References: Curry, J. P., & Jungquis, C. R. (2014, June). A critical assessment of monitoring practices, patient deterioration, and alarm fatigue on inpatient wards: a review. Patient Safety In Surgery, 28(29), 2-20. doi:10.1186/1754-9493-8-29…
In the first scaffold scene Dimmesdale is aware of his guilt and hypocrisy when he questions Hester but is too cowardly to confess his sin. Hester, while holding her child, stands in front of the public on the scaffold enduring humiliation and trial from the authorities of the town, in which they insist upon her to reveal the child’s father. Even Dimmesdale, as one of the authorities, says to her, “what can thy silence do for him, except… to add hypocrisy to sin?” However, she is unwilling to speak his name. Dimmesdale acts with great dishonesty and cowardice, deceiving the public into believing that he is not in the wrong - that he is a wise and benevolent pastor. He allows Hester to suffer the pain and humiliation alone. With this first stage of guilt, Dimmesdale only falls deeper into the sin he has committed.…
“Preceded by the beadle, and attended by an irregular procession of stern-browed men and unkindly-visaged women, Hester Prynne set forth towards the place appointed for her punishment.” (Chapter 2, The Market-Place) The action of Hester standing on the scaffold and having the ability to confess relates to how punished politicians have the ability to say something that won’t change the people’s mind, but to get off his/her chest before potential death/ punishment. “On ordinary days, we each walk alone,” (Wanderlust: A History of Walking) The idea of walking alone is represented throughout the novel with Hester walking alone to the scaffold in Chapter 2, The Market-Place and repeated when she was taking care of Pearl alone in a distant area from the community in Chapter 5, Hester At Her Needle. In addition this idea applies to Dimmesdale refuses to have Chillingworth give him medicine and DImmesdale suffers from guilt, which is the product of an internalized self-disapproval by himself in Chapter 10, The Leech And His…
The scaffold is a huge symbol in “The Scarlet Letter” the scaffold is seen three times in the book and each time the four main characters can be seen. The scaffold represents a place where public humiliation takes place ,this is a place where pence or punishment for sins happens. It also happens to be the place where Hawthorne shows the growth of each character. During each of the scaffold senses these four characters can be seen.At the beginning of the book we see Hester standing with Pearl with Dimmesdale above her asking, more like demanding answers and Chillingworth in the audience. Hester is full of shame for what she has done an example is she attempts to hide the letter with pearl,but she cannot hide one object of shame with another.…
The first scaffolding scene in the book “The Scarlet Letter” is important and proves that the scaffold in the center of their community is a place for criminals and sinners to be recognized as such. As we know, Hester Prynne was committed for adultery which is why she was led to the scaffold. In their community the scaffold is the symbolism of clarity of whoever stands atop it. In this case, Hester is considered to be transparent, so that everyone in the town can see that she has sinned. Her punishment not alone to wear the scarlet letter but to also have spent a certain amount of time upon the scaffold as she states on page 54, line five “…her sentence bore, that she should stand a certain time upon the platform but without undergoing that gripe about the neck and confinement of the head…” What this means is that she will have to stand upon the scaffolding, but not to hanged, only publicly shamed. But this in some ways contradicts the action of putting their minister in a high place, such as a balcony. The idea of not only having your sinners but also your criminals put into a place above all others to be seen can be a contradictory.…
The next type of punishment for Hester is the scaffold displayed publicly in front of everybody so that they may see her. Whenever Hester was given her daily freedom from the prison, it seems like she would wind up at the scaffold. The scaffold is always being used and occupied by Hester and even Dimmesdale himself. There are three scenes in which the scaffold is being used by Hester and Dimmesdale, two of them coming in the…
The scaffold was the only place where Dimmesdale could go to and apologize for his sin, guilt and escape his persecutor's commands. Dimmesdale committed a sin that was frowned upon by god but convinced himself that not confessing his sin was protecting the townspeople. Hester had countless opportunities to name her fellow sinner but she choose not to.…
In the novel, The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne shows two scaffold scenes. The scaffold scenes are different in many ways. Seven years from when Hester Prynne stood in shame, wearing her scarlet A, holding her demonic child Pearl, during the day. Dimmesdale now stands alone in the middle of the night. In the first scaffold scene with Hester everyone in town saw the high reverend Dimmesdale question her as her thought to be dead husband stood there as a witness of her punishment. In the second scaffold scene Dimmesdale has no light, no questions and at first no witnesses. After Dimmesdale stands for a while Hester and Pearl join him and his witness, Chillingsworth appears. Both Scaffold scenes give different views…
