Main | The Scarlet Letter Ch.8-13 »
September 12, 2005
The Scarlett Letter Ch. 1-7
"Speak out the name! That, and thy repentance, may avail to take the scarlet letter off thy breast." "Never." "And my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know an earthly one!" These few lines made me think "Why not just give him up?" She's obviously already an outcast to society, and everyone knows that misery loves company. So why not give up the baby's father right then? Why did she choose to keep it to herself? If anyone has any ideas on this I'd like to hear them! Thanks.
Posted by ElizabethLudovici at September 12, 2005 05:20 PM
Comments
Good question. I'd really like to see some peer comments on this one.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at September 12, 2005 10:06 PM
Because if she gave up the baby's father, not only would the baby's father suffer public scrutiny and probably be put to death, the child would suffer. It would be better to raise the child alone, and suffer oneself from the public's eye, than to put a child through the guilt of knowing that her father was killed because of her. Not everyone thinks of themselves first. A child's well-being should ALWAYS be the main priority. Not to mention what is a little Hell on Earth to save another person's life?
Posted by: Leah Davis at September 13, 2005 09:57 PM