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Previously in Blogging The Scarlet Letter<\/a><\/em>, Hester and Pearl were released from \u00a0prison. Besides having no friends, they’re doing alright for themselves.<\/em><\/p>\n Find every installment here<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n Chapter 7: The Governor’s Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n Hester is \u00a0making a trip to Governor Bellingham’s mansion for a few \u00a0reasons:<\/p>\n The Gov’s \u00a0mission to take Pearl from her mother is \u00a0largely supported by Puritan \u00a0legislators \u00a0whom I have a hard time trusting because of this:<\/p>\n The period was hardly, if at all, earlier than that of our story, when a dispute concerning the right of property in a pig, not only caused a fierce and bitter contest in the legislative body of the colony, but resulted in an important modification of the framework itself of the legislature.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Priorities<\/a>, guys. Priorities.<\/p>\n As they make their way to the mansion, Pearl really acts like \u00a0<\/em>“the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment.” Imagine if that’s how we explained each other’s \u00a0demeanors. (<\/span><\/span>“You’re so docile, Sabrina; \u00a0your parents must’ve planned you.”)<\/p>\n Pearl is wearing an elaborately \u00a0embroidered crimson tunic that matches Hester’s \u00a0scarlet letter. It’s clear that Hester has put her heart and soul into making \u00a0this dress, which seems irresponsible \u00a0given that 1. Pearl is three, 2. the natural state of a three-year-old is to have mysterious stains on a majority of their clothes, \u00a0and 3. I have watched a child grow out of a Baby GAP \u00a0skort about \u00a0two \u00a0hours \u00a0after I \u00a0gifted it. \u00a0This \u00a0pains me in the same way that Blue Ivy’s $11k \u00a0VMA dress<\/a> \u00a0pains me: worn to be \u00a0stained and shredded by \u00a0midnight, and good luck getting that child \u00a0on the toilet.<\/p>\n A gaggle of “sombre little urchins” (tweens) stop Hester and Pearl in the street:<\/p>\n ‘Behold, verily, there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!’<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n This is the clunkiest dialogue I’ve ever had the misfortune of reading. Let me add to that by informing you that spellcheck has been riddling Hawthorne’s quotes with “incorrect comma use” on my computer this entire time.<\/p>\n If there’s one thing Hawthorne wants us to remember about the Puritan era, it’s that all our history educators LIED TO US (I don’t blame them. I blame the system): While the Puritan community lived on bread crumbs and modesty, their leaders appreciated the finer things in life and had no shame about it. For instance, mansions. \u00a0Governor Bellingham’s has “brilliancy [that] might have befitted Aladdin’s palace, rather than the mansion of a grave old Puritan ruler.” Right on cue, Nathaniel 2.0 \u00a0drops an unnecessary five-page description \u00a0of its decor: high ceilings, heavy oak chairs, rows of old portraits, suits of armor, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.<\/p>\n Hester and Pearl brush past the servant who greets them and make their way to the garden, where Hawthorne refers to a pumpkin as \u00a0a \u00a0“great lump of vegetable gold.” The plants \u00a0in this garden are all from England, so nothing is growing very well in the North American soil. For what it’s worth, I appreciate this vegetable metaphor.<\/p>\n Chapter 8: The Elf-Child and the Minister<\/strong><\/p>\n Lots of things are about to happen in rapid succession, which is overwhelming to me because you are all well aware of how long it takes Hawthorne to make a point. Recall chapter two’s \u00a0history of scaffolds.<\/p>\n Setting: Garden that is a metaphor for the ideals of Puritan New England. Pearl screaming bloody murder because she doesn’t see any red roses in the garden. This feels loaded but I’m not sure why. Governor Bellingham and Reverend Wilson round the corner, as do \u00a0Chillingworth and \u00a0Dimmesdale, arm in arm. The gang’s all here! \u00a0We learn that \u00a0Chillingworth has become Dimmesdale’s personal physician and confidante. I feel nauseated about this, though it might be because I just ate an entire loaf of pumpkin bread.<\/p>\n Governor Bellingham \u00a0doesn’t seem to be expecting Hester and Pearl, which is genuinely perplexing because \u00a01. he wants to FORCIBLY REMOVE \u00a0THE \u00a0CHILD FROM HER CUSTODY and isn’t exactly being stealthy about it, and 2. he literally ordered something from her. Bellingham cuts to the chase and asks Reverend Wilson to determine whether or not Hester is fit to parent. Wilson \u00a0does this by grilling \u00a0Pearl, who is a toddler, on religious subjects. One of his \u00a0questions is \u00a0“Who made you?” \u00a0What \u00a0Pearl could have said:<\/p>\n What Pearl actually says is that her mom \u00a0plucked her \u00a0off the rose bush by the prison door. When you get past the vague sense \u00a0that this might be an omen, it’s obscenely cute. Reverend Wilson is visibly \u00a0annoyed by her \u00a0answer and that makes me \u00a0want to fling M&Ms at his head.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Chillingworth resembles \u00a0Harvey Dent<\/a> \u00a0post-incident:<\/p>\n Hester Prynne looked at him, and even then, with her fate hanging in the balance, was startled to perceive what a change had come over his features,\u2014how much uglier they were,\u2014how his dark complexion seemed to have grown duskier, and his figure more misshapen,\u2014since the days when she had familiarly known him.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Hester makes a good argument for being allowed to keep Pearl, but the Governor doesn’t buy it. Dimmesdale then spends the next \u00a0twenty minutes explaining why Hester is correct from several different standpoints. \u00a0Before Wilson and Bellingham \u00a0have a chance to think about how weird that was, Pearl skips over to hold Dimmesdale’s \u00a0hand and he \u00a0leans down to kiss her forehead. No one can really think of how to respond to \u00a0Dimmesdale’s arguments, so they kind of just stand there. Pearl and Hester leave.<\/p>\n Chillingworth<\/strong>: *Nicholas Cage smile<\/a>* As Hester and Pearl exit \u00a0the mansion, the Governor’s sister (who \u00a0would be \u00a0executed for witchcraft a few years later) extends an invitation to a Satan-themed soiree in the woods that night. Hester politely declines but admits if the dingbats upstairs had taken Pearl, she’d have RSVPed in a second flat. She replies, “No sweat, \u00a0hopefully see you there some other day!”<\/p>\n Thoughts\/conclusions:<\/strong><\/p>\n Find the next chapter and every installment \u00a0of Blogging Scarlet Letter HERE<\/a>, and an index of all our \u00a0Blogging the Classics titles HERE<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Previously in Blogging The Scarlet Letter, Hester and Pearl were released from \u00a0prison. Besides having no friends, they’re doing alright for themselves. Find every installment here! Chapter 7: The Governor’s Hall Hester is \u00a0making a continue reading<\/span>\n
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\nDimmesdale<\/strong>: Haha<\/a>
\nChillingworth<\/strong>: The traits \u00a0Pearl \u00a0gets from her mother are obvious, but don’t you gentlemen think it’d be worthwhile \u00a0to do a little scientific research and figure out who the father is once and for all?
\nReverend Wilson<\/strong>: This \u00a0“science” business is hocus pocus. Best to just wait it out.<\/p>\n\n