The Scarlet Letter (Chapters 8-9)

          So the start of chapter 8 kind of felt like a cheap television show. Governor Bellingham, Mr. Wilson, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne, and Pearl are all gathered in a room to decide who will get custody of Pearl. Just to prove how mean they are, the men start to make fun of Pearl. "What little bird of scarlet plumage may this be?... Or art thou one of those naughty elfs or fairies whom we thought to have left behind us, with other relics of Papistry, in merry old England" ( Hawthorne 105-106)? When Pearl tells them her name they say things like "are you sure it isn't Ruby, Coral, or Red Rose" in reference to her mother's scarlet letter. HAHAHAHAHAHA, Mr. Wilson please stop, you're killing me with these jokes. But seriously they are acting like children. Its also ironic how they want to take Pearl away to give her a better life, but the first time they actually talk to her they are rude and make jokes. Maybe they just want to take Pearl away and sell her for a lot of money because her name is....Pearl (please people, keep the laughter down). Anyway, Hester sticks up for Pearl which made me see how much she loves her. Hester starts to yell that Pearl was a gift from God and that she has the right to keep her. When the minister  agrees with Hester and sides with her I started to think that maybe he isn't such a bad guy. Good job minister, you have just achieved bro status. When Dimmesdale sides with Hester all of the sudden it was weird because he was just bashing them, unless Hester and him have history together! "Excuse me Mr. Dimmesdale, where were you on the night Hester Prynne got pregnant"?
          So chapter 9 is basically about Chillingworth's past. Dimmesdale starts to get sick and since there are no other local physicians, Chillingworth volunteers to live with him and care for him. Since I feel that Chillingworth has this revenge plan for Hester in motion, taking care of Dimmesdale could be a strategy move to become buddy-buddy with him. If he gets close with Dimmesdale he can influence important decisions and that could be bad for some people (looking at you Hester). Even worse, if Dimmesdale was to die by sickness or murder (cue creepy music) Chillingworth could possibly fill his role in the community. I feel that Chillingworth is extremely determined to find out who Pearl's father is and he will do it by any means necessary which explains my possible murder theory. Towards the end of the chapter it says "his expression had been calm, meditative, scholar-like. Now, there was something ugly and evil in his face which they had not previously noticed, and which grew still the more obvious to sight, the oftener they looked upon him"(Hawthorne 124). To me, this quote means that the closer Chillingworth gets to his "plan", the more evil and ruthless he will become. Chillingworth isn't going to let anything stand in the way of his goal.