notes for scarlet chapter 16 and 17 Flashcards
what do hester and pearl plan to do at the beginning of chapter 16
plan to waylay Dimmesdale on his way back from visiting a sick person.
what does pearl say about the sun
the sun is afraid of the scarlet letter
who does pearl ask for a story about
Black Man who haunts the forest and offers a book and iron pen to everybody who meets him in the trees. Anyone who encounters him has to write their name in the book in blood.
where did pearl hear this
overheard an old woman talking about it (common superstition)
who is said to have written their names in the book
mistress Hibbins
what was said about the scarlet letter
it was the black man’s mark on hester
Pearl asks if the stories about the black man and the scarlet letter is true, what is hester’s response
It sure is. Hester has met the Black Man, and the scarlet letter is his mark.
what does pearl ask dimmesdale
Pearl asks whether he holds his hand over his heart because the Black Man had put his mark there.\
And if he does have the Black Man’s mark there, why doesn’t he wear it on his clothes, as Hester does?
after hester calms pearls, how does dimmesdale look
pretty rough
what assures dimmesdale and hester that they are both alive
dimmesdale touches hester’s hand
what question does dimmesdale ask hester
have you found peace
hester replies with her own question? what is it
have you found peace?
what is dimmesdale’s reply to hester’s question
I’m miserable
and I only feel misery from my minister job
what does dimmesdale think about his action
he’s afraid that any good he does is an illusion, since there’s so much evil in his heart.
what does dimmesdale call himself
a hypocrite
who is dimmesdale’s friend
hester
what does dimmesdale want out of a friend or enemy
somone who recognizes what he has become.
who is dimmesdale’s enemy
chillingworth
hester realizes that she has really messed things up by
keeping Chillingworth’s secret.
Guilt isn’t going to cure Dimmesdale…..
it’s going to corrupt him.
what happens when hester confesses
Dimmesdale vows he’ll never forgive her; she says that he will, and then they hug it out.
why does dimmesdale say that chillingworth’s heart is blacker than his and hester’s
Dimmesdale finally says Chillingworth’s heart is way blacker than theirs because he violated the sanctity of the human heart in cold blood. At least he and Hester never did that.
what does hester think chillingworth will do
seek revenge in a different way besides revealing their secret
is dimmesdale going to keep living with chillingworth
nope
where does hester say dimmesdale should go
How about leave the settlement? He can be free if he leaves and goes into the wilderness. (shot down)
head back to Europe, where no one’s ever even heard of Chillingworth.
what is dimmesdale’s response in hester’s suggestions
Dimmesdale says he can’t run away. He will do what he can as a minister in this village, despite his fallen nature.
how does hester encourage dimmesdale to go (quote)
“exchange this false life” for a “true one.”
what is dimmesdale’s final response to hester
He’s too tired to leave, and he doesn’t want to go alone into the world.
names of chapter 16 and 17
A Forest Walk
The Pastor and His Parishioner
