Chapters 23-24

The last two chapters of this novel left me pleasantly surprised. As most of the story led me to believe that the ending would be ambiguous and displeasing to readers, since that is what most of the novel seemed to consist of. I believe that Hawthorne’s rich ending makes the whole novel almost well worth it as it provides a lot of detail. I was relieved to find that Dimmesdale confessed to his sin before he died. Also, it was appropriate for Hawthorne to write in for Dimmesdale to die, as he no longer is able to support Hester and he has rid himself of the guilt that has plagued him for years. This is also true with Chillingworth because without the ability to torture Dimmesdale, he no longer has any purpose in his life. I feel that these chapters embody what this novel is truly about because Hester, having embraced her sin from the start, was able to move on and eventually live her life in the most normal way possible. Dimmesdale, however, buried his sin from the start and tortured himself in secret, which ultimately led to his downfall as seen in these chapters. This is key to a theme in this novel which is embracing one’s sin allows for healing and mending of oneself. The part of these chapters that stood out the most to me was the sense of closure between Dimmesdale and Pearl. She has never been extremely fond of Dimmesdale, even when he showed compassion toward her in the forest, but now that he has openly expressed his sin as a sign of his love, passion, and respect for Hester and Pearl she has accepted him as her family and gives him a final kiss before he passes.

One quotation I found to be ironic in these chapters is on page 222, which says, “According to their united testimony, never had a man spoken in so wise, so high, and so holy a spirit, as he that spake that day; nor had inspiration ever breathed through mortal lips more evidently than it did through his.” This is ironic because moments later Dimmesdale reveals his long-buried sin to the entire congregation, but in this moment the entire colony believes him to be the most holy man in the settlement. Another quotation in this set of chapters goes along with the motif we have discussed as a class regarding sunlight and darkness. “The sun, but little past its meridian, shone down upon the clergyman, and gave distinctness to his figure, as he stood out from all the earth, to put in his plea of guilty at the bar of eternal justice,” (227). This shows that by confessing his sin he has finally once again become worthy of the sunlight and is able to escape his dark cave of agony. A final quotation that is pivotal to the novel is on page 229, which says, “Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part, had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father’s cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it. Towards her mother, too, Pearl’s errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled.” This paragraph is critical because it shows that regardless of what reason Pearl was sent for originally, she is now human and capable of human compassion and her days of torturous reminders towards Hester and Dimmesdale are over.

My gossamer thread for these chapters comes from the Disney Pixar movie Finding Nemo. In this movie Nemo is a young clownfish who just wants to get out and experience the world. His dad, however, having lost everything is paranoid and anxious about everything outside of his home. For this Nemo is somewhat rebellious and defiant toward his dad. For example, when he swims out off of the reef and “touches the butt” he has no respect for his father blatantly telling him to return back to the reef. This is like when Pearl is in the forest with Hester and Dimmesdale and will not reciprocate his kiss on her forehead. At the end of Nemo’s journey after returning home, he has a newfound love for his father once he realizes that he is not a coward, but crossed the entire ocean in order to save him. While leaving with his class to go to school he asks his teacher to wait one minute and rushes back to hug his dad and tell him how much he loves him. This compares to the moment in the text when Pearl gives Dimmesdale the kiss which she first withheld from him in the forest.
Finding Nemo Final Scene (1:16:00)