Reading Journals: Chapters 1-6
The Novel opens with the picture of a group of people gathered around a door. At first we do not know where the door leads or what is on the other side of the door or even simply the reason that they are all gathered by it. All we know is that the people are wearing"... sad-colored garments...", and "...the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes." Knowing this you can infer that the door is being used for some kind of protection, a place that you would not just walk into at any given moment. By saying how people are wearing sad-colored garments this sets the mood for the rest of the book. Latter in the novel the narrator reveals this building with the door is a prison which has a wild rose bush next to it; this is the first main symbol in the novel. "...was a wild rose-bush, 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 criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of nature could pity and be kind to him." The narrator implies how this shows how nature has kindness to the people who have committed crimes; it also shows that everything/everyone has two sides, a dark side and a good side. Rose-bushes have these beautiful flowers and when you go to pick its flower it will prick your finger, which shows how this rose reflects the life other with a bad and good side.
At the beginning at the second chapter we find out why all the people were gathered around the prison: to see Hester Prynne holding her infant child and with a giant beautiful embroidered A. Hester was accused of adultery, which is why she has to wear the A on her chest. Back in Puritan time this was a big deal. The ministry decided to let her live, but in return they made her wear the letter A upon her bosom, which meant adulteress. A lot of the women in the crowd are criticizing Hester for embroidering her letter with beautiful gold thread, when really I believe she was a sign of her defiance. She made it fancy so it would draw attention to it since she has to wear it for the rest of her life.
As chapter three begins Hester is standing on the scaffolding in the towns center as part of her punishment; when she sees her husband. Even thought he was not in his usual clothes Hester was able to recognize him by the slight deformity of his shoulders. He was standing in the crowd of people and when she saw him he put his finger to his lip indicating for her not to say anything. By doing this he shows that he does not want to be associated with her. He did not know what was going on and asked someone standing next to him what was happening, and also asks who the women is. When he found out he did not show anger or frustration of the situation, he acted like he had no connection to her at all. After that the mayor of the town and the holy young minister Mr. Reverend Dimmesdale started to ask Hester who the father of Pearl, her child, is. "thou headrest what this good man says, and seest the accountability under which I labor. If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him,- yea, compel him, as it were - to add hypocrisy to sin? Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee, and the sorrow without. Take heed how thou denies to him - who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself - the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!"
After Hester's time on the scaffolding was over they took her back to the prison to finish her time. At this moment Hester's husband is now revealed as Roger Chilling Worth. He explained to the guard that he could make Pearl better; some people in the town believe that the child was to have taken the evil doings from her mother and now had them in her system. Hester was hesitant to receive any kind of treatment form the physician because Hester believe that Roger was trying to poising either herself or the child. Roger tells her that if he was to kill her how could he get revenge on her. Then he starts to asks about who Pearls father is and Hester tells him that she will not tell him this information just like she said when she was in the town square. After she says this Roger demands that Hester will not reveal his true identity; she agrees to do it but later we will she how she regrets doing this. Roger then leaves the prison with one thing on his mind: Revenge.
A couple of months have passed and Hester is now released from prison and can now do what ever she would chose to do; she even has the ability to leave Boston but decides against it. This was a strong thing for Hester to do; if she wanted to this whole thing could have been forgotten and no one would ever know what she actually did, but instead she buys a cottage in the woods that is secluded form the rest of the people in this city. This just shows how brave and strong Hester is for staying. We also learn that Hester makes her living embroidering items for people; since she has wonderful needlework. I believe that since she wears the scarlet letter that was how people knew about her needlework. In the book they describe it as "...fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A." This is a clear example of how Hester has skill with her needlework; but her needlework can only embroider certain items. For example Hester is forbidden to embroider wedding veils, because the people believe that it would be a bad sign for her to touch something of a young bride. I find it funny though how Hester can not embroider wedding veils but when it comes to the men's clothes she can make anything for them that they would want. You would think that any kind of holy garment Hester should not be able to touch, his just goes to show that the women of the town are more appalled from her actions then the men are.
