Chapter 17 Scarlet Letter Analysis

Mira Susa, Jennifer Welsh Mr. Jordan AP Language and Composition 19 November 2009 Chapter 17 Chapter 17, The Pastor and His Parishioner, of The cherry Letter, starts off with Dimmesdale pitching from his journey through the dark forest, upon which Hester waits faithfully for him out of the public eye, and more importantly, Chillingworth. The scene is dour it is noon, however, the sun is shaded by a hazy sky and the thick foliage of the forest, transforming it into a gray twilight.The moment passes when they encounter face to face after seven years of the punishment Hester has been given. They act frozenly until Dimmesdale, with fear and reluctant necessity, grabbed Hesters hand, which broke the dreary part of the encounter. Afterwards, they sit near a brook on a heap of moss and engage in casual conversation, until they start talking about inner peace, or more specifically, whether they have any inner peace. Dimmesdale has non found any from his hypocrisy and sin. He says he ca n non console others about their sins when he is sinful.Hester says he does slicey good works and his sin should be left behind. Dimmesdale on the other hand wishes that he has someone, a friend, he could console in and tell his sins this would keep his soul alive. Hester claims she could be that partner, but also warns he has an enemy close to him, even on a lower floor the same roof. Dimmesdale is shocked. Hester realizes what deep injury she has caused to Dimmesdale, a sensitive soul, to a point w here the alienation from virtue is causing him to go mad.Roger Chillingworth is finally revealed to be a conjuring trick of goodness, and Dimmesdale sinks to the ground and buries his face in his hands in struggle. Because of the betrayal he feels, he says he will never be able to forgive Hester. Hester rebukes this by saying that he needs to forgive her because it is God who will punish. Then, in sudden and desperate tenderness, she took hold of Dimmesdale and placed him against he r bosom, on the scarlet letter. She cant bear to see Dimmesdale frown.After he rests on her bosom, Dimmesdale eventually forgives Hester for the reason that Chillingworth is more sinful than both Hester and him. She says that what they did had a consecration, revealing that it was governed and fulfilled most likely by God. Life is tough for them, but they manage to love each other. Dimmesdale, once again, cannot think for himself, and asks for advice on what to do with his current situation. Hester says for him to leave the town and return to Europe once again. Dimmesdale says he is powerless and cannot go because he cant quit his post.Hester says he may renew his life, for life is full of trials, and that at that place is more good works to be done. Switch names, move on. He cries out he must die, for he cant venture into the humans alone. Then, in a deep whisper, Hester says he will not go alone. Analysis Hawthorne uses several rhetorical devices to reach his purpose to direct ly relate prude settings and amative beliefs through Hester and Dimmesdales love and forgiveness of one another. Hawthorne uses imagery and diction, metaphors and similes, foreshadowing, irony and allusion to get his point of view across.The settings of the forest are dark and gloomy even though it is only noon, which represents Puritanism, but Dimmesdale and Hester see each other in a different light, like former lovers of a different world, which represents romantic beliefs. Hawthorne uses phrases like shadow of the woods to further explain the setting however, a gleam of romanticism shines when they sit on a heap of moss. He uses all-powerful images, such as Dimmesdale gasping for breath, clutching at his heart, to express deep emotion. Dimmesdale is described as having a magnetic sphere of sensitivity, and also a blacker or a fiercer frown. Hester has firm, sad eyes, and Dimmesdale is a pale, weak, sinful, and sorrow-stricken man. They sit hand in hand on the covered trunk of a fall tree, which represents the new growth from a hard past. As for metaphors and similes, Hawthorne uses them to express emotions. He expresses the first meeting of Hester and Dimmesdale as two ghosts, and Dimmesdale orders his hand towards Hesters as chill as death. Dimmesdale describes the emotion of standing in the pulpit, organism watched by many eyes towards his face, as if the light of heaven were beaming from it He clutched his heart as if he would have torn it out of his bosom. Chillingworth is put into a metaphor describing him as a poison. Chillingworths revenge is described as has been blacker than my sin. Hester describing yellow leaves will show no vestige of the white mans tread