What happened in Chapter 8 of the scarlet letter?
Summary: Chapter 8: The Elf-Child and the Minister Bellingham, Wilson, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale enter the room. They notice Pearl and begin to tease her by calling her a bird and a demon-child. When the governor points out that Hester is also present, they ask her why she should be allowed to keep the child.
What happened in chapter 10 of the scarlet letter?
In this and the next few chapters, Chillingworth investigates the identity of Pearl’s father for the sole purpose of taking revenge. Adopting the attitude of a judge seeking truth and justice, he quickly becomes fiercely obsessed by his search into Dimmesdale’s heart.
What is Chapter 10 Scarlet Letter called?
Chapter 10: “The Leech and His Patient” | The Scarlet Letter | Nathaniel Hawthorne | Lit2Go ETC.
What is Dimmesdale’s illness?
Reverend Dimmesdale’s illness is psychosomatic, caused by his own shame and self-loathing and by keeping his actions a secret from his community. Over the course of his illness, Reverend Dimmesdale grows emaciated, his voice sounds melancholy, and he often places his hand over his heart.
Who defends Hester in Chapter 8?
Dimmesdale
Dimmesdale argues that Pearl was sent by God to serve as Hester’s one true punishment and to guard her from sinning again. He points out that Hester even dresses Pearl in red, likening her to the scarlet letter. Dimmesdale “defense” of Hester paints her as a sinner deserving punishment.
What happened in chapter 8 the Pearl?
Pearl’s action recalls Hester’s defiance on the scaffold when she refuses to name the father of her child. The dual nature of Pearl’s existence as both happiness and torture is restated in Hester’s plea, and this point is taken up by Dimmesdale.
Why is chapter 9 called the leech?
Hawthorne purposely uses the old-fashioned term “leech” for “physician” because of its obvious double meaning. As a doctor, Chillingworth seems to be making complicated medicines that he learned at the feet of the Indians; he also appears to be sucking the life out of Dimmesdale.
What does Pearl do in chapter 10 that shows her fascination with the red letter on her mothers chest?
Terms in this set (15) What does Pearl do in this chapter that shows her fascination of the red letter on her mother’s chest? Pearl sticks prickly burrs from nature unto the letters.
Why is Chapter 9 called the leech?
Chillingworth sees this, and in his practice he tries to bridge the divide, but in the most perverse of ways. It is no accident that Chillingworth is called a “leech,” for he has attached himself to the minister’s side like an insidiously destructive worm.
How has Chillingworth changed in Chapter 8?
The change noted by Hester in Chillingworth’s physical appearance, now more ugly and dark and misshapen, is a hint that in the scholar’s desire for revenge, evil is winning the battle within him and is reflected in his outward appearance.
Why did the governor let Hester keep Pearl?
What convinced the Governor to let Hester keep Pearl? Both Hester and Mr. Dimmesdale told the governor that Pearl was a constant reminder to Hester of her sin and that Hester was capable of being a good mother since she could pass along to Pearl the lessons she had learned since she had sinned. 3.
What is the theme of chapter 9 of the scarlet letter?
The theme of good and evil battling is carried through in Chapter 9, “The Leech,” a ponderous and philosophical chapter with little action and much positioning of characters.
What happened in chapter 9 Scarlet Letter?
Summary: Chapter 9: The Leech By renaming himself upon his arrival in Boston, Chillingworth has hidden his past from everyone except Hester, whom he has sworn to secrecy.
What does Pearl represent to Chillingworth?
Pearl lives up to the devilish child the Puritan people believed she would be, as she is used as a symbol for sin throughout the story; thus, she reveals the inmost thoughts of her mother, and the guilt of her father. Hawthorne uses Pearl as a symbol of sin through the story.…
How has Chillingworth changed in chapter 8?
What does Dimmesdale have on his chest?
The red mark on Dimmesdale’s chest represents the same thing Hester’s scarlet letter did. The red mark on Dimmesdale’s chest represents adultery in the beginning, guilt in the middle, and pain and death in the end. The stressor that made Dimmesdale feel worse was Hester’s first husband Chillingworth.
How has Chillingworth changed?
A change comes over Chillingworth’s face, and the narrator notes that the old doctor has transformed himself into the very embodiment of evil. In a spasm of self-awareness, Chillingworth realizes how gnarled and mentally deformed he has become. He recalls the old days, when he was a benevolent scholar.
How has Roger Chillingworth changed physically?
At the end, Chillingworth “positively withered up, shriveled away.” Roger Chillingworth’s physical and mental changes were due to his desire for revenge. After hearing of his wife’s affair, he vowed to avenge the man involved in it. He became a crazed, devil like creature all because of his love for revenge.
Why did Pearl cry for the rose?
When Pearl sees these rosebushes, she “began to cry for a red rose, and would not be pacified.” (95) This yearning for the rose represents Pearl’s energy and readiness, as well as her yearning to be like her mother.
What happens in Chapter 10 of the Scarlet Letter?
The Scarlet Letter Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis. One day, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale notice Hester and Pearl in the cemetery outside Dimmesdale’s home. Pearl is playing on the headstones and attaching burrs to Hester’s scarlet letter .
What is the relationship between the Scarlet Letter and the child?
The sin itself was both a guilty act and an act of affection, a problematic combination of love and “evil.” Read more about Hester’s relationship toward the scarlet letter. The letter and the child also hold a dual meaning for the town fathers.
How does Hester feel about Pearl and the Scarlet Letter?
This reinforces the contradictory nature of both the letter and Pearl, for just as Hester both loves and feels burdened by Pearl, her thoughts regarding the scarlet letter seem also to contain a touch of fondness.
How do I track the themes in the Scarlet Letter?
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Scarlet Letter, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. John Wilson, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale arrive at the Governor ‘s residence.