Hester looking for a person to defend her, she looks for the man that knows her, but through out the story Hester has not exchange dialogue with this man since her trial 3 years ago. She seems to know Mr. Dimmesdale and vice versa; she seeks the help in a man that is considered an influential person but also she has no relation to as the Puritan society sees it. This shows that Hester for a long time has knew this man, but when exactly? She speaks to him as if he knows her all her life, that he knows "what is in my heart", is this man the father of Pearl? The "note" that Hawthorne has placed within the dialogue that Hester has not had eye contact with this man but only once is very interesting, is it possible that Hester is avoiding eye contact with the minister? The dialogue that Hawthorne has chosen for Hester has a style of demanding and persuading Mr. Dimmesdale that he has to defend her. The use of the exclamation marks and the dashes shows that he owes Hester alot and that she has to do this act for her and Pearl.
Questions:
- Would Mr. Chillingworth find the odd contact and dialogue between Hester and Mr. Dimmesdale to be quite interesting and question it further?
- Why does Pearl move away from the minister Mr. Wilson's touch, but reaches and welcomes Mr. Dimmesdale's touch? (101 &106)
- Why does Hawthorne have the minister's still question the paternity of Hester's daughter? (106)
hey that was my question :P
ReplyDelete1.Of course Chillingworth find the connection between Hester and Dimmesdale quite odd. “You speak, my friend, with a strange earnestness” (pg.105). Chillingworth has already put his doubts on Dimmesdale and will keep an eye on him.
3.Very interesting questions. Since, Hester and Pearl are seen as a reflection of one another, he has the Mr. Wilson ask Pearl about her birth. Hawthorne does this to make a comparison; Hester refused to reveal her lovers name so her daughter does the same and refuses to answer.
1) Well, from Chapter 4 we learned that Chillingsworth was willing to avenge for Hester and himself, so maybe he's searching for the father, or is just extremely curious to find out who it is. Of course, Chillingsworth would find what Dimmesdale did very odd, no one else had been willing to defend her--and he did it with compassion. Especially in this Puritan society where women are subordinate to men would Dimmesdale's behavior (and he's also a minister!) be deemed odd. Besides, if he technically was not the father, he would be an ardent opposition towards Hester.
ReplyDelete2) Mr. Wilson seems like an evil little man that just wants to take Pearl away from her mother, so why would Pearl want to come near him? In the text, it also relates that since Pearl had no such paternal figure in her life, she was not accustomed to a man's touch. But after Dimmesdale defended Hester, Pearl understood what he did and felt some love for him at that point.
Response to #1
ReplyDeleteRoger Chillingworth seems like a feisty old nutbag, and feisty old nutbags question everything out of the ordinary. For Hester, a woman who now receives mostly scorn from all people around, it's odd for someone to communicate with her without the least bit of disgust, something the nutbag is very aware of.
Response to #2
Pearl, a very perceptive toddler, feels an air of similarity, kindness, and understanding from Rev. Dimmesdale, none so from Mr. Wilson. She is drawn to him for a reason unbeknown to her but may be discovered sooner or later.
#1 Off course Chillingworth would find it interesting and question it further because he wants to find out who Pearl father is! Even though Dimmesdale defended Hester he did out of compassion,as Yanel said, and because it was his duty to defend Hester from the governor and Mr.Wilson from taking her daughter away, since it was a gift god gave to Hester.
ReplyDelete#2 Pearl reaches toward Dimmesdale touch because she feels as she know him. Every child sense who their father is, so Pearl senses and feels that warmth that a father gives to a child, therefore reaching for his touch.However, Pearl moves away from Mr.Wilson touch because she sense evil in him even though he is a priest. Moreover, since Hester began shouting at Mr.Wilson she knew he was telling something bad at her mother so she felt afraid of him and refused his touch.