Soupy Conclusion

The Bean Trees
By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 312

"She watched the dark highway and entertained herself with her vegetable song, except now there were people mixed in with the beans and potatoes: Dwaye Ray, Mattie, Esperanza, Lou Ann and all the rest. And me. I was the main ingredient."

This quote concludes the novel as taylor is finally able to have Turtle as her own and able to keep her safe forever more. Turtle finally learned some new words. This shows that people are the most important thing and thats the not the bokk closes on. Taylor cares for Turtle and Turtle cares for Taylor.

Confidence

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
page 299

"Mama, you were always so good to me. I've been meaning to tell you that. You acted like I'd hung up the moon. Sometimes I couldn't believe you thought I was That good"
"But most of the time you believed it."
"Yeah. I guess most of the time I thought you were right."

Children who are told they are awesome will grow up believing they are awesome. The words you say are powerful and you need to know to gaurd your words

Smile

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 280

It's also interesting how it's hard to be depressed around a three-year-old, if you're paying attention. After a while whatever you're mooning about begins to seem like some elaborate adult invention.

Children forget easily and forgive often. They are very blunt and will tell you when they are unhappy. The don't hide their emotions and when they are happy you can't help but smile. Children remind of what it is like to live life care-free and just be happy in the moment.

Fresh Start

The Bean Trees By; Barbara Kingsolver
Page 259

"I chose a new name for myself too, when I left home," I said to Estevan. "We all have that in common."
"You did? What was it before?"
I made a face. "Marietta."
He laughed. "It's not so bad."

Taylor is making an observation that all of them have moved from their original homes and have changed their names. Taylor used to be Marietta, Estevan is changing his name to Steven and Esperanza changed her name to Hope. they all did it for different reasons. Taylor wanted a new life and Steven and Hope needed to change if for safety purposes. Sometimes everyone just feels like need a new start of life and a new place to be.

Guardian Saints

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver

(pg. 254-272)



They were stopped by the boarder patrol and everything checked out okay until they asked if Turtle was Taylor's daughter or Estevan and Esperanza's. Taylor hesitated so Estevan said she was theirs. The next day they were driving through Oklahoma to the Broken Arrow Lodge. When they got there Irene made a large supper for them and put them up for the night. The next day Esperanza and Estevan decided to go with Taylor to the bar where she got Turtle before going to the safe house. When Taylor found the place they had changed owners and she had lost all leads. So when she couldn't figure anything else to do she decided to go to The Lake O' the Cherokees and they decided to come with her.

Taylor drove all that way only to be devastated that the owners had changed and she had no clue how she would ever get a relative of Turtles to sign her over to her. I wish Taylor would get a lead and be able to legally keep Turtle.

Night-Blooming Cereus

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 231-253)

Taylor and Turtle continued for weeks to visit Cynthia, the social worker and Turtle eventually opened up and talked about the 'bad man'. Turtle was improving and all was well except one problem. Cynthia informed Taylor that she had no legal right to April (Turtle). Taylor was initially accepting that a state house might be able to take better care of Turtle than she could but eventually she decided she would do everything she could to keep Turtle. She soon found that the social worker, Cynthia wanted to help her keep Turtle too and gave her a name of someone in Oklahoma City that might help her.

So Taylor decided she would drive Esperanza and Estevan to the safe house in Oklahoma and while there get one of Turtles relatives to sign her over to Taylor. This idea was further cemented the night before she left, when the Cereus bloomed.

This occurrence happens once a year at night when the plant matures to a bloom. After this night the flower will not show a bloom for another year. This amazing occurrence gave Taylor hope and she felt she was doing the right thing. She decided that though this would be dangerous it was necessary for her to keep Turtle.

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A Special Flower

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 250

Lou Ann nosed into the flower at eye level and reported that it had a smell. She held Dwayne Ray up to it, but he didn't seem especially awake. " I can just barely make it out," she said, "but it's so sweet. Tart almost, like that lemon candy in a straw that I used to die for when I was a kid. It's just ever so faint."
"I can smell it from here." Edna spoke from the porch swing.
"Edna is the one who spots it," Virgie said. "If it were up to me I would never notice it to save my life."

This flower that boolms only once a year only a blind woman can smell. She is the one who spots when it blooms with the senses she has not with the one she doesn't.

Into the Terrible Night

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 215-230)

One night before the first summer's storm Mattie took Taylor, Estevan and Esperanza to the top of the mountain to watch the storm. She explained that the first summer storm was the start of the Native American New Year. they waited and Watched as the rain gave new life to everything. They danced in the rain and enjoyed the smell in the air. On the way back to the truck they heard small toads croak as loud as the could and then they ran into a rattle snake in a tree. They went around the other way and made their way home.

When Taylor got home something terrible had happened to Turtle while Edna and Mrs. Virgie were watching her. Someone laid hands on Turtle. Taylor was devastated after she had worked so hard to make Turtle feel safe and then this happens. Taylor couldn't eat.

Nothing is what it seems and bad things can happen at anytime and you never know what to expect. Turtle was safe and loved but someone bad messed that up in an instant. No matter how hard Taylor tried to protect Turtle she couldn't sheild her from the world.

Dream Angels

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 203-214)

Lou Ann got a job at the Red Hot Mama's Salsa factory as a packer. She worked the swing shift so she would watch the children until 3pm when she would go to work and wouldn't get home until eleven at night. Through this Lou Ann gained more confidence and one night told Taylor why she was such a "worry wart." She had a dream one night were she was told by what appeared to her to be an angel told her Dwayne Ray would not live to the year 2000. Taylor comforted her by assuring her it was just a dream and telling her how great of a mom she was.

A month later, in June,when Lou Ann had done well in her job and become a manager, a package came from Montana. Angel wanted Lou Ann to come live with her in a yurt and Lou Ann had no clue what to do. Later at work Mattie told Taylor that Estevan and Esperanza might need to be moved to a different safe house or risk deportation.

Just when Lou Ann was starting to stand on her own to feet and gain some self confidence Angel has to send her a package. Id Lou Ann goes to live with him in Montana her confidence will go down the tubes and she'll go back to feeling sorry for herself. Now Estevan and Esperanza are good friends of Taylor, Can she bare to see them go?



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The Bean Trees

The Bean Trees By Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 190-202)

In the morning Taylor made breakfast for Estevan and sent him on his way. She was thinking of Esperanza and thought she might go see her.
Turtle was much more rumbustious and Dwayne Ray would laugh and watch her play on the sun porch they had turned into a playroom.
That day they were sitting under the dying trees of the arbor in Roosevelt Park when Turtle called out, "Bean trees." Turtle noticed something beautiful about the ugliest tree in the park.
Taylor went to talk to Esperanza though Taylor did all of the talking. Esperanza came close to a smile at one point and ended up crying but Taylor felt she needed to talk to her and tell her she knew about Ismene.
That Wednesday when Taylor got off of work she spotted Lou Ann getting off the bus. When she ca;;ed her over Taylor heard of how the interview went and how terrible the interviewer was. Lou Ann admitted she was jealous of how strong of a person Taylor was.

