All the main characters show up in chapter eight, so we can conclude that this chapter is important. Because church and state are one, the government decides to take Pearl away from Hester because they believe Hester cannot properly take care of Pearl.. Hester Prynne tried to fight back to get her child back. “‘God gave me the child!’ cried she. ‘He gave her in requital of all things else, which he had taken from me. She is my happiness!’”(103). She gets help from Dimmesdale. In his speech, he shows his nervousness and weak condition. Maybe his guilt propelled him to go on the scaffold with Hester. “‘I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this!’ answered Hester Prynne” (101). Mr. Dimmesdale protects Pearl who is going to be taken away from her mother. Pearl once again shows her wild nature when Mr. Wilson asks her questions, but she reveals her kindness to Mr. Dimmesdale by holding his hands and laying them against her cheek. This action makes Hester Prynne wonder whether or not Pearl is her child.
Mr. Chillingworth, who becomes Mr. Dimmesdale’s personal doctor, discovers a little something inside Mr. Dimmesdale’s heart when Mr. Dimmensdale passionately defends Hester.
Be careful about staying with present tense when describing events in the story. You slip up on that convention a couple of times or more. Your analysis of this chapter is good. I think that you see Dimmesdale's guilt, but you should be aware that no one but he and Hester know the truth. Perhaps Chillingworth suspects the truth, but he does not know for sure.
ReplyDelete