Most Vivid Images

• The first main image from chapters 9-15 of "The Scarlet Letter" is when Roger reveals the "A" on Arthur's chest. They had just had a very long hypothetical conversation about sin, and Roger noticed how Arthur was constantly holding his chest. After Arthur fell into a deep sleep, Roger lifted his shift to reveal the letter A, in the same place of Hester's.
• Another main image from these chapters is when Roger, Hester, and Pearl are all up on the scaffold holding hands. This is the first time they are all together, being able to show their real identities.
• The third image I can see from these chapters is how Hester has changed so significantly. Hester has lost her entire feminine features. She constantly cuts her hair back, she doesn't wear makeup, and she is falling apart. The ironic thing is that this was supposed to be the job of the scarlet letter, but it isn't. She has chose to life this life by helping the needy in her society and rebuilding her reputation.

Most Vivid Images: Chapters 9-15

1. The first image I come across that seems especially vivid is when Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are having their discussion regarding morals and they sight Hester and Pearl in the graveyard in chapter 10. Dimmesdale is standing at his window after the argument when he hears a familiar laugh coming from the graveyard. Dimmesdale at once recognizes that this is Pearl. She was described as having a look of wild joy at being there. She then threw burrs at Hester's scarlet letter, which stuck. The men then begin talking about Pearl, Chillingworth saying she is an evil child, Dimmesdale saying she could be capable of good nature. Pearl then saw the men, and told Hester they needed to leave before the black man got them like he did the Dimmesdale. This is a vivid image to me because it begins showing that Dimmesdale has a connection with Pearl and Hester. It also shows, through Pearl's viewpoint, that Chillingworth is really an evil man, not the kind, old man that he makes himself out to be.
2. The second image I believe is extremely vivd is that of when Chillingworth uncovers what Dimmesdale is hiding on his chest in chapter 10. The same afternoon as the argument over morals, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth go to their respective parts of the house. Dimmesdale begins reading a large book that causes him to fall asleep. Although he is normally a very light sleeper, he was deeply asleep and barely moved. Chillingworth then takes the opportunity to find out what is ailing Dimmesdale because he has never found out in the many years he has been Dimmesdale's doctor. Chillingworth sneaks into Dimmesdale's room, and very easily, moves his shirt away from his chest. The book does not say what he found, but it was enough to make him dance around in joy. This is a vivid image to me because it is the proof that Chillingworth is trying to destroy Dimmesdale for a reason unknown to anyone but him at the time.

My Answer to the Question

• In chapter eleven, Dimmesdale is so full of despair and confliction that he tortures himself with a whip. The book says he is "laughing bitterly at himself the while and smiting so much the more pitilessly because of that bitter laugh." In addition, and although fasting was custom for Puritans, Dimmesdale would fast for long, unhealthy periods of time, until his knees trembled. This scene is very vivid to me; I can picture what a man would look like if he physically beat himself. Hawthorne is excellent at forming a picture into the reader's mind. I can feel Dimmesdale struggling and not knowing what to do.

• Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale stand on the scaffold at night, holding hands. The final missing piece of the puzzle, Dimmesdale, is solved. There is an exciting energy among them that night; a meteor soars through the sky, and a letter A forms. Although only for a second or two, that moment, when the three are together, is a special, perfect moment. It is almost like time is frozen and everything is going to be fine. The short moment ends, and the three of them discern Chillingworth standing on the ground in the darkness. This one person is the cause of Hester and Dimmesdale's problems. I find this scene very interesting because there is that glimpse of hope soon followed by the blackness that obscures any of the hope there is.

• In chapter fourteen, Chillingworth realizes what a horrible, evil man he has become. He sees that the once good, moral, kind-hearted person he once was is now gone forever. Hawthorne writes that Chillingworth has lost his "human heart." Hester begs him to return to his former self and relinquish his desire for revenge, but Chillingworth cannot. Again Hawthorne vividly paints a picure in the reader's mind of what Chillingworth is going through. Chillingworth is aware of his actions, but knows that it is too late to go back.

To Answer Your Question.....

