DJs 36-40

DJ 36.
The Governor's mansion

The governor's mansion is very luxurious. The house itself is very extravagant and the things that are in it are even more so. He has art and armor all around even has a seven year slave to answer the door. He also has cups that have the remnants of ale in them. All of the items are luxury and there for sinful. But because he is a man of high power, it not a big deal. This plays into hypocrisy which raises the questions, what is sin? When is sin punishable?

DJ 37.
Pg 94. "Hester looked, by way of humoring the child; and she saw that, owing to the peculiar effect of this convex mirror, the scarlet letter was represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance. In truth, she seemed absolutely hidden behind it."

Mirror are thought to reflect people's true personalities and their sins. In this scene, when Hester looks into the reflection and all that she sees is the scarlet letter, it represents how society views her and her sin. The fact that it's size is larger in the reflection represents the idea that society has blown her situation out of proportion. Although if Hester forgives herself, it won't matter what society thinks, which toes into transcendentalism

DJ 38.
Pg 95. "Pearl, seeing the rose-bush, began to cry for a red rose, and would not be pacified."

In the beginning of the story, there was a rose bush described in from of the jail door. One of the symbols that the rose represented was forgiveness. This scene describing Pearl begging for the rose also is Pearl begging for forgiveness. Pearl's actions are a reflection of the letter and how Hester acts, so Pearl asking for forgiveness is probably a reflection of Hester want to self forgiveness.

DJ 39.
Pg 97. "It was understood that this learned man was the physician as well as friend of the young minister, whose health had severely suffered, of late..."

The failure of the minister's health is from a mixture of two things. His inability to forgive himself, and because of the guilt that he feels for making Hester raise their child alone. Because Dimmsedale can't confess or relieve his conscience of his sin, he isn't able to forgive himself, and that destroys him. He also has to deal with his private guilt by himself because he can't talk to anyone about his sin. The combination of these two emotions kill Dimmesdale.

DJ 40.
Pg 97. "'I am mother's child.' answered the scarlet vision, 'and my name is Pearl!'"

This plays into the theme that Pearl is a child of nature. The wording here can be taken as she is perhaps a child of mother nature. And of course, pearls come from nature. This reinforces the idea that Pearl is not a child from a Puritan society, but from nature instead.