The Scarlet Letter Chapter 21 - Conclusion
The public gathers once again in the marketplace. The last time this happened was when Hester was shamed. Hester takes Pearl to the procession on the day of the elections. Pearl questions Hester why Dimmesdale doesn't acknowledge them in public. Hester tries to change the topic by drawing Pearl's attention to the festivities, which are pretty sober. The gathering also includes the ship's crew with whom they have planned an escape.
The captain enters with Chillingworth asking Hester casually about the requirement to prepare for a passenger more, as Chillingworth is also accompanying both of them because they need a doctor. Chillingworth passes a silly smile at her.
As the procession passes, Hester is shaken by the captain's statement. Everyone notices that Dimmesdale looks more energetic and healthier than before. Agitatedly, Pearl also fails to recognize Dimmesdale if he is the same person she knew before. Mistress Hibbins tells her that she knows who serves the black man. The marks, like Hester's, will be plain to all soon. She claims that she deals with the devil, which gives her the power to know about other people's sins. She mentions Dimmesdale characteristic feature of covering her heart with his hands. When Pearl inquires further, she invites her to play with the witch's broomstick.
Dimmesdale begins delivering his sermon. The building has a huge crowd, but Hester listens to him from afar. Meanwhile, Pearl plays and chats with the people in the market. She meets the ship's captain, who asks Pearl to tell Hester that Chillingworth has booked the passage for Dimmesdale. The message shakes Hester, who is already bothered by non-natives wanting to see her letter.
The crowd is deeply moved by the sermon delivered by Dimmesdale, considering it to be the best sermon of his life. He talks of New England and proclaims that God will choose the people of England. His sad tone arouses speculations about his sick and weak body.
Dimmesdale sights Hester and asks her to climb the scaffold with him. Chillingworth tries to stop him but fails. Dimmesdale addresses the crowd, pointing to the letter 'A' that Hester wears. He calls himself a sinner of the world. He removes the cloth from his chest and shows it to the audience. Hester handles him as he collapses. He asks forgiveness for Chillingworth, and Pearl kisses him on his forehead. He bids farewell to Hester, doubting if he'll be able to meet her in the afterlife. He dies, and the crowd is left to wonder what happened.
The narrator mentions events that follow after Dimmesdale's death. Like Hester's, some claim to see a scarlet letter on his chest. Either he made it himself, or it occurred supernaturally. Some people deny seeing the letter. Dimmesdale's confession is on a piece of paper in the custom house.
Left with nothing worthy to pursue, Chillingworth dies the following year, leaving his estate to Pearl. Hester takes Pearl to Europe, where she is believed to be married. The scarlet letter becomes a legend. People preserved the letter and her cottage. Hester returns to live in her cabin and wears the letter again, as it has lost the stigma attached to it. Hester is buried next to Dimmesdale in the King's chapel graveyard. They were planted a little far so that their dust didn't unite even after death. Their shared black tombstone bears the letter ‘A.'
Analysis
Dimmesdale is an interesting character, who, unlike Hester, derives most of his sense of self-worth through his public role. He is quite satisfied with the plans for their departure because the date allows him to perform the election sermon, with his public reputation intact. However, during the sermon, the priest begins to realize that he is making a mistake by trying to escape. Just as the sermon ends, the priest turns to Hester and takes her hand as he leads their little family to the scaffold. The priest then reveals the letter A carved into his skin to the assembled townspeople, but the narrator is not concerned with the description of that act. Hawthorne focuses instead on creating a portrait of the dying man’s emotional portrait as he attempts to live up to his sense of morality. At this moment, Pearl stops playing the role of conscience and is fully humanized through the tears that stream from her eyes at Dimmesdale’s death. However, she is not alone in completing transformations. Chillingworth reveals his corrupted inner self to everyone as he attempts to prevent Dimmesdale from making the public confession, and when he categorizes Dimmesdale’s death as his loss. In this way, Chillingworth fully takes on the role of the devil, one that had been ascribed to him by several townspeople during the novel.
