Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic movement that was popular in Europe and American in the 19th century. I think that a lot of people may think that romanticism is about Romantic love, but it's not. Romanticism deals with emotions and imagination. These two things are stuff that can rule a person. Romanticists thought that reason isn't the right way towards truth. Another factor of romanticism is imagination. The romanticists thought taht imagination was the key towards their inner world. This goes and relates back to reason, and it not being the right way to truth. To the romanticists, they thought the best way to interpret things was through their immagination. I think that when comparing romanticism to the age of reason era, romanticism had more individual freedom. I mean people were allowed to use their imagination. It is just like when mrs. clinch gave us the M&Ms, we were allowed to use our imagination as to what we would create with them. Everyone had a different idea as to what they would create with them.

Ending of SL

The ending of Scarlet Letter includes a third and final scaffold scene of the novel. This scaffold is similar in many ways to the previous two. In the third scaffold scene, it is election day, and thus there are many people there, including all the townspeople and the native americans. In the first scaffold scene, all these people were there too, to see Hester face her guilt. The conflict in the final scaffold scene is man vs. self and man vs. man. In here, Dimmesdale is the the one who is pertaining to the conflict. He is facing himself becuase he is going on the scaffold and has the guts to let out his sin, finally. He has tolerated his pain that he has on his chest for nearly 7 years now. He is also man vs. society, becuase he is in front of the whole village when he lets out his sin. Thus he has to face the reactions of the crowd when he shows then what is on his chest. The symbol of this scaffold is shame, sin, and unity. It shows unity because this is when Hester, DImmesdale and Pearl are unitying together for the first time on the scaffold. Dimmesdale calls Pearl onto the scaffold to come with him. "He turned towards the scaffold, and stretched forth his arms." (p.277). The scaffold scene also shows shame and sin because Dimmeadale is revealing his sin, and has to go through shame upon revealing his sin, which is probably why he dies right there and then.

Scarlet Letter

Now that the book is finished, i have seen the result of why Dimmesdale keeps putting his hand over his heart. Even though we exacctly don't know why he does this, because there was more than one account from the people in the crowd, I believe that there was a letter A that he himself carved on his chest. Why else would he keep putting his hand over it? ALso, he was sick before Chillingworth actually came to aid him. So Dimmesdale must have engraved the letter A on his chest.
I also wonder what happened to Pearl. We know that she left her Puritan town in New England. SHe has now become a women and i believe she has a husband. She probably lives a good life far away somewhere in Europe. Even Chillingworth gave all of his land to her when he died. WHen Pearl kissed her father on the scaffold it was like the spell was all broken. Everything was all settled and all the guilt that DImmeadale has was out.
As for Hester, when Chillingworth died, Pearl and her left. But she came back later to her cottage and returned doing her needlework. I think that now she doesn't feel bad about wearing the scarlet letter on her bosom. Everyone knows the truth now and so she dones't have anything to hide.

Scarlet Letter

Chillingworth is definately turned into the devil. In reality, I believe that instead of helping Dimmesdale get better with his herbal medicines, I think that he is actually poisoning him with plants that aren't good for you. I mean he's lived with the Native Americans when he was captured and he probably learned from them which plants are good and which are not. And from the way taht he talks with Dimmesdale, he is trying to convince him to let out his sin, and telling him that it's okay for the minister to talk with him. THe devil is someone who comes betweeen a person and god. IN this case, Chillingworth is clearly seen as interfearing the Dimmesdale's relationship with GOd. The minister wants to reveal his sin to god, but Chillingworth keeps interfearing with him and trying to make Dimmesdale tell him what his sin was. This is really having a huge effect on the minister. He is seen more often with his hand over his heart. And even Hester doesn't like the fact that CHillingwroth is really getting his revenge on Dimmesdale. Hester is ready to actually tell Dimmesdale who Chillingworth really is.
Pearl is also getting to an age where she is starting to ask more questions. Sooner or later she's going to find out who Dimmesdale really is and who Chillingworth really is. Pearl keeps questioning her mother as to why the Minister keeps putting his hand over his heart and she connects this to the scarlet letter on Hesters bosom. I wonder what Pearl's reaction will be when she finds out the truth. She might get mad in a way and not talk anymore. I think this only beucase when you think about a real pearl, they shut their clam when the pearl has been taken away. And thus, Pearl might do this when she finds out the truth about her father.

Thoughts of SL

So far, Scarlet Letter is an interesting novel. There is some mystery in the novel which makes it good. I have a feeling that Hester's husband, Chillingsworth is definately going to seek revenge on Hester. That's probably why he make her make a promise to not reveal who he is. Chillingsworth's name also seems to foreshadow what's going to happen. It gives you the chills to think about what he's going to do to her. I think taht whatever he does to Hester, it will affect the Scarlet letter that she has. Right now it stands for adultry, but i think that maybe after her husband has his revenge on Hester that the meaning of the "A" will change. Ms. Clinch mentioned that the meaning of the scarlet letter changes through the novel, so i think that it will change after hester's husband will have his revenge. I have noticed a lot of irony in this novel as well. Some include the fact tthat hester does needlework and sewing. The clothes that she makes as well for the people is ironic, especially to the people that she does it to becuase they all relate to the crime that she has done in one way or another.
Right now Pearl, hester's daughter, is a few years old. I think that when she gets older, she's going to question Hester as to who her father is, and something bad might happen to her. Yet then again, thinking back to the rose bush mentioned in the beginning of the novel, something good might happen to Hester & Pearl and maybe Chillingsworth attempt at his revenge will fgail.