When Mr. Dimmesdale sat in his locked closet, I can just see how bloody and graphic his back looked once he finished whipping himself with his bloody scourge. Then I also began to picture how his whole body looked since he constantly fasted for unhealthy spans of time, and how he would go on with his life without sleeping for days on end. I believe this was an important image in the book because it showed the reader how far he went due to the fact of just being upset with himself about his previously preformed actions. It also made the reader wonder what would of happened if Dimmesdale would have just confessed about being the father earlier in the novel. Would he have been normal, or would he have been in about the same situation he was currently living by punishing himself?

The image of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl standing on the scaffold hand in hand comes to mind as own of the most vivid images so far. I can just imagine how Dimmesdale's facial expressions were when Pearl kept questioning him about if he would stand just like that the next day at noon time. This also set an image in my mind about how Hester's reaction to what he said was revealed. This became more impacting when the meteor shot through the sky in the shape of the letter "A". Then I could just see them all sitting there with a look of question located on their faces. This impressed me because of the way Hawthorne projected the scenes to make the reader experience the feeling of actually being in the book, and I think this scene was well written. It also impressed me because it lead straight into the next vivid image I am about to note in this blog.

The last image that was extremely vivid to me was when the sexton brought the glove up to Dimmesdale after church was over. This image made me imagine about how Dimmesdale would have percieved himself to the story the sexton was telling him. I also imagined is facial expressions when he heard that the "A" actually standed for angel instead of what he thought, and also that the devil would have been the one to place the glove by the scaffold since he wouldn't have been there for any other reason. This impressed me because I can't imagine how someone could have stood in a holy place like a church and continued to lie through his teeth about the night that occured previously. Another reason this scene impressed me was because it proved that the previous scene I wrote about was actually reality and wasn't just something that Dimmesdale had dreamed about due to the lack of sleep.

This is the answer to your question... :)

• One of the images that pops into my head, when I think about these chapters is when Dimmesdale and Chillingworth spot Pearl dancing in the graveyard one night. When Pearl notices that they have spotted her she drags her mother away sating that the "black man" has already gotten the minister and he must not get them as well. This impressed me because I wasn't expecting this to happen at all.

• The next picture that was most vivid to me was when Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl all three stand on the scaffold holding hands. They did this one night while everyone was asleep. This picture really is important to me beacuse it is like their family has been reunited in a way. While they were all standing on the scaffold together Pearl asks Dimmesdale if he will join them tomorrow, when Hester and Pearl have to return to the scaffold and stand in front of everyone. Dimmesdale turns down the invetation and tells Pearl that one day he will.

• My last and final picture that is a very important part of this book is what Dimmesdale has locked up in his closet. Dimmesdale has a whip with hooks attached to it, in which he uses to beat himseld everyday. He does this because he is punishing himself for his "sin." This part of the book freaks me out because I don't understand how any one person could cause himself so much pain for one little mistake. No one person is perfect everyone makes mistakes.

Dear Mr. Hayden, this is my response :)

- When Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Hester are all standing on the scaffold together during his(Dimmesdale's) vigil, a meteor shoots across the night sky in the shape of an "A".

* This sticks out in my mind because it's so ironic that they would see the letter "A" from a meteor in the sky. This is a sign that indicates that Dimmesdale has also commited adultery along with Hester.

- Chillingworth is asked to assist Mr. Dimmesdale due to his illness. As the two live together, Chillingworth is suspicious that Dimmesdale is hiding something from him. One night, Chillingworth unbuttons Dimmesdale's shirt while he is sleeping and discovers something surprising on his chest.

* This scene in chapter 10 is important because Chillingworth has found something that he is excited about. In later chapters, we find out that Dimmesdale has an "A" on his chest. Now Chillingworth knows Dimmesdale's secret, and he is hiding his sin of adultery.

- Mr. Dimmesdale sits in his closet, locked up, and whips himself with a scourge to punish himself for his sin. He fasts and holds vigils as well.

* This scene shows that Mr. Dimmesdale can't live with his secret sin he has kept for so many years. It impresses me because you would think that it wouldn't be that big of a deal if nobody knew about it, but with him being a priest, it hurts him to know that everybody thinks so much of him when he has commited the same crime as Hester, yet everyone treats her terrible.

What images from chapters 9-15 are most vivid to you? Describe them and explain why they impressed you?