Special K

Who's the Father?

I thought I had a relatively good grasp on the father of Hester’s daughter, Pearl in The Scarlet Letter. After passages in the earlier chapters between Hester and Chillingworth, I was almost sure that he was in fact the father. Now, however, I’ve realized that it is Dimmesdale that holds that honor.

While I found Dimmesdale’s behavior a bit odd previously, I finally connected everything with a paragraph in chapter eight. Hester and Pearl are at the governor’s home, being thoroughly questioned as to whether Hester is a fit mother for Pearl. As Wilson and the Governor find fault in Pearl’s upbringing and wish to take her from her mother, it is Dimmesdale that supports Hester. Dimmesdale remarks that Pearl is a child of God and, while not created under the best of terms, is still a “solemn miracle”.

I found his support of Hester odd throughout the paragraph yet was struck by the line “Herein is the sinful mother happier than the sinful father.” Is Dimmesdale unhappy? Is there a connection there? Yep. He understands Hester’s joy with Pearl and her happiness with the child and sees that she truly is a good mother. Pearl is a living symbol of sin which is a constant reminder to both mother and father. Hester has taken joy in Pearl however, while Dimmesdale has not and is still plagued by her existence.

“‘You speak, my friend, with a strange earnestness,’ said old Roger Chillingworth, smiling at him.” Really doesn’t get any more obvious than that. Chillingworth knows of Dimmesdale’s sin (since he spends so much in his company) and is almost rubbing it in his face with that line. Why would Dimmesdale speak with such earnestness? How would he know anything about the situation unless he was the father. The smile is also incredibly incriminating. He might as well wink and nudge Dimmesdale.