xxx/ellauri086.html on line 680: Hester, hearing rumors that she may lose Pearl, goes to speak to Governor Bellingham. With him are ministers Wilson and Dimmesdale. Hester appeals to Dimmesdale in desperation, and the minister persuades the governor to let Pearl remain in Hester´s care.
xxx/ellauri086.html on line 686: Several days later, Hester meets Dimmesdale in the forest and tells him of her husband and his desire for revenge. She convinces Dimmesdale to leave Boston in secret on a ship to Europe where they can start life anew. Inspired by this plan, the minister seems to gain new energy. On Election Day, Dimmesdale gives one of his most inspired sermons. But as the procession leaves the church, Dimmesdale climbs upon the scaffold and confesses his sin, dying in Hester´s arms. Later, most witnesses swear that they saw a stigma in the form of a scarlet "A" upon his chest, although some deny this statement. Chillingworth, losing his will for revenge, dies shortly thereafter and leaves Pearl a substantial inheritance.
xxx/ellauri086.html on line 704: The major theme of The Scarlet Letter is shaming and social stigmatizing, both Hester´s public humiliation and Dimmesdale´s private shame and fear of exposure. Notably, their liaison is never spoken of, so the circumstances that led to Hester´s pregnancy, and how their affair was kept secret never become part of the plot.
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