Name____________________________
The Scarlet Letter: Chapter X
I’ve noticed that the main images in Chapter 10 revolve around the grave, burial, and digging to the bottom of darkness to reveal . . .
something. On the back of this sheet, collect at least five quotations that are relevant to the images I’ve noted in the first sentence. Next to each
quotation, think out the idea Hawthorne is trying to present through his image. Finally, deduce Hawthorne’s purpose for using this imagery in
Chapter 10. I’ve done one as an example in order to present my expectations for your thinking here. Remember to use the text as a bridge to
your analysis.
Quotation
What It Means
“He now dug into the poor clergyman’s heart, like a miner searching for
gold: or, rather, like a sexton delving into a grave, possibly in quest of a
jewel that had been buried on the dead man’s bosom, but likely to find
nothing save mortality and corruption” (153).
Chillingworth is adamant in finding out what is at the root of
Dimmesdale’s sickness. He imagines he is a “miner” searching for “gold”
in that he’ll have to plunge into dangerous darkness (Dimmesdale’s
heart) searching for the prize (Dimmesdale’s secret) which Chillingworth
believes is as precious as gold.
He also thinks he could be like a sexton (who is in charge of
maintenance/church grounds) going into a grave. This language could
indicate the seriousness of Dimmesdale’s illness—he is almost like a
dead man. The jewel (secret) is on the dead man’s bosom (heart) just as
it resides in Dimmesdale. Chillingworth believes he will find the secret—
but it won’t be a beautiful, glittering jewel; it will be a secret of crucial
importance, one that proves Dimmesdale’s treachery. The sexton image
also reveals corruption in Chillingworth in that a man of the church is
jumping into a grave to rob it.
It’s a dirty job—literally as a miner and grave-digger—but also
figuratively as Chillingworth is likely to soil his own conscience or
morality. Additionally, these two endeavors (mining/grave-digging) are
difficult and dangerous work; mining especially rarely results in what the
miner expected—same with the sexton Hawthorne describes in the text.
So is Chillingworth going to be able to get what he wants?
Hawthorne also reveals his feelings about Dimmesdale calling him the
“poor clergyman” as if to elicit sympathy from the reader.
Quotation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Author’s Purpose
What it Means