Within the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne the imagery of revelation works as a reoccurring theme to bring the reader into the characters view of the incidences going on before them. These ‘revelations’, scattered throughout the story, work as awakenings or realizations of the current situation that the character is presently in or situations they may have to face in the future. All of the characters presented into the story have revelations of some sort. One key discovery theme used in this story is the realization of identification; this is presented as the characters previously thinking they knew somebody and what they stood for, yet they are proved wrong in their beliefs. Another reoccurrence of a theme, used in the story, is the usage of the scaffolding in the center of town to unfold a revelation in the characters lives.
The scaffolding situation takes place three times within the story, each time with a different circumstance and a change of the witnesses to the scene; but with a revelation that slightly changes the character from what they were before they stood upon the scaffolding. The first instance when the scaffolding appears is the beginning of the story when Hester Prynne is sentenced to stand upon it, bearing her child and the ominous letter ‘A’, for a set time as her punishment for adultery. This takes place during the day as the entire town is placed before to observe. The second scene of scaffold revelation brings the Reverend Dimmesdale to the top of the platform alone as he attempts to lift the weighty guilt off of his chest. Finally, towards the end of the story, we see Hester, Reverend Dimmesdale, and their child, Pearl standing together in front of the judging crowd.
In each of these scenes the revelations captured in that moment by the character or characters remain pivotal parts of story and ultimately of the characters lives. The first scaffolding scene serves as a revelation to, I believe, everyone in the town. Hester’s crime surely must have touched somebody in the large crowd with a revelation of their own guilt. Shame for a past covered sin or perhaps contempt, as even contempt is a sin that should yield shame, for Hester, herself, was most likely felt in many of the townsfolk that day.
Yet, the main revelations coming forth in this scene were brought forth by the realizations of the situations each character found his or herself presently in. Hester, Revered Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth all decide at that very moment what needed to be done to conceal themselves and how their demeanor must be hence forth. Hester, at one point, touches the ‘A’ upon her chest to assure herself that it is truly there. Realization of this mark now sets her to thinking about the future and the concealment of the father of her child.
Here and now she decides how to reply when questioned about her crime and her partner within the crime. Acceptance of the mark has now set in and she realizes that she deserves this letter and must wear it as a constant reminder in her everyday life. Perhaps too, the revelation of the babe being a living ‘scarlet letter’ has already placed itself into her mind. Dimmesdale’s revelation surely unfolded from the time that he first saw Hester with the child, to when she stood alone on the scaffolding, to when he is urged, in front of the crowd, to question her directly about the father of her baby. With each instance more weight was set upon the reverend’s heart. His realization of what he must now conceal and lie about, everyday, surely beings its deep burrow into his soul here, if not much earlier.
Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, revels in the circumstance before him when he first walks back into town. Was that truly his wife? Indeed, his wife had a child and was openly being punished. His revelation also comes with realization of the situation. He realizes that to completely punish Hester, he must now conceal who he really is to the townspeople and allow her to suffer alone. The revelation at during the second scaffolding scene occurs mainly within Revered Dimmesdale; but perhaps serves as a small revelation to Hester as she may now realize what a burden the secret is to the minister. Since the reverend is, at first, alone in this presentation, one can question if he is essentially already at the end of his rope, willing to give up and die here; or perhaps he comes alone because he is not entirely ready for the unveiling of his expiation.
At first since no one can see or hear him; his only thoughts may be that he is weak and unworthy of his position in the community. Is he essentially mocking himself with penitence? He indeed had thought many times how he had wished to exploit himself and his wrong doing but this minor presentation seems as if he wishes the burden to be lifted just by standing upon the scaffolding alone. This vain attempt of redemption seems to wear him down as if he was to give up everything and just let them find him upon the pillar half dead. Suddenly, a thought of the townsfolk’s reaction upon seeing him upon that ‘instrument of discipline’ brings him to laugh at his very vision. A child’s laughter follows and Hester and Pearl now join him in the darkness. Hester, as stated before, upon seeing the minister upon the scaffold and in such a state must now realize the pain that the minister is going through by carrying his burden daily.
Perhaps, she never truly realized, before this encounter in the dark, his true feelings of the situation; of the secret they held together. If any thought of this did, in fact, ever cross her mind, this scenario was the reassurance. With Hester and Pearl now by his side the minister’s consideration of confessing diminishes. Perhaps the lively child’s hand gave him more strength to press on or perhaps it was just the reality of the situation played out, but Revered Dimmesdale now becomes conscious of all that he would sacrifice in confessing. His revelation, therefore, of this entire scene was just how hard it would ultimately be to become clean again. As the letter ‘A’ is scribbled out in the sky by the meteor that passes, he accepts that God will not allow him to yet forget about his transgression, that he is indeed and forever will be branded as an adulterer, even if he does not outwardly bare the scarlet letter.
Roger Chillingworth emerges right before the second scaffolding scene ends and the exact same main characters are now present that were in attendance during the first scaffolding scene. With Chillingworth’s revelation as to who the minister really is to Hester, a distinct change now comes over Chillingworth. So vivid and severe was the doctor’s glare through the night Dimmesdale was utterly frightened of him. Chillingworth realizes now that he has been taking care of the man that he had previously brought care to and with who he now dwells with. The physician now sees the revered as his ‘victim’ and contempt for him now grows daily within his mind. This hatred for the priest and for what he has done now motivates the doctor daily to keep this man alive to bare his sin; Chillingworth in essence wants the reverend’s guilt to kill him.
The final scaffolding meeting takes place after a procession and an Election Speech delivered by the Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester had listened at the foot of the scaffolding as it pulled and compelled her to keep steadfast at the place where she once restarted her life with the letter of disgrace. As the procession marched out of the church, Revered Dimmesdale stumbled slowly towards the scaffolding and in front of the entire crowd stretched forth his arms and invited the women with the scarlet letter upon her chest and her child to climb to the top of the scaffolding together. Realization of what was to be done compelled Roger Chillingworth out of the crowd to try and prevent the minister from having his penance. The priest rejected the doctor’s pleas to not recognize his sin, the woman, and child with who he was shamefully connected. As the sinner’s climbed the impending ladder to their exposure, the crowd’s attitude was that of confusion and uproar.
The realization of who this reverend really was in their society caught the townspeople off guard as they all highly regarded this person and relied on him to always be the ideal man; they thought that he was as close to God as anybody could get and the reality that he too was inevitably human was inconceivable. With his confession and statement that none could judge another human as God did, he tore off his shirt to expose his own chest. Revelation and awakening must have ripped though the crowd as each saw their own sin once again and their wrongdoing in condemning another. Later, some testified, that they had seen a scarlet imprint on the flesh of the minister.
As for Hester and Pearl, I believe that their final revelations of the entire final scaffolding scene were almost comparable in nature. Pearl, with the kiss she bestowed upon the minister, must have had a revelation of her own sort. We do not know what she was thinking at the time, but her willingness to give into the minister at the last moment showed her recognition for him as well as an understanding that she most likely took with her as a lesson learned. With her learning later that he was her father, this scene would more likely make a bigger impact on her revelation of the sin and its consequences when she is old enough to understand the situation. Hester Ultimately, the scaffolding serves as a vehicle to revelations in the characters minds of their situations. Though these awakenings may have been brought forth in other manners the scaffolding virtually sets them apart, made the characters evaluate themselves because of the high position that they were placed..