IRA #9

The Scarlet Letter


Summary: Chapter 11-13


          The first couple of chapters are devoted to talking about Reverend Dimmesdale and how his bottling up of his sin is making him go absolutely crazy. Last week, Roger Chilllington got proof that this somewhat pious reverend had something secret deep hidden inside his soul and it is not leaving him alone. After the reverend had his little temper tantrum in the last chapter, the relationship between the physician and his pious friend is starting to get a little hostile. Dimmesdale still believes that Chillington could be the devil trying to torment him . Despite the Reverends health, he keeps preaching and holding vigils, probably as a way to get back on God's good side. Everyone thought of him as the perfect role model for serving Christ. Older adults, virgin women, and others swoon at the sight of him. This may sound weird that he is preaching on repentance and redemption, yet he can't even do that for himself. I actually think it is good that authors portray the religious officials this way because it shows that everyone sins and that nobody is perfect. The only person who is perfect is God himself.


        The story continues when the reverend starts having visions of Hester and Pearl, standing together hand in hand. He believes that adding Hester and Pearl to the equation shows the three parts of the tragedy: ,and that they will all see each other together again on judgement day.  He is woken up by his friend Roger. Dimmesdale believes that if he repents under false pretenses he will still be okay, and contemplates whether he should tell the fellow people of his shame. The last chapter is devoted to the adulterer Hester. It talks about how Hester is not looked down on for her scarlet letter. The entire town believes that Hester is a good person, always giving to the poor treating the sick, and being a religious women. Nobody even believes that the "A" stands for adulterer, but "able" which means she can do anything that will benefit those who are less fortunate.


              She may still be seen as the worst person that walks the earth to other people, but to the rest, she is respected and she has worked so hard to earn that respect back. Hester starts to notice the poor health of the minister and she is wondering if there is someone or something close to him that his making him so weak. The only person that would be extremely close to him is Roger Chillington, the physician, who everyone believed had satanic qualities because of his herbal medicine techniques. She starts to regret making that deal with the doctor. True, she didn't want the father of her child to suffer public shame, but he is already suffering too much. Even when people don't know about it, he is on the verge of making his secret public.   Who do you think is the father of Hester's baby?