Question

"The Minister's Vigil" is the novel's second "scaffold scene." Discuss the differences between this one and the first one. What is the significance of these differences? Who is present this time? Who is not?

Answer 1

The scaffold scenes are much more important and symbolical in the novel The Scarlet Letter. There are differences between the first scene and second scaffold scene.

The first scaffold scene highlighted the guilt of Hester Prynne only whereas escaping the scenes of Dimmesdale.

The first scaffold scene took place during the noon hours and the second one took place at the midnight hours.

First scene puts only Hester for punishment but in the second scene concentratres on Dimmesdale's sin and punished him.

In the second scene town people are asleep and they are unaware of Dimmesdale's punishment and humiliation whereas the first took place infront of all town people.

These differences are of utmost importance for exhibiting two different psychological states of Dimmesdale. In the first one he was presented as a coward running from his guilt and leave Hester alone to face punishment but in the second scene Dimmesdale seemed to be self victimized by his own sins and stand with Hester on the scaffold.

All the characters were present from the first scaffold scene. Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Wilson all. Only the common townpeople were asleep in the second scaffold scene.

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