Taylor admits to herself that she is in love with Estevan and does her best to be a friend to him and Esperanza. Lou Ann sees that she is down trodden and wishes she could be more like Taylor. This friendship between Taylor and Lou Ann brings out the best in both of them.


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Simple Beauty

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 193-194

Turtle was staring up at the wisteria flowers.
"Beans," she said pointing.
"Bees," I said. "Those things that go buzz are bees."
"They sting," Lou Ann pointed out.
But Turtle shook her head. "Bean trees," she said, as plainly as if she had been thinking about it all day. We looked where she was pointing. Some of the wisteria flowers had gone to seed, and all these wonderful long green pods hung down from the branches. They looked as much like beans as anything you'd ever care to eat
"Will you look at that," I said. It was another miracle. The flower trees were turning into bean trees.

Some things are so beautiful that everyone notices them. Somethings no one ever notices. Then there are things that are so simple yet magnificent in structure and still beautiful that only a child can see. As we get older we get more busy and more distracted with life that sometimes we can't notice the simple beauties of everyday life.

Foster MOM

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 162

"I can't answer these questions," i said.
"Are you the parent or guardian?"
"I'm the one responsible for her."
"Then we need the medical history before we can fill an encounter form"
"But I don't know that much about her past," I said.
"Then you are not the parent or guardian?"
This was getting to be a trip around the fish pond.
"Look," I said. "I'm not her real mother, but I'm taking care of her now. She's not with her original family anymore."
"Oh, you're a foster home." Jill was calm again,...

This is really amazing. Every time you got to doctors office they hassle you with a bunch of paper work and you have to answer questions that you don't even understand. When the lady thinks that Taylor is a foster mother then suddenly everything is okay and not real paper work is required. Sometimes, things just fall through the cracks.

Instant Friends

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 101

She made a serious face and fussed with the baby for a while with out saying anything.
"So what do you think?" I finally said. "Is it okay if we move in?"
"Sure!" Her wide eyes and the way she held her baby reminded me for a minute of Sandi. The lady downtown who could paint either one of them: "Bewildered Madonna or Sunflower Eyes." "Of course you can mover in." she said. "I'd love it..."

This is amazing how in just a few short minutes instant friends are made. What these two girls have in common, their children creates and instant bond. This goes to show friends are everywhere if you just open your eyes.

Ismene

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 176-189)

Estevan came to Lou Ann and Taylor's house the tell Taylor Esperanza tried to kill herself by downing a bottle of baby aspirin. They stayed up for a while and talked some about things in their pasts. Taylor told a story of a boy in her high school that fell between the cracks and was a very good student but didn't fit into any of the clicks. That boy killed himself. Estevan told Taylor why Esperanza might want to kill herself. He told he of time in jail in Guatemala and how people who went against what the government said got killed. He and Esperanza knew to much for them to be killed but they took their child Ismene and they never knew what happened to her.

It is very sad that Estevan and Esperanza will never know what happened to their child. That is a lot of grief to live with. Plus with being on the run Esperanza must have thought it would have been better to stop living. That is as low of a point in any person's life as you can go. I hope Esperanza can get better.

The Miracle of Dog Poo Park

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 146-175)

Taylor gets a phone message from Lou Ann. While Taylor was out he mom had called to tell Taylor she was getting married. Lou Ann and Taylor go together to Roosevelt Park and Taylor tells her of how it got its name, from when Eleanor Roosevelt stopped and gave a speech. Now the park was mostly dirt and very ugly. There was one part of the park that Lou Ann called the arbor that sure enough come March out of that dry dirt came flowers, a miracle in Dog Poo Park.

When they returned from the park the neighbor informed Lou Ann that Angel was in town and had stopped by when she wasn't there.. Angel did eventually come back nut it was just to tell Lou Ann that he was gone for good. Taylor had gone to a doctor's appointment for Turtle. When she got there she didn't know what to do about the forms and everyone was suspicious until they asked of Turtle was adopted and then they didn't seem to mind what information Taylor put down. After everything checking out to be healthy with Turtle Taylor decided to tell the doctor about Turtles condition when she got he. The doctor took some x-rays and the results were worse than Taylor thought. Turtle had many signs of healed bone fracture and deep bruising and the doctor explained that this kind of trauma could cause the child's physical and social growth to be stunted. That even though Turtle was growing now at some point when people stopped taking care of her she stopped developing meaning that despite how old they thought Turtle was the doctor was sure that she was about three, not two.
After this Taylor met up with Lou Ann and Dwayne Ray at the zoo. They were watching the ducks and sitting across from the Turtles. These two ladies on the bench across were listening into their conversation. While they were talking it soon cam to Lou Ann's attention that whenever Turtle heard the name April she looked up. They were able to figure out that April was Turtle's birth name.

Now Taylor is learning more about Turtle's past. Now that she knows more about Turtle's actual age I wonder if she will treat her differently since she is not so much of a baby as she thought. If Lou Ann goes back to Angel what will happen to Taylor and Turtle?

How they Eat in Heaven

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 145

"Now," he went on, "you can go and visit heaven. What? You see a room just like the first one, the same pot of stew, the same spoons as long as a sponge mop. but these people are all happy and fat."
"Real fat, or do you mean just well-fed?" Lou Ann asked.
"Just well-fed," he said. "Perfectly, magnificently well-fed, and very happy. Why do you think?"
He pinched up a chunk of pineapple in his chopsticks, neat as you please, and reached all the way across the table to offer it to Turtle. She took it like a newborn bird.

The people in hell were angry and starved because they couldn't feed themselves. The ones in Heaven had the same predicament but they did not stave and they helped each other. This help to show that in any situation in life things are what you make them, and you should always make the best of everyday.

A Friend

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
Page 60

"You want more juice, don't you?" Mattie said to Turtle in a grownup-to-baby voice. "It's a good thing I brought the whole bottle down in the first place."
"Please don't go out of your way," I said. "We've put you out enough already. I have to tell you the truth, I can't even afford to buy one tire right now, much less two. Not for a while, anyway, until I find work and a place for us to live." I picked up Turtle but she went on banging the cup against my shoulder.
"Why, honey, don't feel bad. I wasn't trying to make a sale. I just thought you two needed some cheering up."

Mattie was doing something nice just for the sake of being nice. She didn't have an ulterior motive behind her hospitality she just genuinely wanted to help. I think this speaks volumes on how to be a friend, which is one of the themes of the novel, friendship and family.

