Well I have not completely finished the book yet (I am almost there!) I have really enjoyed most of this section of the novel. The first thing that grasped my attention on this section was how much Hester now hates Roger. She also quotes, 'He betrayed me! He has done me worse wrong then I did him!' (Hawthrone 173) Is this true though? I don't know if I agree with her one hundred percent that he was the one who was more of the wrongdoer. I think that they both are equally to blame for everything that happened between them.
A few pages after this happened, Pearl begins to question why her mother wears the scarlet 'A' on her bosom and why the minister holds his hand on his heart. She keeps begging her mother to tell her, but the only responce Pearl gets is 'Silly Pearl, I wear it for the sake of its gold thread.' (Hawthorne 177) Personally, I just wish that Hester would confess to Pearl and tell her why she wears it. They have been though so much together, and even though she is little-she should tell her all about her Scarlet letter plus who her father is!
When I wrote my last post , I was confused to whom the 'Black Man' they were dicussing was. It turns out to be that he is a man who haunts the forest and has people write their names with their own blood! Once again, Hester lies about her 'A' when she says 'Once in my life I met the Black Man!, This Scarlet Letter is his Mark! (Hawthorne 182)
Chapter 17 was a very intense chapter! I was happy to see that both the minister and Hester confessed things to each other. The minister told Hester that he has not found peace these past seven years. I know Hester has had more to deal with than the minister. However, I still wish that he had found peace and that he didn't have to suffer in his mind all this time. Hester said an even bigger thing to the minister! 'That old man!-the physician!-he whom they call Roger Chillingworth!-he was my husband!' (Hawthorne 190) I thought that Hester was going to keep this inside of her for the whole book. I am glad that she found the courage to speak this towards him (even though he already knew about it).
It's fascinating that after all the problems the minister and Hester had that they are coming together to fight through their differences. 'She undid the the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and,taking it off her bosom,threw it to a distance among the withered leaves. (Hawthorne 198) I was in utter shock when she chose to try to forget about the 'A' ever being on her! This only lasted for a short period though. Pearl never saw her mother like this, so it made her turn insane! Without her mom having the letter on, she wouldn't become herself again. I understand why she had to put the letter back on. The things that happened from your past will always be a part whether they were good or bad. I feel like Hester needs to keep the 'A' on forever!
2 comments:
Honestly I was surprised how long it took Hester to hate her husband. Chillingworth in the story acts like a... dirt bag( I cant write the actual word so yeah) I though the Black Man was the devil same with how in the story The Devil and Tom Walker, Old Scratch was the devil. I dont think Hester should keep the A forever, but I do think she should never forget what she did since if she does she'll be losing apart of herself.
Do you think Pearl is too young to know and understand her mother's sin? Should Hester have told her or is it better to wait until she understands?
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