While Hester and Dimmesdale use their knowledge of human nature to show empathy and compassion to others, Chillingworth uses his intelligence to destructive ends. He also implies that he was a good man until Hester betrayed him, blaming her for his behavior rather than taking responsibility himself.

“Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone. It irks me, nevertheless, that the partner of her iniquity should not, at least, stand on the scaffold by her side. But he will be known! —he will be known!

What say you to it, once again, brother Dimmesdale? Must it be thou or I that shall deal with this poor sinner’s soul?” “Hester Prynne,” said the clergyman, “I have been arguing with my young brother here, whose preaching of the Gospel you have been privileged to hear.” Mr.

Hester is guilty of the “sin” of adultery. As punishment, is forced to stand on a platform in the town square, an example and a spectacle, for all to see. Thereafter, she is forced to affix a bright, red letter “A” which identifies her at all times to the community, to strangers, and to herself.

In The Scarlet Letter, Chillingworth married Hester because he hoped to find some happiness in married life, and she was young and beautiful. He had lived a pretty lonely and solitary existence for most of his years, and he longed for the happiness that he saw so many others enjoy.

We all know Hester Prynne committed adultery and wore a big red “A” on her chest. But until now, her marriage, how she got to America and why she committed this awful sin have been a puzzle.

What do the reverends want to know about Hester’s sin? They want to know who the father is. She says she will never tell because she only wants Pearl to know a heavenly father not an earthly one.

Chillingworth does want revenge because, as he says to Hester, this man “has wronged us both!” He feels that he shares some responsibility for Hester’s… (The entire section contains 2 answers and 646 words.)

For Hester, to remove the scarlet letter would be to acknowledge the power it has in determining who she is. Upon her return from Europe at the novel’s end, Hester has gained control over both her personal and her public identities.

Dimmesdale says he is irrevocably doomed because, as a devout Puritan, he doesn’t feel worthy of God’s grace. By his own standards, Dimmesdale is a sinner, having committed adultery with Hester.

As the symbol of Hester’s and Dimmesdale’s adultery, Pearl, at times, simply feels the effects of this illicit affair. So, as a reminder of his sin with Hester, Dimmesdale fears her and does not recognize her in public.

How does Pearl react? Her forehead. She washed the kiss off. What was the minister scheduled to do the third day from the present, “an honorable epoch in the life of a new England clergyman”?

Arthur Dimmesdale fully recognizes his great sin–“A bitter kind of knowledge that!” as he admits to himself his great hypocrisy and guilt for which he knows he will be punished. M.P. Ossa, M.A. In chapter 20 of The Scarlet Letter we learn that Hester and Dimmesdale have decided to escape with little Pearl.

What becomes of Pearl? she gets married to a rich man and has a family. Which we assume she is a happy . Why do you suppose Hester returns to Salem?