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How they Eat in Heaven

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 121-145)

A group of people gathered and in two cars drove up to a mountain and hiked to a picnic spot Lou Ann knew of. It was Lou Ann, Dwayne Ray, Taylor, Turtle, Mattie, and a young couple Esperanza and Estevan. Estevan was an English teacher back in Guatemala but Esperanza didn't speak a lot of English. Esperanza first was shocked when she saw Turtle because she reminded her of a child they had known in Guatemala. After eating Taylor, Estevan and Esperanza went for a swim.
On the drive back Estevan drove in front and then Taylor. As they were driving Estevan slammed on the breaks as a mother quail and her babies crossed the road. Taylor was petrifies and worried about Turtle until she found the noise she had made was a laugh.
Later in the week Taylor was helping Mattie plant seeds and showing them to Turtle when Turtle said her first word, 'bean.' Taylor was so proud of her and Turtle began to learn new words, mostly vegetables.
When they hear Mattie is going to be on TV they organize a dinner at Lou Ann's and Taylor's house. Then Lou Ann remembered that Angel had taken the TV and decided she would invite the neighbors as well for dinner and they could bring their portable TV. Taylor prepared the dinner and decided to make a Chinese dish. She had been in the store buying the supplies for the dinner when she ran into Estevan. So later when they cam to dinner Estevan brought chopsticks so it would be less dishes to wash, and be a more authentic meal. After watching Turtle struggle to eat with chopsticks Estevan tells a story of how they eat in Heaven.

We start to see Mattie is much more than an auto mechanic. She is also a gardener and an activist who tries to help those who flea to the United States for refuge. Taylor has been making friends with Estevan and Esperanza though she doesn't know much of their past. I wonder if Lou Ann will gain more strength as the novel progresses.

Valentine's Day

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 103-120)

Taylor got a job with Mattie at Jesus is Our Lord Used Tires and Lou Ann would watch Turtle for her sometimes. Other times Mattie didn't mind if Taylor brought Turtle to work with her. Taylor was getting better at the job but eventually admitted to Mattie her fear of tires. Mattie promised that if they got a tractor in there she would do the tires.

One day after work Taylor decided to got to the "New to you store" and get Turtle some books. When she got home Lou Ann was making dinner and reading off names from a baby book to Turtle trying to see if Turtle would recognize one. This made Taylor mad especially since Lou Ann was watching Turtle and making all of the meals. So she talked to Lou Ann about it over a beer and they ended up laughing about it the whole night and forgave each other. Plus Lou Ann told Taylor more about Angel and why she was thinking about him because it was Valentine's Day.

Its amazing that the first person she met in Tucson has now given Taylor a job and been extremely helpful to her the whole time. Taylor is starting to get set-up in this town and though its very different from Kentucky she bonds with Lou Ann who is also from Kentucky originally and they both have babies. They formed an instant bond which we see hear will stand the test of time.

Harmonious Space

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 87-102)

Taylor got the job at the Burger Derby but because of problems with the boss she quit after six days. After that she had to find a new place to eat breakfast. She ate at Diners and discovered she could read the newspapers people left in their booths. So she started looking at the classifieds and looking for a new place to live as the Hotel Republic wasn't exactly the bast place to raise a child. One place was really environmentalist and earth mother. The second place Taylor checked out was right across the street from Jesus is Our Lord Used Tires and the owner also had a child.
Lou Ann Ruiz was the owner and on account of her husband moving out she got Taylor as her new housemate. Taylor and Turtle would have their own room and be able to use the screened in porch out back.
Well now it had definitely clicked that Lou Ann is not Turtles mother. But it is really great that these two characters have started such a wonderful friendship all from the common fact that the both have a child. Turtle is a girl and been around a few year and Dwayne Ray is a boy and a newborn but they still get along fine. I have also started to pick up on more of Lou Ann's low self esteem. This looks like it might be a good arrangement for the both of them.

Tug Fork Water

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 71-86)

Lou Ann convinced Angel to move back in while her family visited but they were still getting divorced. Because Lou Ann's family is Baptist her Grandmother Logan brought a Pepsi bottle filled with Tug Fork water from the creek Lou Ann and all her family were baptised in to pour over the baby when he was baptised, yes Lee Sing the grocer was wrong the baby is not a boy. They stayed for a while to see the baby and Grandma Logan was ready to leave due to the heat. Even though it was January is was still very hot. After they left Angel got home from work and when he found the water he poured it down the sink.

I think it is really nice of Lou Ann's family to come all that way to see the baby. It is weird that she won't tell her family she is getting a divorce and even so doesn't plan to give the child a baptism. I do think it is extremely rude for Angel to dump that water down the sink and I hope he leaves for good he is a jerk. It does appear that Lou Ann need s Angels support and can't completely function on her own.

Jesus is Our Lord Used Tires

The Bean Trees

By: Barbara Kingsolver
(pg. 47-70)

We are back to Taylor and Turtle as they adventure into Arizona. After staying at the Broken Arrow Lodge for a few weeks to make some money and stay for the Holidays. Mrs. Hoge had convinced her that they would need extra help around the Holidays because her overweight daughter couldn't stand for too long.

Shortly after arriving in Tucson they ran into trouble. Taylor managed to pull into Jesus is Our Lord Used Tires and discovered she had two flat tires. The owner Mattie was as sweet as could be. She offered Turtle peanut butter crackers and even got her some juice. Taylor told Mattie that she really didn't have the money for tires right then until she found a job and a place to live. Mattie was really sweet and was willing to keep her car until Taylor had the money.

Taylor stayed at the Hotel Republic, which wasn't what you would call nice but it was a room. It was downtown near all the hustle and bustle, which there was defiantly none of in Pittman County or at The Broken Arrow. Taylor took Turtle everywhere with her and every morning they would eat breakfast at the Burger Derby, where Taylor met a girl who worked there who also had a child and had found a place she could have free daycare while she worked. Taylor thought she might check that out and apply.

Taylor and Turtle have begun to settle down in this pleasant area and have met some very nice people and it looks like she plans to stay a while. I wonder how Taylor is going to afford all the expenses of herself and a child. Will she keep Turtle or try to report what happened to authorities? I would be scared to just drive away from my home with no idea where I was going with no one I knew and just start a new life. Taylor seems pretty brave.

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New Year's Pig

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver (pg. 33-46)

This section switches and starts to introduce a new character, Lou Ann Ruiz, who as far as I can tell has no connection to Taylor. Lou Ann is described as a woman who had had to work through some troubles. Her husband Angel three years prior to the present time being described, on Christmas day had a trucking accident where he lost one of his legs from the knee down. Being September and Lou Ann due to have her first child in two months, she wanted nothing more than for the baby not to be born on Christmas day. Angel had changed since the accident and had begun to blame people for things that were beyond their control. Lou Ann liked being pregnant and looked forward to having the baby but was worried about Angel. Lou Ann had never thought any different about Angel after the accident but it bothered him a lot.

