"In all her miserable experience, there was nothing else so awful and so loathsome as this sense. It perplexed, as well as shocked her, by the irreverent inopportuneness of the occasions that brought it into vivid action. Sometimes the red infamy upon her breast would give a sympathetic throb, as she passed near a venerable minister or magistrate, the model of piety and justice, to whom that age of antique reverence looked up, as to a mortal man in fellowship with angels." (80)
Within this passage Hester is beginning to feel another sense that lets her know and feel that a random person who as casually passed by her has sinned. She feels awful, terrible because she does not want to know that someone who is considered "holy" has actually sinned or is considered innocent and caring. Hester was taught that as Puritans one must try to live a humble, peaceful life without sin; anything that lets one enjoy life is consider a sin. One cannot be forgiven lightly within the Puritan society, which forced Hester to bare the mark of sin until death and even after death upon the mark on her grave. Yet that great "sin" has given her a gift to see into people's hearts that they are not so perfect, the villagers have also sin, not so drastic as Hester's but small actions that begin to mount on top of each other that have become greater than Hester's sin of sleeping and baring a child of a man out of wedlock. In a way it gives her company that she is not the only one that has flaws in life.
The use of awful and loathsome in line 1 gives the sixth sense a negative connotation about it, it is another miserable experience life has given to Hester, a gift that is not useful emotionally, gives her the ability to feel the presence that one has sinned. The use of commas within the paragraph are used to describe and express more of how the sixth sense has given Hester to question herself and even her society's morals and ideals on how they view who is within the group of the elect.* (*Historical note: The elect are individuals who have given testimonies that they have received God's grace and deserve to be part of the Puritan community. [ The American Pageant: A History of the Republic, 2006])
Questions:
- Should Hester a least tell her daughter, Pearl, who is her biological father?
- Why do people still speak ill of Hester when they are wearing her handiwork of the needle on their apparel?
- Why did Hawthorne wrote about the disipline of how children were put under? (83-84)
"'I have thought of death,' said she,-'have wished for it,-would even have prayed for it, were it fit that such as I should pray for anything. Yet, if death be in this cup, I bid thee think again, ere thou beholdest me quaff it. See! It is even now at my lips.'"
"'Drink, then,' replied he, still with the same cold composure.'Dost thou know me so little, Hester Prynne? Are my purposes wont be so shallow? Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what could I do better for my object than to let thee live,-than to give thee medicines against all harm and peril of life,-so that this burning shame may still blaze upon thy bosom?'" (68)
I think this quote is significant because Hester couldn't bring herself to commit suicide within the time after she was impregnanted, she have kept it to herself knowing that she was going to be discovered and probably have some hard consequences of her actions. The use of dashes within the quote, show the "could have but couldnt do it" a regret somehow. But it shows a satisfaction that if Chillingworth could do the job for her it will be worth it and a thank you to him. But Chillingworth defends himself to show that she thinks so little of him. He does not want her to die but to live, he is not a person that will hold a grudge against her because of her actions.
Hawthorne lists questions within Chillingworth's dialogue so that Hester and also the reader can trust him that he is not out for vengeance against her but to help her. To give her company that she does not have to feel left out of society, an outcast. Also to pity Hester, to feel sympathy that she has to face this trial alone without the responsible at her side also.
Questions:
- Why would Hester be so stubborn and determine to keep the secret of her child's father from the Purtian society?
- Why did Hester look deeply into the eyes of Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, while she denied and kept the secret of her child's father within her? (64)
- Why is Chillingworth so determined into finding Hester's "lover", however he did denied that it was not for revenge, but for what?
