Bones Laced in Scarlet

Devynne Bothne's Scarlet Letter Blog

[the-scarlet-bones]

Outsiders Reflection

The power of being an outsider is being able to see the world from the, ‘outside.’ Cheesy, yes I know, but true. I am able to observe people in a way to see how they act, react, and take action. I get to make a better prediction of how what I say or do will affect them. This also comes with the pain of being an insider. I never feel truthful. I feel robotic and I mostly feel like I’m cheating them in a game. This ties into my integrity. I give my honest opinion, but how I word it or when I say it solely depends on how I have seen them react beforehand. I feel I can relate to both Hester and Pearl, because they are outsiders that observe rather than ignore the insiders. Pearl observes for her own amusement. Hester observes to gain new business opportunities. I sit back and watch and after I feel I have observed enough I calculate how I can best fit in or how what I do and say will affect those around me. This year I feel I have done less watching and more engaging with the people around me, since I realized if they don’t like me as I come and I am then that’s their loss not mine. I do not need people in my life who want to change me from how I naturally am.

To be honest the main reason I didn’t want to show my outsiders video was because I knew it would make other’s think I was looking for pity or sympathy and I’m not. That and I didn’t want to watch it and have it spark up resolved emotional issues in the middle of class, because I knew that would be much worse than them thinking I was looking for pity. This is how I feel like Hester. She doesn’t go around spouting her sob story because she doesn’t want the pity. She tried her best to make them not pity her or sympathize with her or anything else of the sort. She only says what she has to in order to get more work, and well to survive in general otherwise she might have been stoned or worse if it weren’t for what she chooses to say and when she chooses to say it.

This also ties into how I feel like Pearl because I also like to observe others for entertainment. I prefer to sit back and watch a good portion of the people around me make fools of themselves. I mean sometimes it is ok to goof off but really? Are you sure you want to just over that giant metal contraption and three chairs in the middle of the commons after JUST saying you had bad leg cramps the night before? Are you SURE? Although I’ll joke around in class about biking down the Himalayans in nothing but pants, but it’s completely different. The point is she’d rather not partake in anything that’ll make a fool of herself and I whole heartedly agree with that.

What I wonder is how do people not think of this before taking any actions? And if they do why do they not choose to listen to it? I guess what I’m trying to say is think before you act. Not just ponder slightly about your possible actions but thoroughly think them through. I understand how much torture that is but trust me it’s worth it. I haven’t embarrassed myself too much, have I? 

[the-scarlet-bones]

Comparative Themes

While reading the poem, Crumbling is not an instant’s Act, Dickison produces deeper meanings through her choice and placement of words and phrases. She expresses a feeling of unnoticed change such as the migration of destruction from the soul to the physique of a being. This idea is expressed thoroughly in the third stanza due to the progression from a, “Cobweb on the Soul,” to an, “Elemental Rust.” The issue, if it is one, is mentions to start as a conflicting power against the soul which is inside and not physical just yet. By the second line Dickinson brings the complication to the door that opens to the world of physicality. The third line gives a confirmation that the problem is affecting the body and not just the soul. The last line shows the result of the conflict taking hold of the body. This is all a development, a process, an organized happening of consecutive instances.

Within The Scarlet Letter the sense that the characters grow from their experiences. Hester with her crimson deed. Chillingworth with his secretive downfall. Dimmesdale with her hidden end riding his back till his death. Even though these characters had grown from these in different ways their path to become who they ended as was the same. They all started with a moral ich. A feeling that plants itself inside to grow larger, slowly taking control of the body. Then in the end the bearer of this feeling is over run by this ich. He or she has now embodied what they had once denied, or was forcefully given in Hester’s case.

Hester Prynne’s experiences turns her into the, “Sister of Mercy” (111). She does not just weave this title into her morals but it shows through her actions, such as when she cuts Dimmesdale A LOT of slack after he pretty much screws her over the entire seven, and what I believe to be, and a half years. Dimmesdale’s experiences bubble inside of him because he does not and cannot confide in anyone other than Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale’s mental health starts to deteriorate and soon followed by his physical starting with the day Hester Prynne first stood on the scaffold. His choice to not reveal the truth then lead to the rest of the book’s outcome. Chillingworth’s choices not only affected himself but others. His choice to, and this was said by him, manipulate Hester into marrying an old educated english man such as himself start her on a lonely Journey. Though, his inner demons first bite when he learns of Hester betrayal. He becomes bent on not exactly carrying out revenge but making his feelings known through secretive manipulation, which had taken physical form through his appearance and actions on Dimmesdale. As said before, this theme of transformative exertion is described in the poem Crumbling is not an instant’s Act and shown in the actions and morals of the characters in The Scarlet Letter.

