I have to admit, right after I finished reading chapter 16 I was as lost as one could be. The only thing I seemed to have remembered about the reading was that there was a forest. But after looking at it multiple times, I realized it's one of my favorite chapters of the novel. I love how Hawthorne spends the entire chapter intensely focusing on the forest and the character's relationship with it. It seems like this is the most obvious section of the novel where Hawthorne's true passion shines through; transcendentalism. He doesn't think of the forest as a material, stationary object, he looks at it as an interactive story in the process of being told. Pearl tries to catch the sunshine, the brook babbles, everything seems to be alive and in sync. It did take me a little time though to realize that these lengthy, wordy descriptions told such a complex, unique story when broken down. Everything seemed to have a duality; the brook is an old man constantly telling and seeing history, while at the same time, it's a reflection of whoever's looking at it. I think I'm so drawn to chapter 16 because it's like a puzzle that readers have to decode and figure out. The next chapter, for me, is the moment when everything comes out between Dimmesdale and Hester. Hester is so daring and brave in her endeavor to reach Dimmesdale emotionally that she actually breaks through to him. I think it's kind of interesting to see this new side of Hester that is so optimistic and attuned to helping Dimmesdale. She understands exactly what's going on through his head, and after years of Dimmesdale hating himself, I think it's amazing that she turns that around with one pep talk. That being said, words can't even describe how annoying I found Dimmesdale. He kept saying, "Think for me, Hester! Thou are strong. Resolve for me!...It is too mighty for me to struggle with!...Be thou strong for me!" (Hawthorne 177). He was having the world's biggest pity party for himself, and I absolutely commend Hester for pressing on and still trying to encourage him. She ends her speech with one of the best pep talks I've heard and he is completely inspired afterwards. Soon after, when Hester takes off her Scarlet letter, I love how Hawthorne describes the forest and everything in it as having sunshine fall around it. There's this idea of bursting perfection and radiance, as soon as Hester removes the sin ridden A. This is also when I start to realize how close of a relationship Pearl has with the A. Pearl is undeniably in place and radiating, and the forest recognizes it as well. I really like how Hawthorne epitomizes Pearl's wildness and nature side in these chapters. Overall, while these chapters seem long winded and at times dull, I really like the complex meanings that the reader has to discover.
6) How does Pearl fit into the forest setting?
Pearl seems to be not only acknowledged by other creatures in the forest, but recognized as familiar. The animals don't necessarily like or hate her presence, but they all notice something different about her innate within them as well. Pearl interacts with the forest, it is clear to the reader that she belongs there. She plays with the sunlight and the nature itself. Not only does she speak with the brook, she sees herself in it's reflection. In the wilderness, Pearl has a different air about her; she is somehow gentler and more tender than she is in society. This is also the setting where her impish figure finally turns into a reality that fits well in the forest.
8) Why does Pearl insist that the scarlet letter be replaced?
In these latter chapters, Hawthorne writes of the two separate worlds in which Dimmesdale and Hester, and Pearl live. I think this plays into Pearl's insistence that the scarlet letter be replaced. Pearl refuses to cross the brook until the letter is replaced because she exists in the world where the letter exists. Since it is cast away upon the bank, Pearl almost feels the same way. She doesn't want to cross into her mother's world because the scarlet letter doesn't exist there, therefore Pearl isn't there either. On a plot based level, I think Pearl refuses because she doesn't like change and wants to be stubborn. But I think Hawthorne intends for us to see it as Pearl's correlation with the letter.
I agree with how you find the nature imagery interesting in this chapter. My favorite part was the sunlight imagery. I liked how the sunlight touched upon those who were strong and deserving of it. The sunlight is always with Pearl because she is not hypocritical and is in my opinion honest. When Hester and Dimmesdale decide to become honest too bliss and sunlight finds them too.
ReplyDeleteI also find the nature imagery interesting here. I like how you described the duality of the brook as old, seeing and creating history while at the same time youthful and reflecting the present. Also, continuing with Pearl, nature throughout the novel really helps characterize who she is and it is in nature where Pearl is able to be a child like everyone else, running around and playing, without others judging her has the child of a sinner. She has two different personalities when she is within society and free in nature.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this section of the book, I had also found it rather interesting that Hester was able to persuade Dimmesdale into her grand plan to move away and live together with Pearl. However, I think that was the best course of action that they could have taken; if no one here accepts you, changing locations is always an option. Besides, I feel that if Dimmesdale remained here for too long, his inner guilt would overwhelm him. Originally, the guilt's repercussions seem to have an exponentially greater effect on him throughout the course of the novel, whether it be by self-injury or by crushing anxiety. I also agree with how Hester's removal of the A seemed to have a very great effect on everything around her. It seems to mark a turning point.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you talked about the nature, and how nature is described really well by Hawthorne in these chapters, because I completely agree with you. The amount of time and effort that Hawthorne put into these few chapters is exquisite, and although his writing can be length at times, his description of nature is where he shines. Reading this section, I began to appreciate his writing more than I had before, just like you did. Seeing how much time he put into describing nature, I can see why it is a motif.
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