The Scarlet Letter Summaries Again.....

Chapters 17-18

Hester decides to confront Dimmesdale about Chillingworth's true identity, and at first Dimmesdale seems to be angry with her. He then forgives her and explains to her that Chillingworth's sin is much greater than both of theirs. Dimmesdale believes he should die since he has no strength left, but Hester tells him that she will be his strength. She then tries to convince him to move away and take a new identity with her by his side. Hester believes that they should flee to Europe. Dimmesdale finds it a little harder to commit to this idea then Hester does because, unlike her, he has been apart of Boston's society for the past 7 years. When he finally agrees to leave Boston behind, he recieves a feeling of being closer to her. While making this decision, she believes that she no longer needs to wear the letter "A" on her bosom and removes it to be thrown in the woods. Once the decision was made, Hawthorne makes a point to note that the whole woods became livelier and the sun was shining where Hester was standing. Hester then believes that Dimmesdale should get to know Pearl better, and decides to call her from the woods where she has been playing with the flowers.

Chapters 19-20

Hester and Dimmesdale both watch Pearl, being decorated in flowers, aproach them from the woods. Dimmesdale is afraid that Pearl won't like him since most little kids weren't comfortable around him in the past. Pearl seems to refuse to listen to Hester's orders to come to her, and she soon realizes that it is because she seems unfamiliar to Pearl with her hair down and without the letter attatched to her bosom. She tells Pearl to look down because the letter is placed right in front of her. Pearl will not pick it up, and makes Hester get it and replace it on her bosom. Once the letter is replaced and her hair is back up, Hester seems to look more like her old self again with a sad look on her face. With this being done, Pearl approaches her mother and kisses both her mother and the scarlet letter. Hester then begins to tell Pearl that Dimmesdale is going to be a part of their life now, and Pearl immediately asks him if he will walk back into town holding both of their hands. Hester soon answers that he will not walk into town holding their hands; not at this moment in time at least. This response makes Pearl hesitant to warm up to Dimmesdale, and when he kisses her on the forehead, she runs to wash it off in the water. Hester's idea causes Dimmesdale to return to town in better spirits. While he arranges his affairs in town, Hester is supposed to take care of the voyage plans. Dimmesdale is pleased that the trip will start after the Election Sermon, but his personality has turned wicked and he is making rude statements to everyone in town. He thinks that he may have just made a deal with the devil. After he returns home, he refuses to take the medicine prescribred by Chillingsworth. This makes Chillingsworth suspect that Dimmesdale knows the truth behind the matter, but neither vocalize his feelings. Dimmesdale spends the rest of the night burning his first sermon and writing a new one.

Chapters 21-22

The following day, Hester and Pearl are standing in the town square waiting to hear the sermons. Hester, dressed in all gray, is asked by Pearl repeatedly if the minister shall greet them this day. Hester tells her that the time has not yet come. Soon after Hester tells Pearl this, the captain of the ship approached Hester and informed her that Chillingsworth would be traveling with them on their trip. Without the time to think of what Chillingsworth might have planned, Hester calls her attention to Dimmesdale, who looks in very good shape. Hester, Pearl, and Mistress Hibbens notice that Dimmesdale has changed, and that he has become full of suffering. While he gives his sermon, Pearl dances on the street. The ship captain asks Pearl to relay a message, telling Hester that the doctor will oversee that Dimmesdale makes it to the ship and that she doesn't have to worry about it. Everyone standing in the audience is entranced by Hester's "A," even if they have seen it before. This causes her much pain because she is so close to the day of getting it removed.

Chapters 23-24

The audience is captivated by Dimmesdale's moving sermon. Following the procession, he walks to the scaffolding, where he calls Hester and Pearl to see him. He ignores Chillingsworth's warning to not speak with Hester and converses with her anyway. After speaking with them, he decides to show the audience his chest to reveal his guilt. He then asks Pearl to kiss him, and then Hester asks about their future. He tells her that she shouldn't expect much and that she should put her full faith in God. Dimmesdale then dies in front of the audience. Soon after his death, many speculations are made about him. One of the major ones being that he was never involved with Hester. During this time, Chillingsworth becomes old and dies within a year. He leaves all of his property to Pearl, who disappears with her mother. Years later, Hester returns to her cottage on the outside of town with the scarlet "A" still on her chest. Although Pearl never returned, it was speculated she married a European man with great importance. Hester remained in the cottage and never had the "A" removed. What was once looked at as a burden was now considered sad. She was used by the women in the town as a counselor because of her troubled past. After some time, Hester dies and was burried next to Dimmesdale. The gravestone was marked with the simple phrase, "On a Field, Sable, the Letter A, Gules."

The Scarlet Letter Summaries Continued

Chapters 13-14

After some time, Hester has been accepted as an equal in the community. The judges in the town have also changed their opinion of her. Hester has become more ragged from living away from the civilized public. She spends most of her time helping others in the community. Hester realizes that most of Dimmesdale's guilt was caused by Chillingsworth, not her situation. Because of all this, she feels partially responsible and tries to help him as much as possible. During her efforts to help Dimmesdale, she plots to speak with Chillingsworth about his revenge plan. When speaking with Dimmesdale she finds out that the judges have discussed removing her letter "A," which was brought up by Chillingsworth during Hester's visit. In the conversation, Chillingsworth appears sad by what he has become. He also confesses to torturing Dimmesdale. Hester than asks him if she can reveal to Dimmesdale who he really is. After she leaves, she realizes how much she truly hates Chillingsworth.

Chapters 15-16


At the time of Hester's absence, Pearl was playing on the seashore. She had constructed the letter "A" with seaweed on her chest. When Hester arrives, she asks her daughter if she is aware what the letter "A" stands for? Pearl tells her that it is for the same reason Dimmesdale puts his hand over his chest, but she doesn't fully understand. For this reason Pearl keeps questioning her mother about what the true meaning of the scarlet letter is. Although she feels that Pearl may become like a friend someday and not the deceptive child she always thought she was, she decides that she is still too young to tell the whole truth to. Hester then makes the decision to tell Dimmesdale Chillingsworth's true identity. While on a walk in the woods, Pearl points out that the sun runs from her mother because of the scarlet "A." Pearl asks her mother if she recieved the letter from the "black man." Hester tells her that she did as they sit by a bubbling brook, which Pearl describes as sad. Dimmesdale arrives at the brook, where Pearl proceeds to ask him if he holds his hand over his chest because of the "black man" as well. Hester tells her to leave her and Dimmesdale alone so they could share words.