Chapters 7 and 8

So right away I didn't like chapter seven.  I understand that during this time period, most if not all decisions were made from a religious point of view, but what evidence did they have that made Pearl a demon child?  Was it that since they didn't know who her father was they automatically made him a demon making the child some sort of half demon? Or was it simply the fact that because she came to be in what was considered a 'sinful' warheads demon child?  I really don't understand.

And I didn't really see a difference between the people and the government deciding what would be done with the child because they all have the same judgment mindset when it came to making to decisions about sinners in their town.  I also didn't like the way they connected Pearl wearing the color red to Hester' s guilt and shame.  What if she just a lot of red fabric and that's why Pearl wears a lot red.  Why does she have to be r of Hester' s mistake?  And just a side note, I'm assuming that the children they see are Pearl' s age, and I have never heard toddlers speak in such an advanced manner.  "No, my little Pearl!  Thou must gather thine own sunshine.  I have none to give their!"  (pg 100)  I thought that this was really sad because Hester was saying that wouldn't be able to give Pearl anything that made her happy, so she would have to find happiness on her own.

In chapter eight, again they talk about Pearl wearing red.  Was it just not a normal color for young children to wear, or was it the intricate style of the clothing that seemed to make them stare?  I like the way that the minister describes Pearl, and the fact that he actually stands up for Hester, which shows that he might be on her side later on in the story.  He basically says that even though Pearl is a constant reminder to her mother about what she did, she is a blessing in disguise.  She will most likely teach Hester an important life lesson later on in the story.

At the end of chapter eight I was scared and confused.  Why was Hester being asked by the sister of the governor, who was an executed witch, to meet with her and this 'Black Man' in the woods later? Obviously she realizes this woman is a witch.  Is she friends with her?  Are they part of a secret society?  Or are they simply just a group of people who have been deemed the sinners and damned of the town?

Chapter 4-6

So, in chapter four, Hester is acting really weird and she requires constant attention when she is back in the prison.  They even said that she is acting as though she is possessed, which I highly doubt.  Seeing as though she is neither mentally ill nor possessed, what causes her to act out like this?  Does she want attention from someone, or is something truly bothering her.

                They then called in a physician by the name of Roger Chillingworth, who I think is the mysterious man that Hester had a connection with in the crowd before.  My question is, after reading the part of their conversation, did they love each other? Were they in a relationship? Does he feel betrayed? Is he father?  And we find out that he is not the father, and Hester again refuses to name the father of her child.

                We also find out that Chillingworth was in fact Hester’s husband?  This only confused me and made we ask more questions.  Did she leave him before she became pregnant?  Did she leave him because she was pregnant and the child was not his?  Was he the one to leave her?  I don’t think that he was the one to leave her because the townspeople don’t even know who he is! Did they not know that she was married?  And it’s a little bit stalkerish of him to come out of nowhere and basically threaten her with the fact that he is going to find the father of her baby.  Seriously, this guy is really creepy.

                In chapter five, I was very upset with Hester for feeling upset and confused.  In the beginning of the book when she first came out of the prison, she seemed so shameless, and didn’t seem to care what other people thought about her situation.  But it looks like she just gave up on life because she moved with her baby to the part of the forest by the shore.  And the worst part is that she is almost contradicting herself.  She knows that she can leave Massachusetts and start a new life, but she chooses to stay here.  Is she waiting for something happen? 

                There is also the irony of her scarlet letter.  It was supposed to be a punishment for the crime she committed, but it was so beautiful that everyone wants her to design their clothing.  These people need to make up their minds, they need to hate her or love her.  Pick something, and stick with it please.  This reminded me of “Easy A,” and she figured that if people thought she was the school whore, she might as well the dress for the part.  She tore up all of her clothing, and played the role that everybody had given her.

                In chapter six they finally talk about her baby Pearl.  I think that Pearl is sign that what Hester did, really isn’t as bad as everybody is making it out to be.  For someone who committed such a major sin, shouldn’t karma have rewarded her with some horrible circumstance besides everybody hating her?  She has a beautiful baby girl, and she doesn’t even have any physical defects.  Surely this baby isn’t the representation of her sin and guiltiness.  Unless of course the baby grows up to hate her because she doesn’t even know who her father is and everybody makes fun of her.  Then yea, I guess Pearl would be her punishment.   

The Scarlet Letter Chapters 1-3

The beginning of the Scarlet Letter gives the impression that is truly literature written during the time of the Puritans.  The author talks about the town, the people, what they wear, and most of all the prison.  The prison can be viewed as possibly one of the most important places to the townspeople in this story.

On page 46 the quote “But on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rosebush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him,” gave the story a little bit more light.  Roses are known for their fragrance and beauty, and in this passage, symbolize hope to a prisoner.  Hope that even though you are going into the prison, you might be coming out as a free man soon.  It also wouldn’t be a bad thing if the last thing a criminal saw or smelt was a rose, which could make walking to your deem not as bad.

The connection could also be seen as a rose being the connection between humanity and nature.  Rosebushes have to be cared too in order to survive. So if nature can make something that seemed to show pity and kindness, then maybe the people tending to this rosebush could do the same thing.  This passage could also be looked at through a gender lens.  When speaking of the prisoners in this hypothetical case, they were referred to as ‘he’, or ‘him’, stating that the prisoner was a male.  This can be understood that prisoners in this time were not very often, if not ever, women.

The prison house is also important in the way that this is the place where all decisions concerning the law are made, from criminals to unruly children and witches.  All disciplinary actions were open to the public, just like the prison.  Everyone knew about everything and who everybody was.  There were no secrets in this town.  If there were any questions as to what was happening, it could be answered by who was walking into or out of prison.

In chapter two the town gossipers are introduced.  They are a group of women who think that, in the case of Hester Pyrnne, they should have a say in how she is punished and treated.  Is this early feminism? Or is it merely that these women think that they know exactly how this situation should be handled.  They mock the magistrates when Hester comes out of prison looking stunning.  The red letter ‘A’ the men made her embroider into her clothing made her look more beautiful, and the gossips don’t see that as a punishment.

Chapter three drew a lot of questions.  Who was this stranger, the white man and his companion the Indian?  Why did it seem as though him and Hester had a connection, and a bad one at that.  She felt that she should be hiding from him, and the multitude of people in the crowd protected her from him.  The biggest question of all was why would she not say who the father was?  Did she truly love this man, or was he someone of importance.  Maybe she didn’t want to ruin his reputation.  Maybe it is the Reverend Mr. Dimmsdale, and he feels guilty, and this is why he pressuring her to come out and say who the father is, so that he himself doesn’t have to.

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