Tuesday, November 19, 2013

S.L. chp. 11

#26

Pointing her forefinger, first at the scarlet letter on her bosom, and then at the clergyman's own breast.

This relates to the thoughts of Roger Chillingsworth earlier on in this chapter. He holds this fantasy of Dimmesdale being haunted by a thousand Phantoms who had came upward from hell to retrieve him. This time the ghosts are more intimate and resemble his father, mother, dead friends, and lastly Hester and Pearl. Hester points first at her scarlet letter which tells Dimmesdale about what is to come or what he deserves. She then points at Dimmesdale's chest which he has issues with first of all and secondly this is where Chillingsworth knows his scarlet letter is. In a way, Dimmesdale's Achilles heal is his breast/letter.

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