Scarlet Letter Quote 1 (page 74)

“I leave thee alone; alone with thy infant, and the scarlet letter! How is it, Hester? Doth thy sentence bind thee to wear the token in thy sleep? Art thou not afraid of nightmares and hideous dreams?” (74)


While in confinement for her wrongdoing, Roger Chillingworth spoke this quote to Hester, sort of mockingly and without sympathy. It shows how truly alone Hester is with her problems and the result of her sin. She doesn’t have Chillingworth because she was unfaithful and Dimmesdale will not admit that he is the father. Even though the public has their time to scoff and judge, it is ultimately Hester who is the one who has to deal with the repercussions of adultery her whole life. There is no escaping the results of her choices. She is obligated to wear the scarlet letter and she needs to constantly have her child around to care for it.

Chillingworth bluntly mocks Hester when asking if she has to wear the scarlet letter when she sleeps. This represents the fact that even though Hester is asleep, her problem has not disappeared. It will not disappear overnight and people will not forget her transgression that easily. The situation Hester is in may haunt her while sleeping, because of how extreme the sin is considered in the Puritan society and how she will always be considered an “adulteress” the rest of her life.

This is important to the storyline because it shows how alone Hester is with the effects of her fling with the minister. One mistake in her life ruined her reputation in her town and now haunts her in everything she does. The problem is not going away anytime soon and neither is the scarlet letter or Pearl.