[the-scarlet-bones]

Symbolism Round 2: Babbling Brook (Revised)

In chapter sixteen Hawthorne presents the setting of a babbling brook in the woods that Pearl and Hester settle upon. Hawthorne’s descriptions of the brook suggests that it has lived a tough life with no positive opportunities and constantly being taken control of. Shown by the trees,”chok[ing] up the current, and compell[ing] it [to change]” (127 OG). This represents the feeling familiar to the public, and that’s when one feels contained and stuck. Dwelling on the negative just as Pearl describes the brook doing. However the brook does find ways through the thick branches and around the stubborn rocks to find new places to flow (127 OG), just as one does. One learns to find ways to overcome these obstacles.

However, the brook signifies the complications of being shut away or in solitude. It shows that if only little new, positive social contact is made then the subject is over run with an overwhelmingly grim outlook on life. Just as the brook, being shut in by the boulders and branches, babbles about it’s somber life to little Pearl (128 OG). Hawthorne describes the brook as talking, “like the voice of a young child [who spent its] infancy without playfulness” (128 OG). This connects to Pearl’s solitude because she is the daughter of a sinner and lives on the outskirts of town. She may not show a disappointed outlook on life but she does focus on what others perceive as negative. This being because she has only known the views of her mother and was exposed to solitude as an infant with an original playfulness unlike other children and their playmates.

[the-scarlet-bones]

Symbolism: The Babbling Brook

In chapter sixteen we are presented with the setting of a babbling brook in the woods that Pearl and Hester settle upon. Hawthorne’s descriptions of the brook suggests that it has lived a tough life with no positive opportunities and constantly being taken control of. Shown by the trees,”chok[ing] up the current, and compell[ing] it [to change]” (127 OG). This represents the feeling we’ve all come across at one point in our lives when we feel contained and stuck. We dwell on the negative just as Pearl describes the brook doing. However the brook does find ways through the thick branches and around the stubborn rocks to find new places to flow, just as we do. We learn to find ways to overcome our obstacles.

However, the brook signifies the complications of being shut away or in solitude. It shows that if only little new, positive social contact is made then the subject is over run with an overwhelmingly grim outlook on life. Just as the brook babbles about it’s somber life to little Pearl. Hawthorne describes the brook as talking, “like the voice of a young child [who spent its] infancy without playfulness” (128 OG). This connects to Pearl’s solitude because she is the daughter of a sinner and lives on the outskirts of town. She may not show a disappointed outlook on life but she does focus on what others perceive and negative. This being because she has only know the views of her mother and was exposed to solitude as an infant with an original playfulness unlike other children and their playmates.

[the-scarlet-bones]

Outsiders Project

I have already selected a topic and finished drafting my script/outline of my outsiders video. I do plan to make revisions before actually recording my final product, or at least going through a few trial runs before turning a final product in. For when I record my script I plan to use my laptop, and the webcam on it to record in my room at some point in the next week. I don't mind if it's uploaded. It really doesn't matter to me if other people see me voicing my problems. Oh well. We're all close at this school, if anything this project will make us closer in a positive way since we'll know how to and not to treat our peer. So yes please upload it. Heck I'll do it myself. 

[the-scarlet-bones]

Chapter 11

“[Dimmesdale]  continued his habits of social familiarity with the old man, and thus gave [Chillingworth] constant opportunities for perfecting the purpose to which -- poor, forlorn creature that he was, and more wretched than his victim -- the avenger had devoted himself” (97). ~~~~ “Poor abandoned creature that he was, the doctor was even more miserable than his victim” (NF 221).~~~~ Considering what you read last night and our discussions from yesterday, why and how could it be that Chillingworth is more miserable and wretched than Dimmesdale?

