Scarlet Letter 4

1) "The child finally announced that she had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild that grew by the prison-door" (Hawthorne 102).

Pearl may not be the wild demon child she was at first depicted as. In this reading she seems more like her mother's guardian than the Spawn of Satan. When Pearl goes with her mother into town and she hears that the children are to throw mud at them, she runs over there and scares them away. effectively sticking up for her mother. As Hester explains to Governor Billingham, Pearl is her penitence. She is her greatest joy and all of her pain rolled into one; she is the embodiment of the Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter's purpose was to reprimand Hester and make her learn her lesson. Pearl serves the same function, and she is Hester's outlet for teaching those lessons. Pearl is often likened to the roses that she sees everywhere. She always seems to be wearing scarlet, and she, like the rose, is strangely beautiful. Pearl even desires a rose when she first sees one. If Pearl is a rose, then Hawthorne has already described her role in the text when he spoke of a rose in the first chapter: "It[a rose] may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow" (46). Pearl, with her wild and unruly manner, brings out the best in Hester by having to raise her. This is how she serves as a moral compass for Hester. When Hester is confronted by Mistress Hibbins to partake in witchcraft, Pearl is the reason Hester refuses: "'I must tarry at home and keep watch over my little Pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man's book too, and that with mine own blood!'...Even thus early had the child saved her from Satan's snare" (107).

2) "'Would it be beyond a philosopher's research, think ye, gentlemen, to analyze that child's nature, and, from its make and mould, to give a shrewd guess at the father?'" (106).

We see that Chillingworth is on the verge of discovering the father. He silently takes in everything the men of power in Boston do. By now, he has narrowed it down to a person of great power, hence why he associates with them. Now that Pearl is introduced into their presence, he is able to observe how the react around them to see if any of them exhibit some difference in character. Reverend Dimmesdale is already singled out by the way he defends Hester so vehemently. Yet, no one but Chillingworth is able to see any truth behind it: "'You speak, my friend, with a strange earnestness,' said old roger Chillingworth, smiling at him[Dimmesdale]" (105). Even there, it can be implied that Chillingworth is contemplating whether or not Dimmesdale is the father. He fits the bill, and always seems to have his hand clenched over his heart in anxiety whenever Hester is near. If this weren't enough, Pearl herself singles Dimmesdale out: "Pearl...taking his[Dimmesdale's] hand in the grasp of both her own, laid her cheek against it...she[Hester] knew that there was love in the child's heart, although it mostly revealed itself in passion, and hardly twice in her lifetime had been softened by such gentleness as now" (105-106). Pearl wouldn't go near Reverend Wilson when he prompted her to, but she willingly goes up to Dimmesdale when he didn't even ask her to. After Dimmesdale kisses her on the forehead, Pearl giddily runs off down the hall. These are sure enough signs for Chillingworth to think Dimmesdale the father.

Scarlet Letter 3

1) "It might be that another feeling kept her within the scene and pathway that had been so fatal. There dwelt, there trode the feet of one with whom she deemed herself connected in a union, that, unrecognized on earth, would bring them together before the bar of final judgment, and make that their marriage-altar, for a joint futurity of endless retribution" (Hawthorne 74).

It is finally revealed as to why Hester will not divulge the name of her lover, Reverend Dimmesdale. It is because she loves him. Anyone who was forced to endure Hester's punishment would surely flee after they had served their time. Hester, however, stays in Boston, because of the one person she loves--Dimmesdale. It must be why she initially descended into sin for him, and why she would not reveal his name to the public. Hester, like Abigail, believed that she and Dimmesdale had formed a secret union, and that union is keeping her from leaving Boston. Even more so, she believed that Dimmesdale loved her in return. Why else would he sin with her in the first place? Hester soon realized, though, that it was just a delusion. She came to her senses, and blamed the notion on the Devil, trying to tempt her over fully into darkness. It is a common fantasy among those who love but do not know if they are loved in return. They fantasize that everything means something. Hester had to stay in Boston because of Dimmesdale. She could not reveal his sin because her silence was all for him. Dimmesdale really loved her, and someday they would be together, if she silently went along with everything thrown at her. It is also common for those dreamers that they quickly come to reality, and understand how illogical some of those things were. This is exactly Hester's situation. She wants to believe that Dimmesdale loves her, and that is the reason she will not reveal his name; though she loves him as well, some part of her believes his love to be false.

