The scaffolding scenes in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the Puritans consistently look down on sinners like Hester Prynne, both literally and symbolically. The use of the three scaffolding scenes throughout the novel proved to be an effective method of proving this theory and showing how Puritan society differed from today's. In the first scaffold scene, Hester is taken from the prison where she has spent the last few months to the scaffold, clutching her newborn baby to her breast, covering the scarlet letter, the two symbols representing the truth and her lost innocence . She stands on the scaffold, with the magistrates and ministers standing above her on the pulpit, symbolizing that they will always be closer to God than she will ever be. However, the reader is unaware that Hester's minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, who also stands above her on the pulpit, which is a dramatic irony, given the fact that he is the child's father and his accomplice in his sin. Also during this scene, the man the reader knows as Roger Chillingworth lurks in the shadows, looking up at Hester, evil already swelling within him, blackening his soul. The events leading up to the next scaffolding scene, a few years later, are some of the most significant scenes in the entire novel. Dimmesdale's treatment by Chillingworth, whom Dimmesdale had taken on as his doctor, plays a key role, as Chillingworth's intentions are far from pure. Chillingworth is hell-bent on revenge and is willing to do whatever is necessary, even destroy another man's life in order to appease the wild beast within him. However, deep inside Chillingworth... in the middle of a paper... and withdrawn, as if all the life and faith he had in the world had been drained from him. It is in this scene that Dimmesdale finally recognizes Hester and Pearl publicly, he takes them with him to the scaffold and announces to the world what he has done, and through this he feels that he has suffered enough and that his consciousness is pure. , and with that he dies and goes to heaven, a soul who has been forgiven, leaving Hester and Pearl once again alone with their sorrow and sin. These three scaffolding scenes show the build-up to the conflict, the climax, and the conclusion. All three come together to show a common theme, truth. The scaffold and those standing on it represented the truth, while those above them judged and those below stood speechless. It constitutes an important symbol throughout the novel, setting apart sinners and those who would judge them...

Essay / The scaffolding scenes in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the Puritans consistently look down on sinners like Hester Prynne, both literally and symbolically. The use of the three scaffolding scenes throughout the novel proved to be an effective method of proving this theory and showing how Puritan society differed from today's. In the first scaffold scene, Hester is taken from the prison where she has spent the last few months to the scaffold, clutching her newborn baby to her breast, covering the scarlet letter, the two symbols representing the truth and her lost innocence . She stands on the scaffold, with the magistrates and ministers standing above her on the pulpit, symbolizing that they will always be closer to God than she will ever be. However, the reader is unaware that Hester's minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, who also stands above her on the pulpit, which is a dramatic irony, given the fact that he is the child's father and his accomplice in his sin. Also during this scene, the man the reader knows as Roger Chillingworth lurks in the shadows, looking up at Hester, evil already swelling within him, blackening his soul. The events leading up to the next scaffolding scene, a few years later, are some of the most significant scenes in the entire novel. Dimmesdale's treatment by Chillingworth, whom Dimmesdale had taken on as his doctor, plays a key role, as Chillingworth's intentions are far from pure. Chillingworth is hell-bent on revenge and is willing to do whatever is necessary, even destroy another man's life in order to appease the wild beast within him. However, deep inside Chillingworth... in the middle of a paper... and withdrawn, as if all the life and faith he had in the world had been drained from him. It is in this scene that Dimmesdale finally recognizes Hester and Pearl publicly, he takes them with him to the scaffold and announces to the world what he has done, and through this he feels that he has suffered enough and that his consciousness is pure. , and with that he dies and goes to heaven, a soul who has been forgiven, leaving Hester and Pearl once again alone with their sorrow and sin. These three scaffolding scenes show the build-up to the conflict, the climax, and the conclusion. All three come together to show a common theme, truth. The scaffold and those standing on it represented the truth, while those above them judged and those below stood speechless. It constitutes an important symbol throughout the novel, setting apart sinners and those who would judge them...

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