Scarlet Letter
Chapter 11 & 12
By: Zach Hartzer and Jake Rodriguez
Ch. 11 Summary
Dimmesdale is suffering from his illness and is really
thinking about what has caused it. He has been
delivering the strongest and most effective sermons of
his life. The reverend has committed a sin but hasn’t
confessed to anyone. This action is looming of his head
and it begins to make him delusional. He begins to
have visions of Pearl and Hester and they tell him to
confess. In an attempt to cleanse his body of the sin,
Dimmesdale begins to fast and holds vigils in which he
doesn't sleep because he meditating.
Ch. 12 Summary
The reverend goes up to the scaffold in the middle of the night
thinking about confessing his sin. He lets out a loud scream and
expects everyone to come out so his secret can finally be revealed.
Nobody comes out. However reverend Wilson comes by the
scaffold after he left the governors house who just died, but by
some miracle he does not see Dimmesdale on top of it and just
continues home. Then Hester and Pearl come by and they come
on top of the scaffold with the reverend. They are all talking when
a meteor flies by and leaves in the sky the letter “A”. It just makes
the reverend want to confess his sin even more. Then
Chillingworth comes up, and completely terrifies the reverend and
makes him even more paranoid. After a bit of an argument,
Chillingworth eventually leads the reverend home. The next day,
the reverend performs his best sermon ever. However, the sexton
finds his black glove on the scaffold from the night before and says
it’s a sign of the devil.
Themes
You cant runaway from your past.
The truth will eventually come out.
Romantic and Puritan Ideas
Reverend Dimmesdale would fast to an extreme.
Puritans believed that fasting was a way to purify the
body . He did it until his knees trembled beneath him,
as an act of penance. Pg. 150
Character Analysis
Dimmesdale- is a weak man and his sin is destroying him.
He feels guilty for not confessing his wrong doing and it is
physically harming him. Everyday he keeps his secret, the
worse his health becomes.
Chillingworth- is a very odd man who doesn’t fit in with the
people in the town. He acts very strange around
Dimmesdale and Dimmesdale starts to wonder who this
man really is. He has evil working inside of him.
Pearl- is different and everyone in the town knows it. She
shows signs of which craft and some people think the devil
is inside her.
Literary Devices
Irony- Reverend Dimmesdale asks Hester who
Chillingworth really is. Hester refuses to answer
because she keeps her oath to her husband.
Dimmesdale is very confused and flustered but we all
know Chillingworth is Hester’s husband.
Narrative Voice- He creates a very sad and depressing
tone towards Dimmesdale. It makes Dimmesdale seem
very pitiful and makes the reader feel sympathy towards
him even though he has committed an awful sin.
Literary Devices
Symbolism- Pearl is a huge symbol between Hester and
the reverend. She was the connecting link between the
two. The three formed an “electric chain” that brought
peace and life back to the reverend.
Symbolism- The meteor that flew above them showed
the letter “A” in the sky. It just gives more reason for
the reverend to confess his sin for adultery. The people
think it stands for angel since the governor just died. It
stands more for adultery since the reverend and Hester
are standing by each other and he really wants to
confess his sin.
Quiz
1. What made the letter “A” in the sky?
2. What did Hester make for Governor Winthrop when he
died?
3. What article of clothing did Dimmesdale leave on the
scaffold?
4. Why won’t Hester tell Dimmesdale who Chillingworth
really is?
5. What do the townspeople think that the “A” in the sky
stood for?
Activity
Imagine you are the reverend, standing on top of the
scaffold in front of the entire community getting ready
to confess your sin. Prepare a short speech about what
you would say to the people about what has happened
and how you feel. Use pg. 148-149 as a guideline.
After, a few brave volunteers who are strong enough to
stand on top of the scaffold and tell their speech to the
people will receive a treat.