Post #15: Monster Ball Materials

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Monster Ball

Storyboards



Introduction with Prose Passage Thesis Statements & Analysis

Thesis:


In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Dimmesdale is forced to convince Hester Prynne to reveal the name of her fellow adulterer, who, unknownst to the audience, is himself. As he turns his fate over to Hester, Dimmesdale distances himself from his own emotions of fear and uncertainty in order to fulfill his societal duty of preaching to the people about the wickedness in sinning. In doing so, he relies on Hester’s words to protect his societal status of being considered one of the holiest people in society. Hawthorne emphasizes the inverted relationship between emotion and societal responsibility by juxtaposing the intimacy of the situation with the formalness of the diction, the contrasting tones of the speakers, and the opposing sentence structures within Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale’s tense, ambiguous conversation.

Analysis:


As a sharp contrast to Mr. Wilson’s demanding tone, Reverend Dimmesdale’s reassuring and persuasive tone softens the accusations placed on Hester in order to encourage Hester to reveal who she committed adultery with. He places his trust in Hester and gives her the power to decide his fate, reassuring her that he is ready to be condemned alongside her. As Reverend Dimmesdale incorporates numerous parenthetical phrases, the young clergyman’s own message to Hester in his speech can be seen. Dimmesdale admits that he “hath not the courage to grasp [the truth] for himself” (Hawthorne 53), recognizing his own fear and cowardice and that by telling the truth and following her words, Hester will have done him a great service. The parenthetical phrases also slow down the narrative pacing, in which Dimmesdale further establishes an intimate tone with Hester Prynne. This intimacy is emphasized in his reference to the “cup that is now presented to thy lips” (Hawthorne 53) as he voices his wish to share the drink with her and take on the burden of sin that the cup represents together.  However, recognizing his role in society as one of the holiest people, Reverend Dimmesdale keeps his true intentions hidden from his audience, in which no one but Hester will understand the ambiguous references to himself within the formalness of the speech given. At this moment, Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale are seen to share a common sin; however, they refuse to show their true emotions to anyone but each other, conforming to the society around them to fulfill their duties at the expense of their own internal guilt.

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