That Halloween Angel left her. She had just gotten home from running errands. She had an appointment with the doctor and then stopped buy the market where the Chinese clerk told her she though she was having a girl. It was funny what the clerk said that having a girl is like feeding your neighbors' New Year's pig, all that work and it goes to a different family. After running errands she cam home to find Angel gone, no notice, no note, he just left and took what he decided was his including some books, his clothes, and the television. When the children came to the door to trick-or-treat she had completely forgotten it was Halloween. Because she didn't have any candy she dipped into her diaper savings and gave each child a penny. Later that night she had to go to sleep with her shoes on because they had Velcro straps that usually Angel would undo for her because she couldn't reach. So Lou Ann went to bed in her shoes and cried herself to sleep.

It is very sad the situation Lou Ann is in. Her family didn't like Angel to begin with, mostly because he is Mexican. Then she marries him and is ready to have his child and give it a catholic name, even though her family is Baptist. She stayed with him through thick and thin even when he lost a leg and then out of the blue, he leaves her. I wonder if perhaps this is Turtles mom and if Lou Ann is pregnant with Turtle and because Angel left her she has to give up the child. I can't figure out otherwise how this will connect to a small town girl from Kentucky.

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The One to Get Away

The Bean Trees By: Barbara Kingsolver (pg.1-32)

Chapter One
In the first sentence of the novel the speaker and a fear has been identified. The speaker is the main character, Marietta, who is apparently afraid of putting air in a tire because she saw one explode once and it sent a man ten feet in the air. Marietta grew up in a small town which she describes as low income, and minimal education but she works hard in school so she can make a better life for herself.

An opportunity arrives her senior year when her science teacher announces an employment opportunity to the class. Mr. Walter's wife was head of nurses at the Pittman County Hospital and needed a student to do odd jobs around the Hospital after school, and after graduation they might be offered a full time position. Though Marietta feels there are several other students in her class her teacher would pick over her, her mom pushes her to ask. When Marietta asked about the position he told her she could have it because she was they only one who had had the guts to ask.

One day after working at the Hospital for a while a strange occurrence transpired. Two patients came in screaming and yelling and Marietta knew who they were. The one girl had graduated two year before and gotten pregnant and married Newt Hardbine, the boy whose father was shot in the air by the exploding tire. When Jolene came into the Hospital she was yelling and cursing with blood all over her. She was fine but Newt ending up not making it. When Marietta asked her why she chose the life she did Jolene didn't really have a reason other than her dad was already calling her a slut anyway so why not.

Seeing a girl about her same age in such a poor life situation made Marietta even more grateful for her situation and more determined to improve it. She worked at the Hospital for five more years until she saved enough money to buy a VW Bug to get her on the move.

When Marietta left Pittman County she promised to give herself a new name and to drive until her car stopped running. She changed her name to Taylor but ended up getting her car fixed in Oklahoma and continuing on the road. She stopped at a bar to get something to eat and when she was leaving a woman put a child in her car and told her to take it. She stopped at the Broken Arrow lodge and convinced the lady to let her stay the night if she made up all the beds in the morning on account that now she had a baby to take care of. When she gave the child a bath she discovered it was a girl and also had been abused. The baby was definitely Native American and Taylor couldn't imagine what had happened to her.

It is very brave of Taylor to take the initiative to move on and try to make better for herself. It is ironic that she had avoided the small town life and managed to not get tied down with a husband and baby at a young age and then as soon as she goes to leave she ends up with a baby and more responsibility than she was ever expecting.

The truth shall set you free

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hathorne
Page 168

"The excitement of Mr. Dimmesdal's feelings, as he returned from his interview with Hester, lent him unaccustomed physical energy, and hurried him townward at a rapid pace. The pathway among the woods seemed wilder, more uncouth with its rude natural obstacles, and less troddren by the foot of man, than he remembered it on his outward journey. But he leaped across the plashy places, thrust himself through the clinging underbrush, climbed the ascent, plunged into the hollow, and overcame, in short, all the difficulties of the track, with an unweariable activity that astonished him."

Prior to Dimmesdale's meeting with Hester he had been living a lie and a life surrounded by secrets. No one knew but Hester what his sin was and this guilt trapped him and made him drown in despair. When he met with Hester he faced his sin and it was a freeing experience. So much so that what previously he had struggle to do he did enthusiastically. Through this Dimmesdale experienced the freedom truth can provide.

Hester sympathizes with Dimmesdale

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Page 133

"... answered she. "But let it pass! It is yonder miserable man that I would speak."
"And what of him?" cried Roger Chillingworth eargerly, as if he loved the topic, and were glad of an opportunity to discuss it with the only person of whom he could make a confidant. "Not to hide truth, Mistress Hester, my thoughts just happen to be busy with the gentleman. So speak freely; and I will make answer."
"When we spake together," said Hester, "now seven years ago, it was your pleasure to extort a promise of secrecy, as touching the former relation betwixt yourself and me. As the life and good fame of yonder man were in your hands, there seemed no choice to me, save to be silent, in accordance with your behest. Yet it was hot without heavy misgivings that i thus bound myself; for, in having cast off all duty towards other human beings, there remained a duty towards him; and something whispered to me that I was betraying it, in pledging myself to keep your counsel."

In this section we see a profound concern of human nature. Despite the suffering of Hester, she still feels sympathy for Dimmesdale and feels she owes him the truth. She sees the pain her former husband is putting him through and wishes she could stop this pain. This shows an natural impulse that verifies the idea that everyone has a conscience and guilt can make people act.

Solemn Conclusion

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 193-204)

As the sermon ends the townspeople exit the church there is a bussel of discussion on how moving the sermon was. This proved to be Dimmesdales best sermon yet. When Dimmesdale leaves the church the procession begins again except this time he looks tired and weary of the weight of his body. He slowly walked with the procession until he reached the scaffold where Hester and Pearl stood. He stopped and walked over to the scaffold and asked Pearl and Hester to come to him. Hester was very hesitant with the whole town watching and didn't want Dimmesdale to do this. The magistrstes couldn't understand what was going on and told him to send the child and Hester away. Dimmesdale lead Hester and Pearl up to the platform and he asked Pearl if she would kiss him, and she did. Dimmesdale made a speech on the platform confessing his sin and scolding the town for how they have treated Hester and loved him. He finished his speech and condemed Chillingworth for his wrong doing and he soon died on the platform. Hester and Pearl soon disappeared and Chillingworth fell ill. Within a year Chillingworth had died and left all of his estates to Pearl making her the largest heiress in New England. Pearl is belived to have lived in an estate in England and Hester returned to Salem to die. On her gravestone she bore the scarlet letter.

