Peter and St. Paul had also fell in sin in the past, and what Paul had done was as great as—if not greater than—adultery; he murdered a large numbers of Jesus’ followers! But look at what happened to him afterwards, God forgave him, and gave him a bigger task to gain much more souls to be baptist.

If I, your humblest parishioner, may share my humblest opinion of what you should do next—and this I collected from your sermons too, mind you—I think you must stop blaming yourself, it won’t bring you anywhere. You have committed a sin. Ask repentance from God. Leave the past behind. Remember what God had put you in your position for. Finish your job. Move from the parish if you want, but for God’s sake, build your new life and be useful for Him!

But, once again, I’m just a humble parishioner. I did not have the right to make decision for you, dear Mr. Dimmesdale. What I do know is that you should leave the parish, leave Hester Prynne and little Pearl, and especially that wicked Mr. Chillingworth. Ask God for a new spirit to build your new life. I can only pray for the best of you and to God’s plan for you.

--Your humble parishioner—

Gone With The Wind Read Along: UPDATE & REMINDER

Hi guys…how are you all doing with Gone With The Wind so far? Just want to remind you that we are approaching the end of our read along. As I have mentioned before, we would post our reviews simultaneously on Margaret Mitchell’s birthday on November 8^th, 2012. The review page will be opened on that day at 7:30 am (GMT+7). You can add your review post URL in the linky. And….we will have another giveaway hosted by Bzee! Please check out Bzee’s giveaway, because your review posts will automatically be entered to that giveaway.

In the meantime I’d like to remind you too, that my giveaway for update posts is still on. Please add your posts in Update Posts page by latest November 8^th, 2012 at 7:00 am (GMT+7), because after that the linky will be closed. You could still send your update post after that via comment, but will not be eligible to the giveaway.

The Scarlet Letter – Summary Chapter XIII – XVI

Chapter XIII – Another View of Hester

Seven years after Pearl was born, now people saw Hester as a kind and charitable woman who always helped the needs; that the letter ‘A’ on her bosom had a new meaning of ‘Able’. Hester herself has changed from a woman with passion and feeling to one full of thoughts; and seeing Dimmesdale on his last vigil, Hester resolved to rescue him by confronting Roger Chillingworth.

Side note:

A dark question often rose into Hester’s mind with reference to womanhood: “Was existence worth accepting, even to the happiest among them?” –a hint of feminism? (p. 140)

Chapter XIV – Hester and the Physician

Talking to Chillingworth, Hester realized how he had transformed from wise and intellectual man to a fiend; and he refused to let Dimmesdale free. Chillingworth realized his own soul corruption but accepted it as fate, even when Hester threatened that she would reveal the secret.

Chapter XV – Hester and Pearl

Pearl—who was let playing on the seashore—wore seaweeds on her bosom to resemble her mother’s scarlet letter. Pearl kept asking her mother about the meaning of the scarlet letter, and why the minister kept placing his hand over his heart; but Hester did not want to explain the truth, so she lied to Pearl about the scarlet letter.

Side notes:

• At first Hester wanted to tell the truth about the scarlet letter meaning to Pearl to be able to share her burden, however at last she kept it to herself, why?
• By lying about the scarlet letter…. “a guardian spirit, who now forsook her, as recognizing that, in spite of his strict watch over her heart, some new evil had crept into it, or some old one had never been expelled.” (p. 154)

Chapter XVI – A Forest Walk

Hester and Pearl had a walk in the forest to intercept Dimmesdale, to warn him about the danger of Chillingsworth’s company for his soul. Pearl asked her mother about the Black Man, whether he had anything to do with the scarlet letter on her bosom and with the minister’s habit to place his hand on his heart.

My thoughts:

Pearl: “And, Mother, he has his hand over his heart! Is it because, when the minister wrote his name in the book (Black Man’s book), the Black Man set his mark in that place? But why does he not wear it outside his bosom, as thou dost, Mother?” Well, that’s a good observation, child! You should be proud of your mother, who had the courage to admit her wrong doing, and not hiding under a hypocrite mask. (p. 159)

Side note:

What about the scene of Pearl catching the sunshine (and eventually could catch it)? Did it point to Pearl’s innocent vs Hester’s sin? (“Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hide itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.”) p. 156

The Scarlet Letter – Summary Chapter IX – XII

Chapter IX – The Leech

Roger Chillingworth befriended with young minister Dimmesdale who got paler and weaker day after day; and finally lived together with him in an apartment to investigate the illness, but his real purpose was to dig his deepest secret—according to Chillingworth’s suspicion. Meanwhile, people saw Chillingworth had transformed from a kind hearted physician to an evil leech to Dimmesdale; they wondered whether the clergyman was being haunted by Satan’s emissary in disguise of Chillingworth.

