Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
6 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Explain the statement, “He [Chillingworth] became, thenceforth, not a spectator only, but a chief actor, in the poor minister’s interior world.” |
Once Chillingsworth discovers that Dimmesdale is the father, he begins to torment him. Dimmesdale does not realize that Chillingsworth is the husband of Hester, but still feels like he is being haunted by Chillingsworth. |
|
|
What is ironic about Dimmsdale’s incredible success as a minister? |
On the inside, he is tormenting himself for the public sins which he condemns. This is making him appear sicker, and the people think he is a martyr and is just getting closer with God. |
|
|
Why are Dimmsdale’s public assertions of guilt ironic? |
The more he asserts his guilt, the more holy he appears to the public. |
|
|
Explain the ways that Dimmsdale tortures himself. |
He tortures himself physically: scourges himself with a whip, fasts, and hold extended vigils in which he stays awake through the night. |
|
|
Comparing Dimmsdale’s current struggle with his sin with Hawthorne’s earlier treatment of Hester and her sin, what is Hawthorne suggesting about the effects of sin? |
Hester has to publicly stand on the scaffold for her sin, while Dimmesdale does it as a way of furthering his inner torment. When sin is kept as a secret, it poisons the soul and makes Dimmesdale do things that are publicly occuring to Hester. |
|
|
What is ironic about Hawthorne’s Portrayal of the Puritan society, in terms of this developing theme? |
Hawthorne portrays the Puritans as thinking they had a perfect society, yet they have a prison, witch, adultry, revengeful doctor, child out of wedlock, and a town full of hypocrites. |