2) "She[Hester] shuddered to believe, yet could not help believing, that it[Scarlet Letter] gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts...could they be other than the insidious whispers of the bad angel, who would fain have persuaded the struggling woman, as yet only half his victim, that the outward guise of purity was but a lie, and that, if truth were everywhere to be shown, a scarlet letter would blaze forth on many a bosom besides Hester Prynne's?" (80).

Everyone sins. That is a truth universally acknowledged. None of us are perfect. In the old theocracy of Boston, however, they liked to pretend to be. These Puritans had to be perfect, because only perfection was allowed in their Utopia. Whenever someone did sin, they were ostracized as an outcast, such as Hester. She sinned, and now she is forced to remember that sin for the rest of her natural life, forever cursed by the Scarlet A upon her breast. Everyone looks down on her and her child, deeming them the very embodiment of sin. Meanwhile, those condescending townspeople are purporting perfection and purity. They are far from that. Everyone does something they are not proud of, and these Puritans can be no exception. That is what Hester begins to see, thanks to her scarlet stigma. Like her husband, she now has the uncanny ability to see the sins in others. The infernal flame ignited within her brand burns away the false pretenses of others, showing them for what they really are. Hester is slowly realizing this, s everyone so often she will feel someone eyeing her, and notice that is a maiden shyly looking away at her gaze, as though she shares Hester's scorn in silence. It is with this ability Hester is able to see Pearl in a different light. She sees that Pearl is beautiful, but also sees a dark malice within her that scares Hester to the core: "It was a face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice, yet bearing the semblance of features that she had known full well, though seldom with a smile, and never with malice in them. It was as if an evil spirit possessed the child, and had just then peeped forth in mockery" (89). Hester sees herself in Pearl, but even more so than herself, she see malice. Pearl is incredibly intelligent, and is smart enough to know that no heavenly father sent her, but an earthly one did. She would even lash out at the children who gathered around her and stared, the physical manifestation of what Hester would have wanted to do. Pearl has a dark side, and Hester's own scarlet letter allows her to see it.

Scarlet Letter 2

1.) "'Methinks it must gladden your heart, after your troubles and sojourn in the wilderness...to find yourself, at length, in a land where iniquity is searched out, and punished in the sight of rulers and people, as here in our godly New England'" (Hawthorne 58).

These people are just like Salem. We have already gone over that fact, yes, but it relates to what we said in class today(26th). We said that these people are happy for the punishment of sin. They seek sin out and penalize it. They think this is the right thing to do, rather than simply dealing with sin when it arises. They feel they must exterminate any undesirable elements of their Utopian society, and for that they must permeate every home and private life to do so. They are proud of this, and assume that others feel the same as they do. Also, like Salem, everything must be public, from confessions, to hangings, to scarlet letters. Not only must something be punished, but it must be put on display for the entire town to see as they go about their daily activities. In Salem, the criminals were put on display as an example for the community, regardless of whether they felt bad because of punishment or not. In Boston, they are flaunted so that they can feel bad. It is their punishment. In Salem, publicity was used as an example, but in Boston, it is a form of torture.

2.) "'Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what could I do better for my object than to let thee live...so that this burning shame may still blaze upon thy bosom?...Live, therefore, and bear about thy doom with thee, in the eyes of men and women,--in the eyes of him whom thou didst call thy husband,--in the eyes of yonder child!'" (68).

Which is worse: to die, or to live on in shame? These are the two principle punishments talked about in the novel. One means the sudden end of the criminal's human life. The other would mean retaining their life, but at the cost of turning that life into a life cursed with shame and regret. So, which is worse? As a townsman explains about Hester's punishment, "'They[the magistrates] have not been bold to put in force the extremity of our righteous law against her. The penalty thereof is death'" (59), the magistrates were merciful with Hester by not sentencing her to death. To them, death is the final punishment for sin, and instead, they should let Hester live, but display her as an adulteress for the whole town. If The Crucible taught us anything, it is that this is the wrong response. Proctor chose death, rather than to live a false live scorned with the mark of sin. Death ends everything quickly. No more shame, no more mockery, and no more pain. Chillingworth has the right idea when it comes to punishment. The real punishment is not losing one's life, it is having to live that life burdened by your sins. Knowing that everyone is staring at you, ostracizing you, and wondering what they are thinking about it is torment enough, let alone the remorse you feel inside.He knows that this is worse than death, which is why he lets Hester live as his vengeance.

Scarlet Letter #1

1) "'The Reverend Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation'" (Hawthorne 49).

