Thursday, December 12, 2013

In chapter 12 of The Scarlet Letter, what other characters are walking around late at night and why?

During Arthur Dimmesdale's vigil on the scaffold where he
hopes to gain some measure of peace for symbolically standing where he should have stood
alongside Hester, bearing her shame with her, he sees two people before Hester Prynne
and Pearl themselves come by. We are told that, after his shriek of confession, he sees
lamps from the windows of Governor Bellingham's mansion as both the magistrate and his
sister look out to seee what the noise was, though with very different motives as the
magistrate merely is concerned at what could make such a noise, and Mistress Hibbins
believed it was the cry of dark spirits.


Then he sees Mr.
Wilson pass very close to him returning to his home after praying at the deathbed of
Governor Winthrop. Then of course Dimmesdale sees Pearl and Hester, who themselves were
at Governor Winthrop's death bed to measure his body for a robe and now are returning to
their home as well. Thus it is that Dimmesdale, seeking secrecy and solitude in his
night-time confession, actually sees many people.

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