Disappearing Hope

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 184-192)

The procession goes by and Dimmesdale looks as happy as ever and vigorously walking with great enthusiasm. As he walks past Hester she longs for him to glance at her. Dimmesdale just walks by continuing briskly with the procession and Hester hardly recognizes this man who looks like Dimmesdale. Mistress Hibbins the witch lady mentions about Hester meeting with Dimmesdale in the forest and Hester tells her she does not know what Mistress Hibbins is talking about.
Most of the town is going into the church to listen to the sermon but Hester listens from outside near the scaffold while Pearl dances about and the mariners watch. The sea captain gives a message to Pearl to give to her mom. The sea captain says there is now only room on the ship for Hester and Pearl as Chillingworth is bringing a friend. As she gets this message a crowd forms around her of, first newcomers and visitors who have heard of the lady with the scarlet letter and then people of the town. Hester had previously felt accepted by the town and now just as she was going to escape the shame of the scarlet letter she is again tormented by the vicious comments and evil stares.

How will Hester tell Dimmesdale of the sea captains message? Surely she won't go to England without him. I wonder what friend Chillingworth plans to bring and why he wants to go to England. I feel bad for Hester that she made one mistake and has suffered for it all this time, as though the people ridiculing her are innocent. She finally was going to have hope and happiness and it's all disappearing.

Unexpected Change to Plans

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 167-183)

Coming home from the forest, despite his encounter with Pearl, Dimmesdale is happy and feels like a new man. He has urges to talk with people along the way home and is noticing that all is the same except for him. The only problem was when asked for a verse of encouragement the clergyman could not think of one to give. When Dimmesdale arrived at his home he immediately to his study. He had started a sermon for election day but due to his new attitude and that being the last sermon he would give before returning to England with Hester he decided to rewrite it. When Chillingworth came in, shock took over Dimmesdale and he sat and starred until offered medicine and then he declined and said he was feeling very well. Chillingworth seems suspicious and has an idea that Hester has talked to Dimmesdale.

The last day before they leave arrives and it will be the day the new governor is announced and Dimmesdale gives his speech. The procession of the late governor begins to come through when the ship captain informs Hester of an additional passenger- Roger Chillingworth.Hester plays off her shock by agreeing, no that shouldn't be a problem Dimmesdale has lived with him many years.

I am shocked. I wonder how Chillingworth managed to find out they were leaving town and get on the same boat as them. The clergyman was getting away from Chillingworth and now he is tagging along. Will Hester and Dimmesdale's Dream and hope for a new life be ruined?

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What Doesn't Kill You

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne
page 156

Hester has just told Dimmesdale he will not leave the town alone but only inferred that she might go with him.
"The tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, -stern and wild ones, -and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss."

Hester is free from worrying about what people think. Through all the pain of being isolated she came to a place of self reliance and self confidence. This is a universal statement that though we all will stumble and face trials, if we can learn from these hard times they will make us stronger.

A Vision of Guilt

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Page 114

Mr. Dimmesdale, the clergyman and Hester's Pastor is experiencing extreme guilt for causing Hester to wear the scarlet letter as he is the father of her child.

"And now, through the chamber which these spectral thoughts had made so ghastly, glided Hester Prynne, leading along little Pearl, in her scarlet garb, and pointing her forefinger, first at the scarlet letter on her bosom, and then at the clergyman's own breast."

This is the turning point for Dimmesdale, where he is starting to feel overwhelmed and suffocated by the guilt of his sin. Roger Chillingworth has been prying at the clergyman and trying to get him to admit his sin. He feels so guilty in fact that he is imagining Hester revealing him as a sinner. This quote shows that human nature is trying to avoid getting caught in a wrong and ultimately feeling guilty.

The Infant Pearl

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Page 71

Introducing Hester's Infant Hawthorne describes how important she has become to Hester.
"But she named the infant 'Pearl' as being of great price, -purchased with all she had, -her mother's only treasure!"

In having Pearl represented that Hester's life was changed forever. The action leading to Pearl's birth cost Hester everything. She lost any chance of having her husband when he arrived in town, having any husband for that matter and she lost touch with her community as she was sentenced to public isolation. Because Hester would not give up the name of the infants father all Pearl has in the world is Hester and all Hester has is Pearl. This is universal as it describes the inseparable bond between a mother and her child.

A FLOOD OF SUNSHINE and Then It's Gone

The Scarlet Letter

By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 156-166)

All of the thoughts rushing through Hester's and Dimmesdale's minds make the encounter even more fantastic. Dimmesdale says he won't leave the town alone and Hester said you won't. Dimmesdale tells Hester he has had no hope for the past seven years and now with the promise of Hester leaving with him he feels free. They both agree to leave Salem together and start a new life together. This experience is so freeing for them that Dimmesdale has left his glum state behind him and Hester removes the scarlet letter and lets her hair down. They only thing thats left is to tell Pearl and hope that she will accept Dimmesdale.

Hester assures Dimmesdale that he will love Pearl and she will love him. Dimmesdale was very nervous because other children typically do not enjoy his presence but he is hopeful because the encounters he has had with pearl have been positive. Hester calls Pearl to come and she can see Pearl in the distance. Pearl approaches but very slowly because Dimmesdale is with her mom. When Pearl arrives at the brook she refuses to cross and cries as she points at her mother bosom. Hester sees why Pearl is upset and puts her scarlet letter back on and her hair back up. Pearl then reluctantly goes to meet Mr. Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale as nervous as he is bends down and kisses Pearl on the forehead. Pearl then runs back to the brook to vigorously was her face.

Hester has made plans to leave Salem and even gives up her emblem of shame and plans to start a brand new life. Dimmesdale is happy for the first time in seven years and then the shame of his daughter washing his kiss off of her forehead promises to put a damper in that happiness. Will they still leave Salem despite Pearls discomfort? How will the next couple days effect their decisions?

The Black Man and His Book

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 137-155)

As Hester goes to leave the physician a go find Pearl she waits and watches him collect his herbs. She declares that she blames him and regrets that she was ever with him. Of course, Hester was not announcing this to anyone person but rather making a declaration of her inner most thoughts for him. She says she hates him regardless of its sinful nature she hates him. Then she leaves the path to go by the sea to find her Pearl. She discovers Pearl, who had been playing in the water, covered in seaweed with a green colored 'A' fashied on her seaweed dress. Pearl is curious about the emblem and thinks the meaning must be something good. Hester asks Pearl if she knows what the letter means and she replies it is why the minister holds his hand over his heart.

