The first event is when Hester is released from prison and has to wear the scarlet letter. This represents how she is no longer free and must wear a badge of shame in public so everyone can see her crime, which was adultery. Even though she had committed adultery and was forced out of society, she still remained strong and did not let it stop her from helping the townspeople with their diseases or teaching them about religion. She even stood up for herself when Chillingworth tried to blackmail her by saying that he would tell everyone about her past if she did not do what he told her to do. He wanted her to give up Dimmesdale so that Chillingworth could be the only person who knew his secret and control him through fear of being exposed as a cheat.
The second event is when Hester meets Dimmesdale in the forest and he tells her to leave him alone. This is an important scene because it takes place after Dimmesdale has been publicly humiliated by Chillingworth in court. This scene shows that Dimmesdale is not only a coward, but also a weak man who cannot stand up to his tormentor. This makes it easier for him to succumb to Chillingworth’s demands later on in the book.
The narrator is the author herself, who describes her feelings about the book as she writes it. She is also interested in “the effect which a deep love for a mere mortal may have in elevating the soul to a plane where it can sympathize with, and even become imbosomed in, things celestial.” The narrator’s comments are meant to guide readers through her story as well as offer them hope for redemption through forgiveness.
