1. "the iron link of mutual crime."

3. They say that the "A" stands for "Able"

4. I think that Hester and Dimmesdale will get back together, soon.

7. Hester now sees Chillingworth as equal or lower to her because of his disturbing obsession with revenge. Seven years ago her shame was so great and her self-esteem was so low that she found it difficult to openly communicate with a man so righteous as Chillingworth used to be. Now that he had stooped to her level, Hester could better cope with him.

1. Chillingworth has a much darker face that was often accompanied by a red glare in his eyes.

2. He pities her because he left her alone and never showed that he loved her. If he had stuck with her, than this probably wouldn't have happened. Hester feels sorry for her husband because she cheated on him.

3. Yes, a little. He does give her the choice of whether to reveal his true identity or not, but he suggests that she not interfere with fate.

4. He puts his hand over his heart.

5. Yes, "they said that it meant "Able"."

10. Pearl has lived with her mother for seven years and has never seen her without the scarlet letter on her shirt. I'm sure that she has never seen Hester so happy, either. She also thinks that the "A" is pretty.

9. Yes, it is normal. Hester and Dimmesdale haven't talked privately in seven years so they are both waiting for the other to bring up the forbidden discussion topic. The small-talk also helps start the important conversation on a sensitive subject off on a good note. The meaningless chat would probably be long and very boring. Dull content gives readers a good excuse to close a book.

2. Pearl said that the sunshine didn't love Hester because of her scarlet letter.

7. No, their surroundings are the same, but the way that Hester and Dimmesdale see the world has changed dramatically to fit their new moods and attitudes.

6. Yes. She may have felt that serving her punishment to the fullest extent possible could teach her an important lesson or achieve atonement for her sin. Leaving with Dimmesdale would prove that she hadn't learned anything from the scarlet letter because she is doing the same thing over, again.

10. "...throw open the doors of intercourse, so that their real thoughts might be led across the threshold." Hawthorne is saying that the small-talk led up to the important conversation.

8. Before Dimmesdale and Hester had the affair, each failed to contemplate the consequences and the effect that they would have on the other. In the quote, Dimmesdale used the word: "souls." He was dying and would soon face the Ultimate Judgment to decide where he would spend eternity. Knowing this, the preacher naturally thought a little deeper than how the affair had impacted his life on earth.

6. Unlike falling in love and cheating with Hester, deciding to run away with her isn't a crime of passion. It was pre-planned and thought out after Dimmesdale consciously agreed to continue committing a sin that, in its earliest stage, is already punishable by death.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hester Dimmesdale, Twenty-Three Twenty-Four, Hester Chillingworth, Eighteen Nineteen, Mistress Hibbens, Hawthorne Heaven, Fourteen Fifteen, Leaving Dimmesdale, Sixteen Seventeen, Lord Mayor's, scarlet letter, hester dimmesdale, 7 hester, scarlet letter chest, heart 5, 5 dimmesdale's, 2 pearl, guilty conscience, 8 dimmesdale, mistress hibbens, 3 dimmesdale,
Approximate Word count = 1953
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)