The scaffold's introductory scene occurs right as the novel commences at which point it symbolizes disgrace, public humiliation, and judgment for Hester and her daughter Pearl. They are obligated to ascend the scaffold while the communities' society ridicule and mortify them, this as a repercussion of Hester's adultery for which Pearl was the product. This is demonstrated when the grim beadle states, “Open a passage; and, I promise ye, Mistress Prynne shall be set where man, woman, and child may have a fair sight of her brave apparel.... A blessing on the righteous Colony of the Massachusetts, where iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine!” (p. 46-47). While standing on the scaffold, Hester's emotions compare to those of loneliness and embarrassment…
It first becomes a symbol for adultery but later becomes a symbol of an angel. At the end of The Scarlet Letter, the townspeople finally realize that Hester is not a sinful woman and realizes what she has done wrong. The significance of the scaffold changes throughout the novel. It starts as the place of persecution for Hester, but by the end of the book, it symbolizes freedom and escape for Dimmesdale. The narrator concludes with the quote, “On a field, sable, the letter A, gules’’ (Hawthorne 259). This symbolizes whether or not the townspeople really forgave Hester for what she has done or whether she be punishment after she…
The scaffold is a symbol of penitence and God's platform on the Day of Judgment. It is a reflection of appearing before the Almighty in one's weakness. Dimmesdale has great difficulty in standing on the platform and confessing his sins. He first does it under the cover of darkness for no one to see, as if he was trying to hide from God himself. In the end, however, he bravely stands on the scaffold and confesses his sin in the light of day and before a crowd of people. The confession finally gives him a sense of…
Dimmesdale experiences a worse outcome. One day, Hester and Dimmesdale meet in a forest. Hester wants him to forget about his sin and move on. However, he hesitates to do so because he is the one who holds his people and honors God. Eventually, after his speech on Election Day, he confesses. He stands on the scaffold with Hester and his daughter, Pearl. Now, everyone sees the scarlet letter on the Reverend’s chest. Then, he dies on the scaffold. This is a tragic consequence of the sin. Although it can be thought that Dimmesdale doesn’t get much pain, he is fighting with himself inside him(“What”). On the other hand, after several years, Hester leaves and returns to Boston alone. Hester lives in a small cottage and is still isolated from the society. However, she continues her needlework. She works hard and tries to contribute to her society. At last, she begins to be accepted and known as a hard worker. This is when her letter A changes its meaning. At first, the scarlet letter A means adultery. Later, it becomes a symbol of able. After many years, Hester dies and is buried next to Dimmesdale, sharing a scarlet A. Hester and Dimmesdale have very different outcomes. Though Hester is publicly known for her sin, she accepts it and moves on. She works hard with her job and is always brave. On the other hand, Dimmesdale keeps everything in himself and ends up dying…
Hawthorne often places Dimmesdale’s character amongst the shadows, concealing him and the secret. If those surrounding him were to discover his disgraceful act, he could lose everything. By staying hidden in the heavy folds of the curtain, Dimmesdale withholds his actions and emotions while residing out of the sunlight cast upon the floor. Correspondingly, once the first opportunity passed for telling his secret, Dimmesdale took it upon himself to ensure no one uncovered the truth because of his job. His sin suddenly becomes a considerably heavier burden than Hester’s.…
I chose this word because of its significance. This story begins with Hester on the scaffold, criticized by the public and ends (not really ends) with Dimmesdale’s death on the scaffold in front of the crowd, which indicates the significance of scaffold. Also, in the middle of the story, Hester, the minister, and their child hold hands together, and hope to leave the New England. These prove that scaffold is the place where the important events has occurred.…
Before he stands in front of the town with his family, they stand under the night sky on the scaffold with a red ‘A’ in the stars to illuminate the fact that they’re all together in guilty sin, as stated by Hawthorne, “... now long since, Hester Prynne had lived her first hours of public ignominy.” (Hawthorne, 143). This quote is setting up how Dimmesdale knows that this is where Hester was first punished for their sins. To the end of the book, Hawthorne then ties the scaffold to a release of guilt, saying “They beheld the minister, leaning on Hester’s shoulder and supported by her arm around him, approached the scaffold and ascended its steps; while still the little hand of the sin-born child was clasped in his.” (Hawthorne, 248). This is the beginning of the admittance of guilt and sin to the town.…