The Scarlet Letter: Part 3: 13-18

As mentioned in one of my earlier entries, Hester was once a beautiful woman, but seven years has passed since the events taken place in the first chapter and Hester has somehow hidden, smoothing over the features that once characterized her. It’s in chapter 13 that we, as the audience, get to see that even though Hester has lost some of her previous qualities, she has gained some equally admirable ones since being branded with the scarlet letter. This is made evident with how the letter is interpreted as “Able” instead of “Adulterer”. What once was Hester’s burden and mark of shame has morphed into a badge of pride. While I like Hester’s character from the beginning, I found her personality to be more admirable as the story progressed. For example, when Hester confronts Chillingworth, telling him to leave Dimmesdale alone. I don’t think “old” Hester would have done, and the fact that she does seems to indicate an internal metamorphosis in her inner character to match her outer one. Chillingworth, on the other hand, shows to have let his thirst for revenge rot him from the inside out over the years, and he seems to become the “black man” that Pearl had earlier labeled him as. By this point in time, Pearl seems as curious and even more insightful as ever. Although, I have to wonder how much of it she actually understands, even though I think adults have a tendency to underestimate what children do understand. Pearl seems to be an exceptionally bright child, as she shows to understand that there is some connection between the letter “A” that her mother wears and the reason why the Dimmesdale is always clutching at his chest. In the forest scenes of these chapters, Hester and her former lover meet for the first time since the events of the story all began. I thought the forest somehow represented a symbol freedom and magic that allows Hester and Dimmesdale to be honest with each other and themselves, as well as, for their fay-like child. Hester even seems to revitalize her as she lets down her hair and rips off the letter “A”, freeing herself of her burden. The same goes for Dimmesdale-he seems to be revitalized and healed as well. We find out that this becomes an issue with Pearl.