Scarlet Letter Rhetorical Analysis

The passage selected for me to analyze is from The Scarlet Letter, “The Pastor and His Parishioner.” I believe Hawthorne has written this passage to show the instant connection between Hester and Dimmesdale. After reading the brief passage, one can make the assumption of how Chillingworth and Hester are secluded from the world, but so close to each other. This is shown through many literary devices such as, extended metaphors, imagery, and diction.
You may be saying to yourself, “What is an extended metaphor?” Well an extended metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem. In the third paragraph, it says, “… that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow.” As we know from before, Dimmesdale is not able to trust anyone with the exception of Chillingworth. As soon as he sees the scarlet letter, the mistrust disappears and welcomes her
with eagerness. Dimmesdale doesn’t just do this for anyone unless it is someone really special, perhaps the mother of his child?
Imagery is no stranger in this passage!
As you can see towards the end, Dimmesdale and Hester touch each other. They engage in physical activity after 7 years since the sin, even if it is a simple touching of the hand. “… Arthur Dimmesdale put forth his hand, chill as death, and touched the chill hand of Hester Prynne.” It is stated that after this touch, the two lovers finally feel as if they are the “inhabitants of the same sphere”. You can almost see the two characters, hand- in- hand and in their own utopia, which is what imagery is about. This incident reminds me of the story of Cinderella. When the Prince gracefully slides the glass slipper onto to young woman’s foot, you can just see and feel the sense of exuberance that has overcame the couple. Hester is almost similar to Cinderella, with one difference. Cinderella and the Prince feel the sparks and they are connected almost immediately! Though, Hester and Dimmesdale express a cold feature, which is hardly ever used when describing an instant connection between two couples in
love.
Hawthorne also uses diction in the passage. He uses peculiar, yet, significant words to describe the connection between Hester and Dimmesdale. For example, at the end of the passage, Hawthorne uses the word “interview” to describe their relationship. The reason this word is strange to use is because that word is used to describe something formal. The relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale is beyond formal! Also, one can also note the title of the chapter. The denotation behind his title suggests a formal relationship between the characters. In other words, strictly business! When actually the connotation suggests how there is much more between the pastor and his parishioner. Such formal words used to describe the connection between Hester and Dimmesdale is very strange and shows the hidden meaning.
In conclusion, the passage was written to show the immediate connection between the two characters, Hester and Dimmesdale. In order to depict this, there are three literary devices to support my assertion: extended metaphor, imagery, and diction. Reading this passage should make the reader really think about the relationship between the two lovers.