In some ways Chillingworth is already fairy miserable with his deformity and arriving in a town to find his wife being punished for committing adultery. Those are not the only reasons for his toiling, because now he must worry about his secret which is his name being found out. His name being just one of his many concerns he has made it his duty to find Hester's sinful partner and have his way with him. On top of all of this he must take care of Dimmesdale while Dimmesdale continuously withheld information relating to Dimmesdale's failing health. I'm sure by the end of the day Chillingworth is worn out and tired most likely thinking the world is against him. Not to mention now he has found out part of what Dimmesdale had to hide, but he cannot reveal he know. Chillingworth has to contain more than just his extremely personal secret. Chillingworth's life just continuously falls down the gutter and gets worse and even worse. It's understandable he miserable and wretched.

Chapter 11 is titled “The interior of a heart” or “Inside a Heart.”  Imagine you are a psychologist/therapist and Dimmesdale is your patient.~~~~ Write a letter to Dimmesdale in which you diagnose his ailments and give him advice for how to move forward.

Our Reverend,

It has come to my attention the truth of your ailments. With my knowledge of your pains I can tell you suffer from active Anxiety and acute Paranoia Your anxiety I fear stems from the weary heart you possess. Perhaps releasing stress and any negative should help in releasing some of this anxiety. The paranoia I feel you suffer from is very much entwined into your anxiety. They fall hand in hand when facing your days. Paranoia only shows its face to those who find themselves the holder of a secret. So I ask you: are you the keeper of a secret? I do not mean the secrets of those you lock away for your Godly servants but one of your own accord. 

Imaginably all if your troubles ceased so would your physical pain however after my current conclusions you may still need a physician's diagnosis for your ailments.

[the-scarlet-bones]

Characterization: Pearl (Edited)

In this current stage of the novel, Pearl Prynne, seems to be a bold yet considerate character because she does take time to think through her actions but chooses to ignore, most of the time, what is acceptable. One instance is when Hester and Pearl had taken a walk into town and Pearl felt she is being teased by a group of children. This, by my understanding, would make Pearl feel as though she is the center of attention and most likely felt threatened. This would cause Pearl to, “grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them” (64). It puts her in a position of ridicule along with her mother. Pearl is bold enough to confront the condemnations instead of continuing on ignoring or accepting the condemnations. On the other hand Pearl is considerate of her mother’s need and feelings. She understands when not to inconvenience or hurt her mother. There are the few time when she does neglect consideration but when Pearl “stole softly towards [the young minister], and taking his hand in the grasp of her own, laid her cheek against it” (79) she shows that she understands that if she were to act up they would decide to remove her from her mother’s care, and in the end her mother would be hurt. Just like when they are alone, Pearl understands that in order not to inconvenience her mother she must not bother Hester while she works. Pearl then ends up having to play alone and wonder in her fantasies, which I would say added to the way she acted towards others since she has this idea of how other’s--whether human or otherwise--should act towards her.I hope to see this contrast frequently in the story as I continue. I feel it makes Pearl have more depth to her character between showing how she acts on the surface and a glimpse of how she truly feels through those considerate, mindful actions.

[the-scarlet-bones]

Characterization: Pearl

In this current stage of the novel, Pearl Prynne, seems to be a bold yet considerate character because she does take time to think through her actions but chooses to ignore, most of the time, what is acceptable. This is especially frustrating for me since she is a very intelligent young girl. On instance is when Hester and Pearl took their, "walks about the town," as Pearl grew into a, "small companion of her mother," and Pearl, " saw, and gazed intently, but never sought to make acquaintance." Though that line is crossed when, "the children gathered about her, as they sometimes did," but this would cause Pearl to, "grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them" ( page 64). When Pearl reacts this way towards the 'children of God' it puts her in a position of ridicule along with her mother. Pearl is bold enough to rival the condemning expressions that are integrated into the features of these puritan townsfolk. On the other hand Pearl can understand who she needs to impress and how to talk to them, she's manipulative in a good way. In chapter eight Hester and Pearl make their way to Governor Bellingham's mansion to discuss the custody of Pearl. Pearl, fully aware of the situation, "stole softly towards [the young minister], and taking his hand in the grasp of her own, laid her cheek against it" ( page 79). Pearl proves to know who to show kindness and perfection and who to show the extent of her destructful craft. In this case she shows the man who is her father how sweet she can be before bounding off to show a hint of her wickedness. Though she was extremely mindful of how necessary it was for her to behave. I hope to see this contrast frequently in the story as I continue. I feel it makes Pearl have more depth to her character between showing how she acts on the surface and a glimpse of how she truly feels through those considerate, mindful actions.