This has begun Pearls curiosity for the letter and Pearl constantly asks of its meaning. Hester plans to take Pearl for a walk through the woods in hope that she will run into Arthur Dimmesdale and reveal to him the identity of her husband. While in the forest Pearl asks about the Black man and his book. Hester admits to Pearl that she once met the Black man and, yes, that is why she wears the letter on her bosom. When Dimmesdale walks by Hester can barely bring herself to speak. Dimmesdale looks so defeated and glum in sorrow. Hester and Dimmesdale sit in silence for a while and Dimmesdale shares his misey in how he has not found peace. Hester tells Dimmesdale that Roger Chillingworth is her former husband. Dimmesdale is so sad that he feels he might have known and he would like to die in the wood. He was refusing to forgive Hester until she held him until he would forgive her. HE does and then believes Chillingworth to have done something much worse than they. He must ask Hester what to do as he can no longer live with her ex-husband. She tells him he must go and start anew elsewhere. He tells her he could not, not alone. Hester tells Dimmesdale he will not go alone.

Hester has not told Dimmesdale that she will go with him but that can be implied from the text. If he will not start anew elsewhere alone, who else would go with him? I wonder how Chillingworth will react to Dimmesdale once his true identity is known. Will the two men ever meet, or will Dimmesdale not return to his own home to avoid his enemy? If Hester does go with Dimmesdale what does that mean for Pearl?

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One Sinner's Sympathy for Another

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 125-136)

It has now been seven years since Hester was convicted and much has changed. Hester is no longer an outcast amongst the community and some are convinced the scarlet letter represents able rather than adulteress. Hester has been serving her community for the last seven years embroidering and making beautiful garments. She also has been giving back to the poor and help those less fortunate than her. Through time with Hester's sin never personally affecting any person the town is easier to forgive her. Some townspeople even speak that she should have the punishment lifted and the letter removed. Hester still feels she can learn from the letter as she has learned to be humble and sympathise with those around her. Dimmesdale has suffered the opposite fate with his sin. The secret is still kept and none know Dimmesdale for his sin except for Hester and her suspecting former husband. Though Dimmesdale has not told Chillingworth or his transgression he is sure that the clergyman is in fact guilty. Despite knowing is his heart of the clergyman's sin the doctor still tortures Dimmesdale and makes his guilt hurt him everyday. For these past seven years Chillingworth has been helping Dimmesdales physical health and hurting his emotional and spiritual health. Hester begins to feel that she made a mistake hiding Dimmesdale as the other sinner, where her pain has numbed his is new every day. Knowing this she feels she must go to see Roger Chillingworth. When she goes to speak with him she sees how much he has changed and how a once quiet and reserved man is now aggressive and secretive. She tells him she must break their promise and reveal who Roger really is to Dimmesdale and she asks him to forgive and move on.

The sympathy Hester has for Dimmesdale is profound. She has been publically humiliated and yet she wants to help him with his pain and stop his torture. She is showing that the wounds of her crime are ever present but she has learned how to live with her guilt and she wants the others that were involved and effected to learn to forgive themselves and each other and try to learn from the crime rather than to continue to live in the dark. I really admire how Hester has risen above all of the pain to help others.

Dimmesdale's Guilt

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 102-124)

THE LEECH AND HIS PATIENT
Roger Chillingworth continues to befriend clergyman Mr. Dimmesdale and has decided to keep searching for answers. He is very careful about what he asks Mr. Dimmesdale but the passion he has for wanting to know if Mr. Dimmesdale is his wife's, daughter's, father causes him to be firm on occasions and leaves the clergyman somewhat suspicious.
THE INTERIOR OF THE HEART
Mr. Dimmesdale is tortured with the knowledge of his un-repented sin. The whole community adores him and as he is fallen ill, they are all very understanding as well as concerned about his health. When Dimmesdale preaches on what a sinner he is, not revealing his sin, the town only loves him more. Dimmesdale becomes overcome with guilt and begins to have visions of Hester unveiling his secret.
THE MINISTER'S VIGIL
Later Dimmesdale is so overcome with guilt he leaves his house and finds himself standing in front of the scaffold where Hester Prynne stood. He stands there and shortly after letting out a long cry Hester walked by from visiting the dying Governor and he asks her and Pearl to stand with him. A meteor shower exposes them to Roger Chillingworth who takes the clergyman home on his way from the Governor's house. The next morning Dimmesdale gives one of his best sermons yet. After the service one of the ministers announces that one of the clergyman's gloves was found on the scaffold platform and surely that must have been the work of the devil and that the 'A' that formed in the sky with meteores surly stood for Angel as he thinks Dimmesdale was sent from God.

Now that the Governor has passed away and the town loves Dimmesdale so much I wonder if they will want him to be Governor. In Puritan society the magistrates were not only religious icons but also government officials I wonder in the most popular clergyman, Dimmesdale will be asked to govern the town. Now that Chillingworth has seen Dimmesdale standing on the platform with Hester and Pearl he must surly know that Dimmesdale is feeling guilty and will soon revel his secret to his closest friend.

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Making Friends with the Enemy

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 79-101)

THE GOVERNOR'S HALL

The edifice of the governor was so beautiful it made Pearl want to dance. When Hester and Pearl knocked on the door they were told the Governor couldn't see them right then but Hester insisted on entering anyway. Not only did Hester have gloves to deliver to the Governor but she wished to speak to the governor about what she had heard that some in the community wished to take little Pearl away from her.

THE ELF CHILD AND THE MINISTER

They are looking out the window at the governor's garden when he comes down the stairs with his guests. Several of the magistrates are with him including clergyman Mr. Dimmesdale. When the topic arrives at the discussion of the child Hester makes her plea that the child is God's gift to her and also a torture as a constant reminder of her sin and they should not take Pearl from her. When the Governor doesn't hear the words of this poor sinner Hester pleas with Mr. Dimmesdale to defend her. Mr. Dimmesdale does so and mostly repeats Hester's argument and after such they all agree the child must stay with her mother but also attend church and meetings.

THE LEECH

This section talks of Roger Chillingworth, who was previously introduced as Hester's husband. This man of knowledge and medicine has now made a name for himself as a God sent man of medicine to heal the town and treat sickness. When the clergyman Mr. Dimmesdale falls ill Chillingworth is called to treat him. Chillingworth begins to live with the clergyman and insists on knowing him inside and out in order to treat him. A friendship bonds and Chillingworth hopes Dimmesdale will spill his deepest secret.



Hester's Husband taking a liking to the unknown father of the infant is very peculiar. Chillingworth all along had been searching for the man that sinned with his wife and had managed to keep his purposes hidden. If I was Chillingworth an I suspected Dimmesdale I don't see that I could be friends with such an enemy.

