scarlet letter notes for chapter 12 and 13

Question 1

where does Dimmesdale go

Answer 1

he goes to the scaffold

Question 2

what does dimmesdale do at the scaffold

Answer 2

stands and waits there, waiting for people to show up and throw stuff at him

Question 3

dimmesdale shrieks and wakes who

Answer 3

bellingham and mistress hibbins

Question 4

who does dimmesdale see approaching him at the scaffold

Answer 4

john wilson

Question 5

where is wilson coing from

Answer 5

the deatbed of governor Winthrop

Question 6

how does wilson look

Answer 6

holy and saint like with the glow of the lamp like a halo surrounding him

Question 7

what does dimmesdale do on the scaffold after imagining what people would do if they saw him there

Answer 7

he laughs

Question 8

who laughs back at dimmesdale

Answer 8

pearl

Question 9

why are pearl and hester here

Answer 9

they are on the way back from governor Winthrop’s house because Hester has just measured the body so she can make a burial robe

Question 10

dimmesdale and hester are both on the scaffold and become connected by ____

Answer 10

pearl, each holding one of her hands

Question 11

what does dimmesdale reply to pearl’s question of “will he stand with her and her mother tomorrow at noon”

Answer 11

No- but I will stand with you on judgment day

Question 12

what happens after dimmesdale says that he will join them on judgment day

Answer 12

bright light on the horizon

Question 13

what does pearl point to

Answer 13

An immense letter A marked out in red light

Question 14

who appears after the letter A appears

Answer 14

roger chillingworth

Question 15

during pearl and dimmesdale’s squabble what does pearl say

Answer 15

you suck for not promising to stand here with me and my mom

Question 16

at the end of chapter 12, what kind of sermon does dimmesdale give

Answer 16

a very good one

Question 17

what does the sexton hand dimmesdale

Answer 17

a glove, dimmesdale’s glove

Question 18

what does the sexton say about the glove

Answer 18

says that the black man must have dropped it on the scaffold

Question 19

what does the sexton say about the letter a in the sky last night

Answer 19

a portent of the death of governor Winthrop, surely now an Angel

Question 20

what is hester shocked about dimmesdale

Answer 20

about how bad he looks

Question 21

what does hester realize about the night on the scaffold

Answer 21

She realizes that he was appealing to her that night on the scaffolding to protect him from his enemy, from Roger Chillingworth.

Question 22

what does hester decide to do

Answer 22

decides that she should help him, despite the fact that he has done literally nothing for her for the past seven years.

Question 23

how old is pearl in chapter 13

Answer 23

7

Question 24

how do the townspeople feel toward hester now

Answer 24

developed a grudging respect

Question 25

how has hester been since the adultery

Answer 25

she’s been pure inwardly and outwardly even since that little adultery thing.

Question 26

what have people started saying about the scarlet letter now

Answer 26

“Hey, maybe the A stands for Able”; or, “Maybe the scarlet letter actually means that she’s holy.”

Question 27

what does hester believe the truth to be about the scarlet letter

Answer 27

Hester knows the truth: the “A” has hardened her against ever feeling passion or affection again. Apparently passion and affection are crucial components of womanhood, because this means that she’s no longer a woman.

Question 28

what does hester think might be a solution to her problems

Answer 28

Sometimes, she even wonders if it’s worth being alive. Maybe it would be better to send Pearl to Heaven immediately, and follow herself?

Question 29

what does the narrator say about hester’s suicide thought

Answer 29

the narrator says, the fact that she thought about it at all means that the scarlet letter hasn’t done the work it was supposed to do.

Question 30

when does hester get the chance to help dimmesdale

Answer 30

when she runs into Chillingworth in an isolated part of the peninsula while she’s out walking with Pearl.

Question 31

what are the names of chapter 12 and 13

Answer 31

The Minister’s Vigil

Another View of Hester