[source]

Chapter X – The Leech and His Patient

Roger Chillingworth concluded that Dimmesdale’s ill was not bodily but spiritually, and offered to examine his soul, which made Dimmesdale angry; however their friendship had remained unbroken. Few days later when Dimmesdale was asleep, Chillingworth put aside the clergyman’s vest, then went away in an evil ecstasy as if the Satan has won a soul.

My thoughts:

What was that that he might have found in the clergyman’s bosom that he always kept closed?

Chapter XI – The Interior of A Heart

Chillingworth's mind playing games resulted on the clergyman’s soul suffering from his guilt; he wanted to confess to his people but scared to do it, while the people thought the topic of sin in his sermons were heavenly. Dimmesdale began to feel scared at Chillingworth but did not know why, and was having delusion about Pearl pointing her finger to his heart; then one night he had an idea of how to end his anguish, and left home at once.

My thoughts:

We tend to judge a person from his outside appearance, for example, we always assuming that clergymen are more holy than us, just because of their robes. Dimmesdale and Hester Pryne shared the same sin, but people condemned Hester because she wore the scarlet letter on her bossom, while Dimmesdale hid behind his ‘holy’ robe. Priests are God’s representative on earth, their task is to lead us to God, but it doesn’t mean they are better than us; they are—just like us—not immune to sin.

Chapter XII – The Minister’s Vigil

Dimmesdale went straight to the scaffold where Hester had stood in shame years before, to die on it; Hester and Pearl who had passed by, joined him, when suddenly the light of meteor shone and illuminated them on the eyes of Chillingforth, who finally took Dimmesdale home. Meanwhile, a great red letter ‘A’ appeared in the sky—a projection of the meteor—that Dimmesdale took as a signal of his guilt, while people took it as ‘Angel’ which pointed to a dead Governor at the same night.

My thoughts:

People used to believe things as how they want to believe. A glare of red line that resembles a letter ‘A’ could be seen as different things, depends on each point of view.

Mr. Utterson in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: Character Thursday (34)

This time I will not pick the main character from this Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic story. Dr. Jekyll’s (or Mr. Hyde’s) personalities had been explained quite clearly in the story itself, left almost nothing to analyze. Instead, I will pick Mr. Utterson—the lawyer, one of Dr. Jekyll’s trusted friends. Mr. Utterson’s personalities were more intriguing, for me, than Dr. Jekyll’s; the first passage of the story was about him.

Mr. Utterson was pictured as a “cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse, backward in sentiment, and dreary; yet he is somehow loveable”. See a bit of contradiction here? Other than that, Mr. Utterson was austere with him self, strict to a humble and simple life style; yet he had an approved tolerance for others in their misdeeds. These, I guess, were human’s typical dual side in their personality, the kind and the evil, the good and the bad. As we realize our bad side, we try hard to suppress it by pushing on healthy habits. That was a good practice, but sometimes…under certain circumstances (good taste wine in the case of Mr. Utterson), we loosen our strict discipline and let us wonder a bit on our wild side.

Mr. Utterson & Mr. Hyde

It’s interesting what Mr. Utterson has said about himself, “I incline to Cain’s heresy… I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.” As if Stevenson put the opening situation for the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here. It indeed one of human’s weaknesses (from the beginning with Adam & Eve), to see our limits in the battle between good and bad. We know that if we nurture our bad side, the bad side will take over our life control. The question is, to which point we could let our selves until we cross that line of our bad side?  We like to play on this, just like what Mr. Utterson did, although he perhaps didn’t play on himself but on others (by ‘letting his brother go to the devil in his own way).

An interesting character of Mr. Utterson, and fortunately, he never got too far from the limit, until the end of the story.

That is my Character Thursday of this week, an analysis of book character of my choice, who is yours?... Just put your post URL in the linky below. Do you like to join us in discussing characters from books you read? See the details of Character Thursday first.

The Scarlet Letter – Summary Chapter V - VIII

Chapter V – Her Needle

"Hester at her needle" (courtesy of
Nathaniel Hawthorne Collection)

Out of the prison, Hester lived in a small cottage, and for living she did a fine embroidery needle work—which decorated the Puritan’s fashion, including the Governor's—while on the other hand she did charity by making coarse clothes for the poor. On the contrary of her fine work, Hester felt lonely as the society—even the poor and neighborhood children—secluded her because of her scarlet letter.

My thoughts

It’s absurd that people who regarded Hester Prynne as a sinful woman, wore her embroidery works with all pride. “Vanity, it may be, chose to mortify itself by putting on, for ceremonials of pomp and state, the garments that had been wrought by her sinful hands.” (p.70)

Side note

Hester had a sense that there are hidden sins in other hearts, that ‘the outward guise of purity was but a lie, and that, if truth were everywhere to be shown, a scarlet letter would blaze forth on many a bosom besides Hester Prynne’s’. (p.73)

Chapter VI – Pearl

Born from sinful passions, Pearl turned out to be a beautiful and radiant little child—especially with elegant dresses Hester made for her (it’s been years after Hester’s release from prison). However, there is a shadowy evil reflection from her face and manner that often terrifying Hester, and made the Puritans believed Pearl to be a demon offspring.

