What is the significance of hester burial place

Even though they were more in love than Hester ever was with Chillingworth, Puritan beliefs decree that even in their death, Dimmesdale and Hester have no right to be together. The tombstone is symbolic of both their connection and the stigma of shame acquainted with it. I find it very intriguing that Hawthorne chooses to describe the gravesite with this symbolism. I believe he is trying to establish the effect of the strictness of Puritan law and how it is everlasting.

Hawthorne himself s definitely affected by this because of the legacy of cruelty that his ancestors left behind for him to endure. Overall, the graves of Dimmesdale and Hester are important in that they symbolize the effect of Puritan law, state of their relationship, and stigma of their sin.

You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Hester's appearance changed in Chapter 13 of the Scarlet letter. She looked much older and had lost her youthful glow.

Her long beautiful hair was under a cap making her even less attractive. As a result of her crime, she was branded with the letter "A" and both she and her young daughter, Pearl were ostracized by the community. The usual punishment for adultery is execution but because the identity of Hester's lover is unknown, Hester's punishment was simply to wear the letter "A" on her shirt for the rest of her life.

Hester's home was a nice little cottage with garden with weeds spewed about. Pine trees surrounded the cottage. Inside were various things such as sticks, rags and flowers that Pearl used as playthings.

In the end of the novel The Scarlet Letter, it does not say how Hester died, but it does state that she died and was buried next to Dimmesdale and they share the same tombstone. She is the product of a broken rule and as a result won't follow rules herself. Hawthorne's suggestion with the rosebush in the Scarlet Letter is significant in that it shows survival and beauty in the dark Puritan life.

Which also may refer to Hester Prynne herself. He removed the letter "A" from Heather's forehead. In the story there did not exist a character named scarlet. Log in. The Scarlet Letter. Add an answer. Want this question answered? Study guides. Q: What is significant in Hester's burial place and the inscription on the tombstone in The Scarlet Letter?

Write your answer Related questions. What is Hesters talent in The Scarlet Letter? Most people say they saw a scarlet A imprinted on Dimmesdale's chest, but there is conjecture as to its origin. Some think the emblem is a hideous torture the minister inflicted on himself, others think it is the result of Chillingworth's drugs, and still others believe it was remorse gnawing its way out of Dimmesdale's conscience.

Still other observers claim that the minister's death serves as a parable showing that even the most saintly of us are sinners. Hawthorne puts this latter version down to the loyalty of friends and gives it little credence. He does state that a moral lesson is to be found in the original manuscript from the Custom House. That precept is "Be true!

Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred! In considering which characters follow this caveat, Hawthorne discusses their fates. Chillingworth, consumed by his revenge, shrivels up and vanishes. He leaves Pearl great wealth in his will, and she and her mother disappear, presumably to Europe. After their departure, the legend of the scarlet letter grows. Finally, one day Hester returns alone and inhabits once again the little cottage.

She wears gray and reapplies the scarlet A to her bosom. No one knows Pearl's fate, but people assume that she married well and had a family because letters with the seals of heraldry arrive for Hester and articles of comfort and luxury are found in her cottage.

Hester is also seen embroidering baby garments; instead of Puritan colors, she uses most un-Puritan-like lavish and rich materials. Finally, Hester becomes a symbol of comfort and compassion, and upon her death, she is buried in the cemetery near the prison door where she first was incarcerated. While alive, she gives hope and comfort to those who feel sorrow and pain, and, accordingly, the scarlet letter becomes a symbol of help.

She becomes a prophet of a better time where human happiness will be easier to obtain than in the rigid rules of Puritan society. When she dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale.