The Scarlet Letter – Chapter 12 “The Minister’s Vigil”

A True Vigil? What is a VIGIL? The act of keeping awake at times when sleep is actually expected Knowing what a VIGIL is, why do you think the minister, Dimmesdale, would be keeping a vigil? Logical answer: Perhaps Dimmesdale cannot sleep because his guilt is keeping him awake

Dimmesdale at the scaffold Chapter 12 opens with Dimmesdale at what spot in town? Answer: The scaffold upon which Hester stood at the beginning of the novel So, why has Dimmesdale come to the scaffold at night to keep a vigil? Answer: He wants to be punished for his sin just like Hester was punished for hers so that he can free himself from his deep guilt

A Failed Attempt What is wrong, even silly, about Dimmesdale attempt to be punished for his sins? Answer: Dimmesdale is standing at the scaffold at night when no one is around and no one can see or hear him confess his sins. Dimmesdale’s vigil is pointless if no one can see him! What word is useful in describing Dimmesdale? Dimmesdale is a COWARD

True repentance In your opinion, what should Dimmesdale do to receive true repentance from God? Confess his sin to God Confess his sin to the townspeople to let them know he is not the perfect person they believed him to be Quit his job as minister

A Serendipitous Encounter While Dimmesdale is standing on the scaffold, Hester and Pearl happen to walk past him Dimmesdale invites Hester and Pearl to stand with him on the scaffold, saying, “Ye have both been here before, but I was not with you. Come up hither once again, and we will stand all three together.” The three of them on the scaffold together is a symbol for what?

A Sinful Family By Dimmesdale joining Hester and Pearl on the scaffold, he seems to say that he is together with them in their sin The author writes that on the scaffold, the “three formed an electric chain” (104). What LINKS the three of these characters together? Answer: SIN

Judgment Day While on the scaffold, Pearl asks Dimmesdale if he will stand with them tomorrow Dimmesdale says he will stand with them on “judgment day” Who will be judged most harshly to least? A good guess: Dimmesdale, Hester, then Pearl (if punished at all)

Another Eerie Coincidence While on the scaffold, a meteor appears in the sky Dimmesdale sees something in the meteor: “Solely to the disease in his own eye and heart, the minister…beheld there the appearance of…the letter ‘A’…” Why does Dimmesdale see a letter ‘A’ in the sky? Dimmesdale’s guilt makes him see his sin everywhere

Meaning of the meteor What does this incident with the meteor tell us about sin? Sins cannot be forgotten Sins change what we see, hear, and feel Reminders of our sins can appear anywhere Sins make us understand and interpret things in a unique way

The Fantastic Four Roger Chillingworth happens to find the three of them standing on the scaffold Dimmesdale tells Hester, “Who is that man? I hate him, Hester!... I tell thee, my soul shivers at him!” Hester will not tell Dimmesdale who Roger is…why? Answer: Hester promised Roger when he visited her in prison that she would keep his identity a secret

The Glass Slipper Left Behind The next day, another pastor finds one of Dimmesdale’s gloves on the scaffold and returns it to him Dimmesdale doesn’t remember being on the scaffold, and he says that he doesn’t even remember seeing the meteor in the sky – what are we learning about Dimmesdale? Answer: Dimmesdale is hallucinating, sleep walking, losing memory. In other words, he is losing touch with REALITY.

The Puritan Way of Thinking The pastor found Dimmesdale’s glove on the scaffold – what does that prove? Answer: Dimmesdale was on the scaffold, which is mysterious However, the pastor says that “Satan dropped it there” (109). He never asks Dimmesdale if he was on the scaffold So, why did the pastor lie and say that Satan put Dimmesdale’s glove on the scaffold?

The Puritan Way of Thinking The Puritans refuse to believe that Dimmesdale is evil, immoral, or sinful If something happens or something is said that goes against their beliefs, they will lie to themselves to keep their belief intact For what reason is the pastor lying? (see your handout on Why We Lie)

The Difference of the “A” At the end of the chapter, the other minister remarks on the meteor in the sky from yesterday evening: “A great red letter in the sky—the letter A—which we interpret to stand for Angel.” Why did Dimmesdale interpret the “A” for “adultery” while the townspeople interpreted it as “angel” Symbols can mean different things to different people since we all have different personalities and perspectives

Personal Connection Option 1: Describe a real life example in which you knew the truth about someone or some event but you purposely lied to yourself to hide the truth. What was the event, and why did you or that person lie? Explain all of the reasons why you lied to yourself. Answer must be at least a paragraph. Option 2: Give an example of an object or symbol that could be interpreted to have two completely different meanings. Explain how this object could have multiple meanings. Explain why symbols in general can have different meanings. Answer must be at least a paragraph.