My thoughts:

Although she was only a little child, Pearl could seem to understand that she and her mother were to be secluded from society. She never complained about her loneliness, for never being allowed to play with children her age. She could create her own amusement, but unfortunately those amusements were Pearl’s way to express her anger from being treated unfair. Is this what Puritan believed the best result of punishing a sinner? Creating a new ‘demon’?

Side notes

The two sides of Pearl’s soul; at times she was an angelic sweet creature, but at another time she was like a demon; and the transformation was so quick!

Chapter VII – The Governor’s Hall

Hester went together with Pearl to Governor Bellingham’s mansion as people were speaking of separating Pearl from her mother because she was believed to be demon origin. While waiting at the mansion hall, Hester saw Pearl’s devilish expression reflected from the Governor’s shining armor, as well as her exaggerated scarlet letter.

My thoughts:

Pearl became sensitive and protective (for her and her mother) towards any insults from the outside; she fought children who tried to insult them; so now it’s not Hester protecting Pearl, but Pearl protecting her mother (and herself). (p. 86)

Side notes:

• The rich and luxuriant of Governor’s mansion, and his pride of his ancestor’s history were described in detail, what was it reflecting? (p. 88)
• Pearl was so excited when she saw rosebushes in Governor’s garden outside the window. Was it related somehow with the rosebushes in the prison door? (p. 90)

Chapter VIII – The Elf-Child and the Minister

The Governor, who came into the hall with Rev. Wilson, young minister Arthur Dimmesdale, and Robert Chillingworth, wanted to take away Pearl from Hester; but being pleaded by Hester, Rev Dimmisdale defended her by saying that uniting the child and the mother would keep the mother’s soul from Satan’s grab; the defense succeeded, and Pearl showed her appreciation by tenderly pressed Rev. Dimmisdale’s hand to her cheek. Before leaving the mansion, Hester was invited to join a witches gathering by Governor’s sister, which she rejected (but would have accepted had she failed to keep Pearl).

My thoughts:

Robert Chillingworth’s comment towards Dimmisdale’s defense: “You speak, my friend, with a strange earnestness” and Pearl’s instinctive affection towards the young minister…. Were they signals of who might have been Pearl’s real father?...

The Scarlet Letter – Summary Chapter I - IV

[A woman’s sufferings from cruel treatment and humiliation of Puritan society]

Chapter I – The Prison Door

[source]

An old prison in Boston presented a contrast between its dreary door and—strangely—the freshness of wild rosebush near the threshold.

My thoughts:

The contrast is representing good moral that will be fighting against the Puritan.

Side note:

Ann Hutchinson is a Puritan woman, courageous exponent of civil liberty and religious toleration.

Metaphor:

Black flower of civilized society.

Chapter II – The Market Place

Hester Prynne—holding her baby—was brought out of the prison with a scarlet letter ‘A’ embroidered on her breast, to be paraded to the market place where she was exhibited to public shame for her sin: adultery; but she confronted the condemning eyes of spectators with dignity and elegance. Meanwhile, a series of memories about her past crossed her mind; from her childhood, about a man with slightly deformed feature and a bright future she might have had.

Side note:

The women hated Hester more than the men, jealousy? (p. 44-46)

Chapter III – The Recognition

From the crowd Hester recognized a man with slightly deformed figure, and became alarmed; the strange man recognized her too before he learned the complete version of Hester’s story: wife of an intelligent English man who sent her away two years ago, then committed an adultery until giving birth to a baby. The clergymen (Rev. Wilson and young Rev. Dimmesdale) persuaded Hester to confess who her lover was, but she refused to speak up.

My thoughts:

 The young clergyman, in spite of his task to make Hester talk, seemed to admire her brave for holding the truth: “She will not speak…wondrous strength and generosity of a woman’s heart! She will not speak!”

Side note:

It was whispered: ‘The scarlet letter threw a lurid gleam along the dark passageway of the prison’.

Chapter IV – The Interview

Hester and the baby need physician, and the man who recognized her in the market place came for the call; made draught for both mother and baby. Roger Chillingworth—the name he called himself—did not want to avenge, he admitted his folly by marrying a much younger girl who did not love him, then made Hester swore to keep his identity as her husband, and promised her that he would somehow find the mysterious lover she kept the secret.

Side note:

Roger Chillingworth last words: ‘not thy soul’…did it mean that he would take avenge to Hester’s lover?