Chapters 20 - 22

Overall, chapters twenty to twenty-two are interesting as the days are counting down to the departure of Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale to England. The tensions seem to be growing with escape from the Puritan community so near but Chillingworth refusing the leave Dimmesdale alone. This leads the reader to wonder what Hester and Dimmesdale will do, since they are not able to escape from everyone who knows of their sin and start a clean slate together. However, the part of these chapters that intrigued me the most was chapter 20, more specifically speaking Dimmesdale change in character as his thoughts became more corrupt and sinful.

After Dimmesdale leaves the forest, “[...] he was incited to do some strange, wild, wicked thing or other, with a sense that it would be at once involuntary and intentional; in spite of himself, yet growing out of a profounder self than that which opposed the impulse” (Hawthorne 195). Dimmesdale is becoming more prone to sin after meeting Hester in the forest; to him, his luck has grown and if all goes well, he will be sailing to London with his family in four days. The good fortune he has in this situation and his decision to abandon his position as an authority figure in this small society to pursue happiness put him in a mindset outside of the Puritan values. Unaccustomed to this new way of thought, Dimmesdale, who has sinned not only for committing adultery but also for wanting to forsake a community dependent on him to live happily, wants to inflict harmful thoughts and advice onto others. Throughout his four meetings with his followers and other townspeople, Dimmesdale faces the temptation to taint their thoughts, but also valiantly tries to resist this temptation. I feel like Hawthorne was trying to criticise Puritan society with Dimmesdale’s change in character. Dimmesdale is put on a pedestal for being one of the most influential figures in this community, and the people think he is free of sin. This puts an enormous pressure on him to act perfect; if the townspeople find out that he does something wrong, the community will crumble. In the previous chapters of the novel, Dimmesdale pretends that he has done nothing wrong and continues to do his duties as Reverend while suffering inside. However, when he actively decides to sin and run away with Hester and Pearl, he begins to feel like he wanted to inflict others with wickedness, yet he is happy, full of energy, and healthier. I feel like this is Hawthorne’s criticism of this society, and how happiness and passion and being free of sin and temptation cannot coexist in a society as strict and harsh as this one.

In addition to the change in characters, an emphasis on the importance of different sceneries and settings is also highlighted in these chapters. During the procession, Dimmesdale had a different aura around him; he was more confident and remote, making him seem like a different person. In the marketplace, Pearl asks Hester if Dimmesdale is the same minister that kissed her forehead at the brook, to which Hester replied, “‘Hold thy peace, dear little Pearl! [...] We must not always talk in the market-place of what happened to us in the forest’” (Hawthorne 215). Hester’s response to Pearl’s curiosity demonstrates how in the marketplace, or more generally speaking in the town, one has to act a certain way to be accepted by society. In the forest, Hester is free to act however she wants, as no one is watching or judging her actions, and she is happier and more carefree. She is free to be with Dimmesdale as a lover, which would be frowned upon in the Puritan community due to the adultery. However, the acts Hester and Dimmesdale did in the beginning of the novel were out of passion; they have feelings for each other. In the marketplace, Hester has to suppress her feelings and desires and cannot express herself. Additionally, though people say that the Black Man, or Devil, comes out of the forest, the forest is the one place where Hester feels free and is possible to be with Dimmesdale. It is ironic how a place associated with the Devil can be full of happy memories and love whereas a place supposedly free of sin and is doing God’s work can be so restrictive and harsh.

The gossamer threads I am relating these chapters to are gay people, more specifically speaking, closeted gays. Although there is nothing wrong with not being attracted to people of the opposite gender, society makes it seem taboo and outrageous. Thus, many gay people will not disclose this information about themselves, in fear of peoples’ reactions. This is similar to Hester and Dimmesdale in the way that they cannot reveal that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father, even though Dimmesdale and Hester do care for each other and there should not be anything wrong with their relationship. There may be a place or people that the above mentioned people can act like themselves (in the case of someone still mostly in the closet, perhaps with very close friends or online, while for Hester and Dimmesdale, in the forest). However, in society, they must hide who they are and their actions in order to be accepted and that becomes repressive. In conclusion, whether someone loves a boy, a girl, someone who is genderfluid, someone who is transgendered, someone who is cisgendered, someone who is a minister, or any other sort of person there possibly could be, that love should not have to be hidden and only displayed in one area.