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THE INTERVIEW, HESTER AT HER NEEDLE, and PEARL

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 56-78)
THE INTERVIEW
The stranger comes to the jail and tells the jailer he is a doctor and can help Hester be less of a bother. When the stranger is a lone with Hester he reveals himself to be her husband but makes her promise to not tell anyone of their relation or he will find the infants father and reveal Hester's secret. The stranger, Hester's husband leaves her alone and we now know him to be Roger Chillingworth.
HESTER AT HER NEEDLE
When Hester was released from jail she found an abandonned house on the outskirts of town and began to live there and raise her child. She felt she should stay where her sin was commited in prder to purge herself of it. She was able to make money by embroidering clothing. Her embroidery became so popular and in fashion even the government offivials wore it. To deliver the garmets Hester would go into town and feel great pain as townsfol starred at her scarlet letter. But Hester sometimes feels the letter posses a power to detect other people's sins.
PEARL
Pearl is the name of the infant. As Pearl grows up Hester is worried by her wild and vivacious personality and it reminds her of how she was before she had Pearl. The townspeople believe Pearl to be a demon child and even Hester sometimes questions if the infant is infact human. Pearl does not like the other children of the town and trows rocks at them when they stare at her. When Pearl plays she pretends the town children are weedsas she plucks them from the ground.

Now we see how Hester and Pearl live. How though Hester knows where her husband is she must not see him or tell anyone of how she knows him. Hester and Pearl must live alone isolated from the community. It's very sad that Pearl must also pay for her mother's sin. She plays by herself and has no one in the world but her mom. I wonder what conflict will arise in the next chapter that will cause the dynamic of the story to change. Life seems to be calm and routine as possible for Hester and Pearl, but I'm sure there will be something to shake things up.

VIDEO:
HowStuffWorks Videos "The Scarlet Letter: Hester and Her Daughter Pearl"

Barbara Kingsolver: A Living Legend

It is amazing that Barbara Kingsolver, born in 1955, is such a prominent figure in her own time. Most writers, like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe, do not become popular or considered influential American writers until after their deaths. At just 55 years old Barbara has published 13 novels, and become one of the most influential writers of our time (Kingsolver). Her accomplishments are endless and one must wonder what type of a person becomes such a renowned writer.

Barbara Kingsolver lived in Maryland until the age of 2 when she moved to Kentucky(Kingsolver). As a child she was encouraged to read and she read anything and everything around (Kingsolver). Barbara's parents wanted her to experience and explore the world around her, even letting her bring home 'pets' from the woods and keep them in the home (Kingsolver). When Barbara was eight years old she started to write in a journal, the earliest spark in her interest of writing (Kingsolver). She was actually was published at a very young age when her essay "Why We Need a New Elementary School" was published in the newspaper after winning an essay contest (Kingsolver). Her father moved the family to the Congo with no electricity or running water so he could provide medical care to the people of the newly Democratic country (Kingsolver). Through this experience Barbara learned a lot and even though the children of the village didn't speak English they still played together (Kingsolver).

Barbara Continued her education in 173 when she attended DePauw University, Indiana (Kingsolver). She originally went there for piano but soon changed he major to biology(Kingsolver). For many years her career was centered around science and she didn't even want her colleagues to know she was writing (Kingsolver). She started to do freelance writing and worked still on articles on science (Kingsolver). She didn't pursue her career as a freelance writer full time until 1985. Within the next twenty-five years her writing career flourished.

The Bean Trees, Barbara's first published novel, was written during the late nights of her pregnancy (Kingsolver). That was just the beginning to her career as a writer. She has since written twelve more books and been awarded many prizes (Kingsolver). She has been on the New York Time's Bestseller List, received The Orange award, and now her books are essential to school curriculum's around the county (Kingsolver). You can read her books in more than two dozen languages and she is known all around the world.

Barbara is passionate about the world around her and travels to see more of it. She has had vast experiences through all the places she has lived, visited and experienced. Most of what authors write about comes from experiences they have had and the more vast the experiences the more versatile the author. Barbara Kingsolver has become a living literary legend.





Works Cited
Kingsolver, Barbara. "Brief Biography Barbara Kingsolver." Barbara Kingsolver The Authorized Site. 2010. Web. 19 Aug. 2010. .

Author Research: Nathaniel Hawthorne

The year was 1804 when Nathaniel Hawthorne was born n Salem, Massachusetts(Liukkonen). His family had a long History in Salem even dating back to the Salem Witch Trials where his relative was a judge (Liukkonen). Hawthorne's mother was not always present throughout his childhood and lived a life of seclusion until her death (Liukkonen). Later, the Hawthorne Family moved to Maine, where Nathaniel attended Bowdion (Liukkonen). At the age of 21 Hawthorne started working as writer (Liukkonen). Through Hawthorne's young college days and his initial start as a writer he grew to know many important people. His college friend, Franklin Pierce eventually became President of the United States (Liukkonen). The more people Hawthorne met the easier it would become for him to break-out as a writer.

Hawthorne was very critical of his writing. He was even known to burn his unsold copies of his first books, and didn't believe himself to be a professional (Liukkonen). FANSHAWE (1828), Hawthorne's first novel, was based on his college experience and after Hawthorne paid out-of-pocket to publish the novel, it did not do well so he burned the remaining copies (Liukkonen). Hawthorne even wrote about his astonishment that anyone would want to read his works about his life in his Sketch, The Custom House, the introduction to The Scarlet Letter. Despite his doubts, Hawthorne was a talented writer and even was recognized by Edgar Allan Poe (Liukkonen).

In 1842, Hawthorne's family did not attend his wedding to, bride, Sophia Peabody (Liukkonen). After their marriage Hawthorne began to look for other work as his writer's salary would not be enough to support his family (Liukkonen). This caused Hawthorne to work in many places he did not like doing jobs he did not enjoy (Liukkonen). Hawthorne completed some 37 works throughout his life most of which were not published until after his death (Liukkonen). Hawthorne mostly wrote about himself and his life experiences, though not all of his books were autobiographical. The majority of his novels were fiction and based on his own experiences. each time Hawthorne moved to a new location or acquired a new job it was a new experience for him to write about.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a humble man who desired his peers approval. He was devastated when his books would not do well, though he never expected they would. he was a dedicated husband and though his true passion was for writing he would still work to try to provide for his family. Hawthorne died after returning to the United States from a stay in Europe(Liukkonen). He was appointed as a consul by the president to England(Liukkonen). After he serve four years in England he spent a stay in Italy before returning to the United States (Liukkonen). Throughout Hawthornes sixty years of life her met many people and encountered a variety of situations that all helped to make him a better writer. From his education to his upbringing and family life all of these things made Nathaniel Hawthorne the famous writer we still talk about today some hundred years later.







Works Cited
Liukkonen, Petri. "Nathaniel Hawthorne." Www.kirjasto.sci.fi. 2008. Web. 19 Aug. 2010. .

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Hester's Sentence

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (page 51)



The stranger who is accompanied by the indian is inquiring about the lady on the platform of the pillory to a townsperson.