Lastly we lean a lot about little Pearl, as she is often referred to in the novel. Hester decided to name her this because Hester gave up everything to have this child. When you think about this it is true; if Pearl would have never been born then Hester would not have to worry about wearing the scarlet letter or anything, her life would have been the exact same as it was. We also find out Pearl is not as innocent as she seems. This little girl knows things, she knows something is different about her life and that her mother is different that other's mothers. For example Pearl is often referred to as an imp of evil. One day little Pearl was collecting flowers in the woods and she starts to throw them at her mothers bosom and would dance when ever she hit one. This is not a normal thing to do, and most children in this time would never do this because it is disrespectful to the parents. This is why Hester fears for her child because she knows she has a temper and one day it may end up hurting her.
At the beginning at the second chapter we find out why all the people were gathered around the prison: to see Hester Prynne holding her infant child and with a giant beautiful embroidered A. Hester was accused of adultery, which is why she has to wear the A on her chest. Back in Puritan time this was a big deal. The ministry decided to let her live, but in return they made her wear the letter A upon her bosom, which meant adulteress. A lot of the women in the crowd are criticizing Hester for embroidering her letter with beautiful gold thread, when really I believe she was a sign of her defiance. She made it fancy so it would draw attention to it since she has to wear it for the rest of her life.
As chapter three begins Hester is standing on the scaffolding in the towns center as part of her punishment; when she sees her husband. Even thought he was not in his usual clothes Hester was able to recognize him by the slight deformity of his shoulders. He was standing in the crowd of people and when she saw him he put his finger to his lip indicating for her not to say anything. By doing this he shows that he does not want to be associated with her. He did not know what was going on and asked someone standing next to him what was happening, and also asks who the women is. When he found out he did not show anger or frustration of the situation, he acted like he had no connection to her at all. After that the mayor of the town and the holy young minister Mr. Reverend Dimmesdale started to ask Hester who the father of Pearl, her child, is. "thou headrest what this good man says, and seest the accountability under which I labor. If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him,- yea, compel him, as it were - to add hypocrisy to sin? Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee, and the sorrow without. Take heed how thou denies to him - who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself - the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!"
After Hester's time on the scaffolding was over they took her back to the prison to finish her time. At this moment Hester's husband is now revealed as Roger Chilling Worth. He explained to the guard that he could make Pearl better; some people in the town believe that the child was to have taken the evil doings from her mother and now had them in her system. Hester was hesitant to receive any kind of treatment form the physician because Hester believe that Roger was trying to poising either herself or the child. Roger tells her that if he was to kill her how could he get revenge on her. Then he starts to asks about who Pearls father is and Hester tells him that she will not tell him this information just like she said when she was in the town square. After she says this Roger demands that Hester will not reveal his true identity; she agrees to do it but later we will she how she regrets doing this. Roger then leaves the prison with one thing on his mind: Revenge.
A couple of months have passed and Hester is now released from prison and can now do what ever she would chose to do; she even has the ability to leave Boston but decides against it. This was a strong thing for Hester to do; if she wanted to this whole thing could have been forgotten and no one would ever know what she actually did, but instead she buys a cottage in the woods that is secluded form the rest of the people in this city. This just shows how brave and strong Hester is for staying. We also learn that Hester makes her living embroidering items for people; since she has wonderful needlework. I believe that since she wears the scarlet letter that was how people knew about her needlework. In the book they describe it as "...fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A." This is a clear example of how Hester has skill with her needlework; but her needlework can only embroider certain items. For example Hester is forbidden to embroider wedding veils, because the people believe that it would be a bad sign for her to touch something of a young bride. I find it funny though how Hester can not embroider wedding veils but when it comes to the men's clothes she can make anything for them that they would want. You would think that any kind of holy garment Hester should not be able to touch, his just goes to show that the women of the town are more appalled from her actions then the men are.
Lastly we lean a lot about little Pearl, as she is often referred to in the novel. Hester decided to name her this because Hester gave up everything to have this child. When you think about this it is true; if Pearl would have never been born then Hester would not have to worry about wearing the scarlet letter or anything, her life would have been the exact same as it was. We also find out Pearl is not as innocent as she seems. This little girl knows things, she knows something is different about her life and that her mother is different that other's mothers. For example Pearl is often referred to as an imp of evil. One day little Pearl was collecting flowers in the woods and she starts to throw them at her mothers bosom and would dance when ever she hit one. This is not a normal thing to do, and most children in this time would never do this because it is disrespectful to the parents. This is why Hester fears for her child because she knows she has a temper and one day it may end up hurting her.