What does Hester notice as she stands on the scaffold?

Standing alone on the scaffold as punishment for her adulterous behavior, she remembers her past life in England and on the European continent. Suddenly becoming aware of the stern faces looking up at her, Hester painfully realizes her present position of shame and punishment.

How did Hester feel on the scaffold?

In the first scaffold scene, Hester and Pearl stand alone, publicly humiliated, while Dimmesdale watches from the side, standing with the other leaders of the community. Emotionally and physically, he is separate from her, but she bravely bears her solitary suffering.

What does Hester dream as she stands on the scaffold what events led her to be in America alone?

Of what does Hester dream as she stands on the scaffold? What events led her to be in America alone? – her husband sent her here saying he would follow her but he didn’t. The townsman says that the magistrates of Boston have, “in their mercy and tenderness of heart,” softened Hester’s punishment.

Who speaks to Hester while she is on the scaffold?

In Chapter 4, the reader learns that the stranger who so terrifies Hester calls himself Roger Chillingworth, a pseudonym he has chosen for himself. In reality, he is Roger Prynne, the husband whom Hester fears meeting face to face.

Why does Hester repeatedly refuse to stop wearing the letter?

Hester chooses to continue to wear the letter because she is determined to transform its meaning through her actions and her own self-perception—she wants to be the one who controls its meaning. Upon her return from Europe at the novel’s end, Hester has gained control over both her personal and her public identities.

What caused Hester’s infant to cry out while she was standing on the scaffold?

What causes Hester’s infant to cry out while she’s standing on the scaffold? She is frightened by the shouting of the angry crowd. A piece of rotten fruit thrown at Hester accidentally hits her.

How did Dimmesdale get the A on his chest?

He discovers that Dimmesdale, out of the guilt and sadness he feels from what occurs with Hester, has carved a letter “A” on his chest. This act of self-mutilation is essentially his own way to “share” the pain of Hester’s humiliation.

Does Hester want to continue wearing the scarlet letter?

What power does Hester supposedly have as a result of wearing the scarlet letter?

“. . . she felt or fancied, then, that the scarlet letter had endowed her with a new sense. She shuddered to believe, yet could not help believing, that it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts.” Hester is now able to empathize with others in a way that she couldn’t before.

Who committed the greatest sin in the scarlet letter?

In essence, there were three main sins committed in The Scarlet Letter, the sins of Hester, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth committed the greatest sin because he let himself be ruled by hatred and the consuming desire for vengeance.