Townsperson-

"Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone."



Hester Prynne has just been labeled as an adulteress for all to see. She will be isolated and humiliated for the rest of her life. Even in her death her tombstone will display that letter that represents shame and sin. This quote represents Hester's circumstance and the judicial tendencies. The town is one that fights to keep all sin out of their town. The government officials decide to use her as a symbol for sin. How will Hester continue to live her life and raise her child? What is the stranger's interest in Hester? These are vital questions to the plot of The Scarlet Letter. This quote is the first time the severity of Hester's punishment is realized. Originally when the reader finds that the punishment for adultery is death they believe Hester to be getting a relaxed punishment but to be degraded as a sinner for the rest of her life sounds more like torture.

The Recognition

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg.49-56)

This chapter begins with Hester still standing on the platform when something catches her eye. An Indian man stands on the outskirts of the crowd and with him a white man whom Hawthorne refers to as the stranger. The stranger finds himself staring at Hester, not at her letter but he looks at her as a person. Hester finds a strange comfort in looking at him as if all the other people in the crowd disappear. The stranger asks a towns person about the woman and why she must stand on the platform of the pillory. Through this dialogue we find that she must stand on the platform for three hours and then must wear the mark of an adulteress for the rest of her life. The towns person also tells the stranger that Hester's Husband does not live in the community but was to come to the colony shortly after her and has never shown up. In effort to once again find out who the father the infant, and the other sinner is, Reverend Dimmesdale and Clergyman Wilson question Hester again. Both men make attempts to convince Hester it is best and the right thing to do to call out the name of the other sinner. When Hester refuses a sermon is given and Hester still refuses to say the name of the man who is the father to her child. So then the three hours are up and Hester is brought back to jail.

I predict this will be a very influential scene that the rest of the story will build upon. Will Hester's husband ever return? Perhaps the stranger really does know Hester maybe he is her husband or even the father of her child. This hook of mystery gives few answers but leaves many questions.

The Prison Door

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 39-48)

The scene opens to a throng of people outside the jail waiting for one Hester Prynne to come out to face her punishment. Many of the townswomen and gossips believe the magistrates were not harsh enough in their punishment. The women believe Hester to be nothing more than an adulteress and feel the law needs to be carried out and the punishment for adultery should be death, as written. The magistrates have decided to punish Hester through public embarrassment and social isolation. She must wear a scarlet 'A' upon her bosom so that all may see it and know she is an adulteress. The townswomen are yet again disappointed when they see how beautifully Hester has embroidered the letter onto her garments. Ostentatious garments were not allowed in the community and one of the women would rather the letter be made of rags. Then as Hester exits the jail and is walked to the center of the town to stand on the platform so all can look upon her letter; Hawthorne allows the reader to have insight into what Hester is feeling. How at first she doesn't believe this humiliation to be reality and tries to escape it inside herself. But when she touches the letter her child lets out a cry and she is stricken with reality.

This is a very powerful way for Hawthorne to introduce the main character. The imagery and symbolism lets the reader feel the shame Hester is going through. The dialog allows the reader to relate to Hester and ask themselves how those word might make them feel. Just how the jail, a place for criminals and not holding any beauty, had roses outs side the rusted iron door, Hester though considered to deserve death by most of the town, Hawthorne describes her beauty.

Something Good Out of Something Bad

The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 18- 38)
To finish the section on The Custom House, Hawthorne describes a few more influential people that he worked with. The Collector was an Old General who after his military service rules over a Western territory. When at the Custom House Hawthorne saw the Collector as an introvert, who sat in solitude in a chair in front of the fireplace. Though old and having lost the ease in his ability to hear and speak, the General was still viewed as retaining the look of strength. The Surveyor seldom tried to engage the General in conversation but was himself reserved. The personalities of these folks Hawthorne worked with were greatly contrasted with those of the passing merchants and Ship Masters. Hawthorne felt a large benefit came from these experiences while he was at the Custom House. One of which being he found a boost to his moral and intellectual heath to have companions like the General and the Surveyor who were so much different than himself and required a great effort for him to appreciate.
Soon after this realization, Hawthorne discovered something peculiar while going through the late Mr. Surveyor Pue's things. He found a swatch of scarlet fabric in the shape of the letter 'A' and attached to it a description of its meaning and a chronology of a woman named, Hester Prynne. Hawthorne is intrigued by this letter and the woman's story and feels lead to write about her, but all the while working at the Custom House Hawthorne experiences what I can only describe as writer's block. Whether fortunate or not, some time later at the mark of three years after Hawthorne's service at the Custom House he is made a public spectacle and thrown out of office. The Wigs party prevailed and despite new President Taylor's promise to not remove civil servants of opposing parties the town of Salem wouldn't have it any other way. They made a mockery of Hawthorne and the act of being thrown out of office was described as "guillotine politics". This left Hawthorne with nothing to go back to but writing.
Hawthorne's experience while working at the Custom House was not always pleasant. Sometimes the people he worked with he had to appologize for the boring manner in which he described them. The way that Hawthorne was relieved of his position left no good thought of him in the community. The townspeople already hadn't respected him as a writer and then they celebrated his removal from his position. This was all probably very embarrasing for Hawthorne and yet he wrote of a possitive benefit of working at the Custom House. Had Hawthorne not worked at the Custom House he would not have dicovered the scarlet letter or have known anything of Hester Prynne. His negitive publicity effected him as a writter and though he had writer's block while working in the Custom House, writing was all he could do afterwards. Hawthorne may not have been such a distinguished author had he not been through that difficult circumstance. That is a perfect example of how bad things can be turned for the better.

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The Custom House

http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=21817
The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne (pg. 1-17)

In this first section of The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne is setting the scene. He goes into great detail to describe the town of Salem and its extensive History. He describes the power of the town of Salem and how regardless the distance and time he spends away from it he always seem to be drawn back to the town of his birth and family history.
The town of Salem is described as less of what is was in its glory day with dilapidated buildings, wharves, and deconstructed ports. The center of the town at this time is the Custom House, which itself is not in good condition. After the description of the town the Custom House become the center of the story. Hawthorne tells of how he had three years of experience in such a Custom House. He was put in charge of this Custom House via a President's Commission to be Chief Executive Officer of the Custom House.
As Chief Executive Officer of the Custom House Hawthorne is in charge of the men who work there. Hawthorne describes these men as elderly and procrastinates, trying to avoid doing their work. Though he states the workers gave him a hard time in the beginning of his term he describes that they had believed that he would fire them and hire younger workers. Hawthorne explains he eventually grew fond of the men and goes into detail to describe each one individually.
The purpose of this first section of The Scarlet Letter is to set the scene. Hawthorne describes everything with immense detail and uses imagery to describe his position in the setting of this story.