1. The Scarlet Letter CHAPTER NOTES 11-13 ADAPTED FROM:
Guelcher, William: THE SCARLET LETTER: STRATEGIES IN TEACHING: Idea Works Inc., Eagan Minnesota, 1989.
Van Kirk, Susan: HAWTHORNE’S THE SCARLET LETTER: CliffszNotes. IDG Books Worldwide Inc., Forest City, California., 2000.

2. Hawthorne describes him as “a subtle, but remorseful hypocrite.”
CHAPTERS 11-13
Chapter 11 captures great irony: Dimmesdale’s consciousness of his personal sin serves to make him a more effective, more compassionate servant of God.
Hawthorne describes him as “a subtle, but remorseful hypocrite.”

3. Chapter 12: the second of three crucial scaffold scenes.
CHAPTERS 11-13
Chapter 12: the second of three crucial scaffold scenes.
Dimmesdale is clearly on the brink, as evidenced by the near insanity of his scream.
It is clear that his subconscious is the source of his agony.
Pearl asks him twice to bring the issue into the open: When Dimmesdale refuses a great light comes forth from the skies: a sign calling for the truth that would set them free.

4. Chapters 11-13
The chapter has Gothic, supernatural elements: the weird light, the sudden appearance of Chillingworth, the red “A” blazing across the sky.
But Hawthorne attributes these to natural occurrences, such as a meteor.
It is left up to each character’s – and the reader’s – interpretation as to what really occurred.

5. By Chapter 13, four years have passed: Pearl is now seven.
Chapters 11-13
By Chapter 13, four years have passed: Pearl is now seven.
Hester’s position and regard in the community has changed: She is given credit for bearing her shame with courage, and her position has risen because of her charity.
The scarlet A now stands for “Able.”
The price? No friends, no love, no affection. She is the perpetual outsider.

6. She decides to harbor it no longer.
Chapters 11-13
Hester’s humanity has been stripped from her: Her beauty, warmth, charm, and passion have been replaced by coldness, severity, drabness.
Yet, her feelings for Dimmesdale remain. She feels guilty for harboring the secret of Chillingworth’s identity.
She decides to harbor it no longer.