[the-scarlet-bones]

Chapters 4 - 5

You've gotten to know Hester better in chapters 4 and 5.  We have also read the article, "Pain of ostracism can be deep, long-lasting."  Where do you think Hester is in the stages of ostracism discussed in the article? And do you think Hester's methods for dealing with her ostracism and stigmatization are healthy? Why or why not?

After reading the article and discussing with my group about he contents of the article I feel Hester is in the third and last stage of ostracism. She has gone through the initial ostracism, then the coping, now she has resigned into an abandoned cottage on the outskirts of town by the bay. She occupies her time with a skill she takes her highest pride in. I believe that this is the healthiest way for her to go about recovering and dealing with her banishment. She didn't leave the town, which would have been a mistake, but she didn't stay in the center of extremely close to the town, which was also a very smart choice. I also think it's healthy for her to wear her stigma without complete shame. She doesn't try to hide it but rather has come to terms with it.

Imagine the you are a Puritan towns person who is secretly sympathetic to Hester.  Write her a letter in which you offer her advice for how to handle her situation.

Dearest Hester,

It may not be my place to advise you on your sin, but if I may propose some personal comments. My knowledge of your current issue is slim but enough to aid me in my hopes of aiding you. I have been able to keep a watchful eye from afar and I'd like to say you are fairing well by the sea. You have brought the sterile land a woman's fertility. That I feel must have helped you with your transition to the simple cottage. I hope that activity has helped you. May I propose taking up more activities to occupy your time? I'm sure with your talented hands you can produce some vibrant garden pieces for my floral bounty. Any activity should help to pass the time or to at least give a new talent to your daughter, whom is as bright this far as she is standing at the shore.

Since I have also seen you handiwork with the needle I give another idea. I remember a throng of new English fancying your pieces on our highly respected. These men seemed persistent to make business with the owner of the craftsmanship. I hope you would like to make an effort to seek their business, hopefully leading to abroad agreements.

This was meant to be in best of spirits. 

x

[the-scarlet-bones]

Chapters 1-3

What are your impressions of Hawthorne's writing style? Which version do you prefer to read, No Fear or original?

So far I feel Hawthorne's writing style is easy to follow but also very dressed up in a way. He uses and reuses the same writing tools such as these extremely long sentences that all relate. In a way they are run on sentences but they make sense to be so long. Maybe that's just the romantics' way of writing or his own preference. This is one of the reasons as to why I prefer reading the original version instead of the No Fear, and why I returned the No Fear version. I felt that when I read the No Fear version I was missing out on the aura of the original writing that Hawthorne creates through his words and imagery. He accomplishes painting scenes in your ind with character development and not just scene descriptions. That is why I am more and more starting to look forward to hearing or reading his name somewhere, anywhere. 

What do you like and/or dislike about Hester and the choices she has made so far? 

So far I have no swayed opinion. I feel for Hester's situation yet I don't think her actions are thoroughly justified. There is a chance that her husband has died but there's no guarantee. Of course she has her womanly need but she knows that in her faith committing such actions before being in a marital bond with a man if forbidden and a sin. This is really put on her and her personal decisions. She should have waited for her husband. If she couldn't wait then she should have gone to the court house to pronounce him dead, or at the very least missing. She could have sent a letter back to England in hopes of finding her husbands whereabouts. I'm not sure if she tried or thought of this, but if she had then maybe her actions would be more justifiable since she had actually tried to stay true to her faith and follow the laws of marriage. 

Which of the male main characters are you more sympathetic to, the "stranger" or the Minister?

When reading these chapters I felt most sympathetic to the stranger. This is due to his implied past with Hester Prynne. He obviously has some sort of feelings towards her and I would like to acknowledge that. Hester at this present moment does not have people recognize her for herself but for the scarlet letter on her chest. To have a stranger, but not even that since they recognize each other, view her for herself. Even though he further notices--and to my understanding is ashamed to find, a burning "A" on her chest--must have been more than reassuring or calming in a way.