What does Dimmesdale see in the sky?

He sees a letter “A” in the sky, outlined by the red light of the meteor. The secret that his heart has carried and his body has hidden seems suddenly revealed for all to see. The significance of the moment is that Dimmesdale imagines his guilt is written across the night sky for everyone to behold.

What does Dimmesdale see in his visions?

In one vision, he sees Hester and “little Pearl in her scarlet garb.” Hester points “her forefinger, first at the scarlet letter on her bosom, and then at the clergyman's own breast.” The minister understands that he is delusional, but his psychological tumult leads him to assign great meaning to his delusions.

What appears in the sky that night scarlet letter?

The Meteor

As Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl in Chapter 12, a meteor traces out an “A” in the night sky. To Dimmesdale, the meteor implies that he should wear a mark of shame just as Hester does.

What does Dimmesdale see when he looks at Pearl?

Pearl grins a little and points, and Dimmesdale sees what looks like an immense letter A marked out in red light. And then he sees Roger Chillingworth, who Dimmesdale finally notices is looking kind of evil.

What does Dimmesdale think the meteor means?

By far the most positive interpretation of the meteor is as a blessing on the reunification of the family. Dimmesdale berates himself for not publicly standing with Hester and Pearl on the scaffold seven years earlier. After all, he is every bit as responsible as Hester is.

Video SparkNotes: Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter summary

What does Dimmesdale see as he stands on the scaffold at midnight?

Looking up, Dimmesdale seems to see in the sky a dull red light in the shape of an immense letter A. At the same instant, Dimmesdale is aware that Pearl is pointing toward Roger Chillingworth who stands nearby, grimly smiling up at the three people on the scaffold.

What does the letter A in the sky symbolize?

A great red letter in the sky,—the letter A, —which we interpret to stand for Angel.

How did Dimmesdale get the A on his chest?

Most say they saw on his chest a scarlet letter exactly like Hester's. To their minds, it resulted from Chillingworth's poisonous magic, from the minister's self-torture, or from his inner remorse.

Who sees Dimmesdale Hester and Pearl on the scaffold?

What two interpretations are offered by which characters? - When Chillingworth sees Hester and Dimmesdale up on the scaffolding together Dimmesdale sees a letter A in the sky.

How do the other townspeople who see the red A in the sky interpret it?

The other townspeople who see the red A in the sky interpret it as standing for the word "Angel", since Governor Winthrop had passed away that night and become an angel.

What letter appeared in the sky What did most of the townspeople think it stood for?

He also reveals that there was proof of a meteor falling the night prior, but that the townspeople have interpreted it as standing for "Angel."Dimmesdale is relieved and surprised to hear that the townspeople are attributing the miracle of the letter "A" in the sky to be an "A" for angel as a sign of a heavenly reward ...

What does the sunlight symbolize in The Scarlet Letter?

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses sunlight to symbolize happiness, and it is also used to exemplify freedom. From the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays Hester as deprived of happiness. “'No, my little Pearl! ' said her mother; 'though must gather thine own sunshine.

What does a meteor symbolize?

The ~sudden fire' is obviously a meteor, being likened to love which is not eternal. In Dante's conception, this eternal love would be for his god. Clearly, Dante intended meteors to be symbolic of a more transitory, earthly, love.

What did Dimmesdale dream of?

Dimmesdale is the "wretched minister! . . . Tempted by a dream of happiness, he had yielded himself, with deliberate choice, as he had never done before, to what he knew was deadly sin." This choice is taking him down the road to hell and reviving a multitude of sinful impulses from somewhere.

What does Dimmesdale imagine will happen?

What does Dimmesdale imagine will happen? The townspeople will find him on the scaffold.

What did Dimmesdale do at the end of Chapter 11?

Because Dimmesdale is incapable of confessing that he was Hester's lover and that he is Pearl's father — the one act necessary to his salvation — he substitutes self-punishment. He beats himself with a bloody whip and keeps frequent all-night vigils during which his mind is plagued by frightening visions.

What does Dimmesdale reveal to the crowd?

Supported by Hester and Pearl, Dimmesdale turns to the crowd and announces that he is guilty of the same sin for which they have punished Hester. As Chillingworth looks on in despair, Dimmesdale tears away his clothing to reveal a scarlet letter carved into his breast.

Why does Dimmesdale cry out while on the scaffold?

Why does Dimmesdale cry out while on the scaffold? Dimmesdale shrieks out of horror at the thought that his guilt is exposed to the view of the universe. He calls to Wilson out of a fatalistic impulse that tells him he will soon be exposed because he feels he cannot move.

Why does Dimmesdale laugh on the scaffold?

Dimmesdale then spies Rev. Wilson and longs to openly confess his sin to him. The words, however, again stick in his throat, and he remains silent. Instead, he laughs out loud at the preposterous image that he has of himself, frozen on the scaffold with his sin revealed to all.

Did Dimmesdale get Hester pregnant?

The movie begins before the book begins, when Hester Prynne first arrives in America. The film chronicles her love affair with the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester becomes pregnant and is sent to jail because she is married.

Who killed Arthur Dimmesdale?

Just which one came to this conclusion first is a bit uncertain. But both say physician Roger Chillingworth used poison to murder the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale, the preacher who fathered a child by adulteress Hester Prynne. Chillingworth was Prynne's husband.

What is seen on Dimmesdale's chest?

The red mark on Dimmesdale's chest represents the same thing Hester's scarlet letter did. The red mark on Dimmesdale's chest represents adultery in the beginning, guilt in the middle, and pain and death in the end. The stressor that made Dimmesdale feel worse was Hester's first husband Chillingworth.

What does Dimmesdale symbolize in The Scarlet Letter?

The character Dimmesdale is not only symbolizing weakness, but also symbolizing courage, which can be showed by his many changes that he starts from a God like man to a crazy guilt ridden man, to a relieved man ,and to a man who has finally relieved himself of all his guilt.

What does it mean if your name starts with an E?

E. People whose name starts with “E” are quiet imaginative and intellectual. These people like to be more into themselves driving their own imagination rather than thinking of the outside world. You can often call them creative when it comes to generating an idea or brainstorming about new things.

What does the letter B means?

The letter B was part of the Phoenician alphabet more than 3000 years ago in 1000 BCE. At that time, the letter was called beth and looked a little different, but it made the sound of b and was second in the alphabet.