What is the significance of the red a that dimmesdale sees in the sky

Everyone can be forgiven for their mistakes, despite the views of those surrounding them. When Hester Prynne gets caught committing adultery and premarital sex, her punishment is extremely severe.

She is thrown in prison, forced to wear a large letter A on her chest for the rest of her life, forced to raise her daughter Pearl and is publically humiliated upon a scaffold. Despite this lifelong punishment, many of the townspeople feel that Hester got off too easy; as the written punishment for adultery is death.

In the time period of the Puritans, adultery was one of the most shameful crimes, considering how strictly they followed the bible. Once word travels around town the way rumours tend to do, Hester quickly becomes the center of attention in the community. There are various impacts; not only on her, but the entire community, with the birth of her barbaric child whom defies the standard Puritan etiquette, and the man who is also guilty and silently suffering.

Hester raises Pearl well and Pearl begins to learn how to act properly. The Puritan community outcasted Hester and Pearl. Displaying the scarlet letter is punishment for what she had done, along with the public shaming of course Hawthorne. Setting aside the fact that the woman had committed adultery, she was displaying a side of womanhood that is rarely seen and by most considered unacceptable: Sexuality.

As in most literature from the 19th century, religion plays a large part in The Scarlet Letter, because Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are themselves affected by the hand of religion. Society shuns Hester, the scorned woman forced to wear the scarlet letter and placed on a scaffold with her sin-bred child Pearl, publicly humiliated for her act of adultery.

The sins committed throughout The Scarlet Letter represent more than acts against God: each of the characters symbolize a sin, their actions and dialogue bringing this symbolism to light. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's,. According to Google a sinner is a person whom transgresses against divine law by committing an immoral act or acts, in which Hester portrays this throughout the whole novel because of her immoral act.

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.

Overcome with terror, Dimmesdale asks Hester about the true identity of Chillingworth. Remembering her promise to Chillingworth, Hester remains silent.

After the next morning's sermon, the sexton startles the minister by returning one of his gloves, which was found on the scaffold.

This chapter, the second of three crucial scaffold scenes, appears exactly in the middle of the novel. Again, Hawthorne gathers all of his major characters in one place — this time in a chapter so foreboding, so convincing in its psychology, and so rich in its symbolism that it is unquestionably one of the most powerful in the novel.

In his description of Dimmesdale's actions while alone on the scaffold, Hawthorne demonstrates his mastery of psychological realism. The sudden changes in mood that take place in the minister's tired mind, the self-condemnation for his cowardice, the near-insanity of his scream, and his impulse to speak to Mr. Wilson all are developed convincingly. The first scaffold scene took place during the noon hours and concentrated on Hester's guilt and punishment.

This second scene, occurring at the midnight hours, puts both "sinners" on the scaffold and concentrates on Dimmesdale's guilt and punishment. All the major characters of the first scene are again present. Pearl laughs back at him. He calls out and Pearl responds. Hester is also with her. They're heading back from Governor Winthrop's house, where she's measured his body so she can make his burial robe. The two join him on the scaffold. Dimmesdale and Hester are connected through Pearl, as each holds one of her hands.

Pearl asks him if he will stand with her and her mother tomorrow at noon. No—but he will stand with them on the judgment day. How comforting, Just then, there's a bright light on the horizon, which is either a meteor or a big, fat symbol. Also looking very symbolic right about now: the minister, with his hand over his heart; Hester Prynne, the scarlet letter on her heart; and Pearl, herself a symbol.

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.

Pearl and Dimmesdale have a little squabble, which ends with Pearl basically telling them that he sucks for not promising to stand there with her and her mom.