indicates a metaphor for change, and how he can leave his past behind. Hawthorne uses examples of foreshadowing such as, the gloomy sky, the threatening storm, and, next, the health of each for rhetorically effective writing.An example that includes foreshadowing, along with imagery a nd metaphor, reads, while one solemn old tree groaned dolefully to another, as if telling the sad story of the agree that sat beneath, or constrained to forebode evil to come. It describes Hester and Dimmesdale as trees groaning against another, that describing there might he evil to come. Dimmesdale crying, I must die here is another example of foreshadowing directly related to death. Irony is shown through examples such as, That old mans revenge has been blacker than my sin.He has violated, in cold production line, the sanctity of a human heart. He, in cold blood (intentionally and emotionless), has done a wrong to Dimmesdale, but also literally, in the physical sense, has in blood done wrong to Dimmesdale. It is also ironic when Hester is giving advice to Dimmesdale that he should leave and move onward towards a different world, when she herself has not done so and does not know the extent of what is to happen. Lastly, Hawthorne uses a Biblical illusion, related to the Pur itans, for a romantic subject, leaving the native land.When Hester says, Then there is the b highway pathway of the sea it is alluding to Moses leave-taking of the Red Sea. Graphic The symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale close together, up at the top of the page, is outlined in light blue to express idealistic desires because they are hard drink in white in Heaven. The forest trees are black from the judgmental settings of the Puritans, but the tree leaves are red to express Hester and Dimmesdales passion, blood and love. The road is paved smooth but spotted and messy because of Dimmesdales and Hesters past road, but is depicted orange for their future ambitions.The two hands is an allusion to Michelangelos Creation of Adam, and is surrounded by black for the evaluation and law of sin that Adam has created in the beginning of time. The orb is a representation of the world, in which Hawthorne does not call a world but a sphere, which suggests that Dimmesdale and Hester have left there earth-bound world to something unearthly. They have a magical connection, depicted in purple however, it is rung around in white to represent the holiness, peace, spirituality, and hope of their love. The fallen brown log, stated in the chapter, is represented as tradition.The moss is a representation of their fallen or seemed to be fallen, past and wrecked future, but the green moss suggests a new beginning. Quotes It was no wonder that they thus questioned one anothers actual and bodily existence, and even doubted of their own. So strangely did they meet, in the dim wood, that it was like the first encounter, in the world beyond the grave, of two spirits who had been intimately machine-accessible in their former life, but now stood coldly shuddering, in mutual dread as not yet familiar with their state, nor wonted to the companionship of rid beings.Each a ghost, and awe-stricken at the other ghost This ingeminate initially explains the Puritan settings, dim wood, coldly sh uddering to a romantic belief, intimately connected, companionship. This quote binds the chapter to the theme of the book Hawthornes speculation of Puritanism and Romanticism developed within the story. They sat down again, side by side, and hand clasped in hand, on the mossy trunk of the fallen tree.Life had never brought them a gloomier hour it was the point whither their pathway had so long been tending, and darkening ever, as it stole along and yet it enclosed a charm that made them linger upon it, and claim another, and another, and, after all, another moment. This quote explains the entire chapter of romantic belief by describing the love among Hester and Dimmesdales love. It explains how they are in the worst time of their relationship, with a long and horrific past, but their mutual desire for each other keeps them with one another, enquire for more. Leave this wreck and ruin here where it hath happened. Meddle no more with it Begin all anew Hast thou exhausted possibil ity in the chastening of this one trial? Not so The future is yet full of trial and success. This quote, spoken by Hester, explains the hope of beginning anew, a romantic belief. However, it is spiritual in the religious sense by saying that as ones life moves on, it can become less sinless there are many trials, leading to successes. Also, it explains how God wants people to love life, to do more good, and to enjoy happiness.