Chapter 22 Questions
By: Brandon Horn
1. Describe Reverend Dimmesdale in the procession.
He is acting shady towards Hester and Pearl, because he just walked by them without giving a glance or smile of recognition. He has changed greatly since they were all in the woods together just a few days previous to the procession.
2. What does Pearl sense about him?
That he is acting different than he did before and she wonders if Dimmesdale was, "The same minister that kissed [her] by the brook (208)." If Dimmesdale was not acting so strange then Pearl, "Would have run to him, and bid him kiss [her] now, before all of the people; even as he did yonder among the dark of the old trees (208)."
3. Name three elements of Puritan society who march in the procession.
The first to march out is the military, then out comes the civil eminence, the prominent men, of the time: Bradstreet, Endicott, Dudley, and Bellingham. And the last important element of Puritan society that comes out is the "young and eminently distinguished divine (207)." Following these three groups in the procession is Reverend Dimmesdale.
4. What force seems to motivate Reverend Dimmesdale?
The fact that he is the minister and that he is looked upon to much to be blamed for being part of the sin that he and Hester committed. The townspeople look at him as if he were a saint and as if he has done no wrong.
5. What bit of foreshadowing does Hawthorne incorporate here?
He is foreshadowing that he will not get caught for the sin that he committed with Hester. Also, that he does not have to worry about the townspeople because they all trust his words.
6. Contrast the actions of Pearl and Hester in the market place.
Hester contrasts because she is depressed about what the townspeople think and how they can look at Dimmesdale as a saint.
7. What does Mistress Hibbins disclose to Hester?
She suggests to Hester that Dimmesdale also carries the mark of the Black Man, which will be disclosed to the world.
8. What message does the ship captain ask Pearl to give to her mother?
He tells Pearl to tell her mother that the old hump-shouldered doctor will bring his friend on the ship and that she does not need to worry about anything.
9. What stigma do Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale share?
They both share a sense of powerlessness. Hester is powerless because she is torn to tell of how Dimmesdale is not telling the truth and indeed committed the sin of adultery. Dimmesdale is powerless because Chillingworth is now in charge of the ministry, and thus, makes Dimmesdale powerless.
10. Who was John Endicott? Increase Mather?
John Endicott was a primitive statesman not often know for brilliance, but distinguished by a ponderous sobriety rather than his own intellect. Increase Mather served as a minister in England and political emissary to James II and William III.