After this reading, I bet Reverend Dimmesdale is the father. It may be still too early to say, but all of the facts thus far point to the Reverend. A goodwife of Boston points out that the Reverend took her sin very seriously. Yes, adultery is a severe sin, as it breaks one of the commandments, but the goodwife did not just say that it concerned him. She says that he took "'it very grievously to heart'"(49). This seems like a clever ploy on Hawthorne's part of sharing the Reverend's feelings on the matter. When someone takes something to heart, it usually connotes them experiencing it as if it were their own. Why else would it matter so much to the Reverend if he were not the father? Yes, one can say that he is just carrying out his pastoral duties, but that was not the feeling I got. The way the goodwife worded her statement made it sound like we are to imply that the Reverend is the father. Not to mention, going a bit outside the book to its back cover, the only three characters mentioned are Hester, Chillingworth, and the Reverend, whom is described as fiery and tortured. Why else would a reverend be fiery and tortured if he did not sire a child in adultery?

2) "But the point which drew all eyes, and, as it were, transfigured the wearer,...was that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself" (51).

Hester is very ostentatious in the publicity of her sin. The way it was described in the book made it seem like she made the A herself. She was the one who stitched it and sowed it into her garments. I may have interpreted it wrong, but that is what is sounded like. In that case, Hester is readily willing to flaunt her sin so that the whole town may know of it. Even if she did not make it herself, then the effect still stands. She is separated from society because of the A. It catches people's attention and causes them to look at her. Then they know exactly what she did. It is a rather effective form of capital punishment, as it must be punishment enough to think of what others may be thinking about you, let alone what you think about yourself. Somehow, though, the story of Mary Magdalene(I believe it is) comes to mind, the story in which Jesus says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first time." Are these people so without sin that they can readily ostracize another, simply because her sin was made public. Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future, so why should they do this without making sure they are not pure themselves? That idea is probably pointless, as it can easily be countered with the fact that these were Puritanical people, and they were all uptight prunes. In the case of John Proctor compared with Hester, Proctor kept his sin quiet whereas Hester flaunted it.

Crucible Essay--Proctor

Scott Pero
AP English Language/ Mr. George
January 3, 2010
Describe John Proctor’s Redemption

The Labors of John Proctor

In Greek mythology, there existed a hero who shone brighter than the rest—the mighty Heracles. The product of a forbidden love between the almighty Zeus, Lord of the Sky and a mortal woman, Heracles was renowned for his unparalleled god-like strength. Tales of his feats have withstood the test of time. Heracles was the paramount of heroism; no other hero can ever compare to him. While Heracles was half immortal, he was also half mortal. Like all mortals, he was anything but perfect. Heracles was tricked by the goddess Hera, the jealous and spurned wife of Zeus, into murdering his wife and children. Utterly devastated, Heracles sought redemption in any way he could. Finally he found it when he was charged with ten labors by his enemy, king Eurystheus. If Heracles completed all of the tasks he was charged with, he would be absolved of his sin and granted immortality with the gods. Heracles succeeded, and even completed two extra labors, effectively redeeming himself. A literary counterpart to Heracles is John Proctor, one of the main characters of The Crucible. The Crucible was a play written by Arthur Miller about the Salem witch hunts of the 1600s. Proctor committed adultery with Abigail Williams, a servant in his house. Ever since then, he thirsts for redemption and is continually unable to quench his desire. John Proctor sought redemption in a society where there was none; he tried to appeal to his wife and the court of Salem to no avail, finally attaining salvation with God.

The township of Salem in the 1600s had no ritual of washing away sin. Initially, this is why Proctor had so much trouble. Society offered no course of action to take away the sins of an individual; their solution was simply to abstain from sin. As Arthur Miller writes, the witch hunt was the only way the townspeople could do anything about their sin: "The witch-hunt was not, however, a mere repression. It was also, and as importantly, a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins, under the cover of accusations against the victims" (Miller 7). The only way for people to receive any consolation from their sins was to partake in the witch hunt, blaming their sins on another. It was the only way to free themselves from the spiritual burden of sin. Proctor had no outlet to confess his sins, and could not be redeemed at first.

There was also a problem with Proctor’s pride that kept him from his redemption. Proctor is self-centered in the beginning of the story; he does not realize what his confession is capable of doing. Proctor sets out only wishing to free himself of sin and no one else: "I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name—you will believe me, Mr. Danforth!" (111). Proctor is doing this all for himself, so that sin may be washed away from him alone. It has tormented him ever since he committed the heinous act, and his confession is his reprieve from the guilt he has suffered. In the beginning, he tries to seek absolution from the source—his wife.
Proctor appeals to Elizabeth first. He committed a sin against his wife by sleeping with another woman. It makes sense to seek forgiveness from the person you forsook in the first place. Proctor confessed his sins to his wife, only to find that he could not be redeemed for them: "I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed...Some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But you're not...and let you remember it! Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not" (55). Proctor could not redeem himself by confessing to Elizabeth because she is only human. She cannot wash away his sins becase she does not have the immortal power to do so. Even if Proctor did wrong by Elizabeth, she can not forgive him in the way he desires. He needs the weight of his wrongdoings lifted from him, and no human has the power to do that. Still, though, Proctor seeks new refuge in the court of Salem.

Proctor goes next to the court to redeem himself. Abigail, the very girl with whom he committed adultery, controls the court as a puppeteer controls a puppet on string; she has lulled them into believing in witchcraft and that witches terrorize Salem. Because of this, countless innocents have already suffered by her word. They have been accused of withcraft and either arrested or hanged. Proctor sets out to stop her, and, if need be, reveal his sin publicly. He does just that, but receives no consolation from the court. Instead, he is swept into the witch trials and accused of witchery. When Proctor is ordered to confess to witchery to avoid the hangman’s noose, he realizes how useful the court has been: "I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is fraud. I am not that man…My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before" (136). By giving the court his confession to witchcraft—an obvious lie—Proctor would avoid hanging, but it would not change anything. The court has already condemned him either way. If he confesses, they will not think him any nobler or any better. His sins will still stain his soul, and the court can not do a thing about it. Now, as Proctor realizes, there is only one other that he can turn to for salvation.

Seeing that both his wife and the court cannot rid him of the horrible guilt inside him, Proctor turns to God for his redemption. Proctor has nowhere else to turn to for help. His wife has not forgiven him, and the court has condemned him. As Proctor sees, God is the only answer: "Then who will judge me?...God in Heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor?" (138). All earthly outlets have proved useless to Proctor; now, only the ethereal possibilities remain. Proctor recognizes that no human can forgive a stigma on one’s soul. Only God can work such wonders. Proctor turns wholeheartedly to God to redeem himself. This marks his final move toward redemption.

As the story progresses, so does a change in Proctor’s character. The further along in the text, the more Proctor has shifted from self-centeredness to benevolence. At first, he only endeavors to clear his own name, to wipe the sin away from himself, and no one else. By the end of the play, however, Proctor realizes that he is not the only person that matters, as he exemplifies when he is willing to hang rather than lie to save his life: "I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs" (144). Proctor is willing to die for other people. Many others had already hanged because of the witch-hunt. Proctor understands that confessing to witchcraft just so that he may live would dishonor all those that died before him. If he lived, they would have died in vain. Proctor chose to hang so that their deaths would mean something. He no longer cared only about himself; this was the final step in redeeming himself and how, ultimately, he find retribution. One cannot be redeemed if they focus too much inward. In most cases, that is what made them fall into sin in the first place.

Christianity is embodied in John Proctor and his beliefs. He symbolizes everything that Christianity stands for. The theocracy established in The Crucible represents the beliefs of an ancient past time in the Church. Proctor vehemently disagrees with their old world beliefs. For example, Proctor believes, unlike most of Salem, that it should not matter where you pray, merely that you do. Proctor tried to attend church, but when he did not, he still prayed. This is exactly what Christianity would mandate as well. Another instance where Proctor conflicts with the theocracy of Salem is when he refuses to give the court a written confession of witchcraft to be made public: "I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!" (142). Christianity teaches us that God knows when a sinner is sorry, and that he even rejoices when he repents and wants to be redeemed. It does not say that the sinner’s confession must be flaunted throughout the public. Proctor fights ardently for this belief, as he will not give up his confession if the court is going to make it public. Proctor also knows that only God can truly forgive the sins of another, and that He will be the final judge of all. Proctor personifies the Christian faith because he fiercely defends its beliefs as his own.

John Proctor underwent a harsh and difficult process to finally redeem himself. He needed a way to absolve his sins when his society would not offer one. He could not find forgiveness in his wife, the very woman he scorned. The court did not purify him; they merely tried to use him as an example to the rest of the town. Proctor recognized that no human can truly wash away a sin, and turned to God for absolution. Proctor shifted from focusing on himself to focusing on others, a feat many would find Herculean. Like Heracles, Proctor was ultimately redeemed upon the completion of his valiant endeavors. Their gods exonerated them from the shackling burdens of their sins and venerated them in their redemption.