Sympathy for Chillingworth???

In the beginning of chapter 15, I find myself feeling a sense of sympathy for Roger Chillingworth. He loved Hester, but Hester did not love him. Reading this, I kind of understand where Chillingworth is coming from in his antagonist character.

Chillingworth and Dimmesdale's Relationship

One thing I find really interesting about their relationship in the recent chapters is that Dimmesdale is aware that Chllingworth is out to get him. He has this hatred for the doctor because he knows that the man is constantly watching his every move and breathing down his neck. However, he makes no move at all to get rid of the leech. He suffers silently because of the physician and he doesn't really do anything against him. I'm thinking it's because he no longer has the energy to fight back because his guilt and the doctor's torment of him has sucked it away. What do you guys think?

Pearl

Pearl seems to be a very contradictory character throughout the book. At one point Hester is recounting the absolute majesty that is her daughter and then next she is describing her as an abomination for her creation was through her mother's transgression and now she will always be reminded of it because of her daughter? Do you guys think the author means to cause indifferent feelings about Pearl or does he use certain dominating connotations that sway Pearl's true place in the book as either the abomination or the blessing

Roger Chillingworth

       In The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth is described as an antagonist in the story and an evil, malicious person for trying to discover Mr. Dimmesdale's darkest secret, "But with what a wild look of wonder, joy, and horror! With what a vastly rapture, as it were, too mighty to be expressed only by the eye and features, and therefore bursting forth through the ugliness of his figure, and making itself ever riotously manifest.." However, is Chillingworth really a villianous person? During the seventeenth century in Boston, the need for religion an American colony causes the belief of Puritanism to increase amongst society. This in an age where science and religion do not intermix with each other and Puritans do not applaud the use of science. During this time, Chillingworth is belittled in the environment because he practices medicine which is focused on science. Now, Chillingworth is after the man who took on Hester's sin. I believe the physician just wishes to be accepted in society and not considered as an outcast for his choice in career and in order to make that happen, he has to be the hero for the town and uncover who Hester had an affair with. Overall, I do not think the old physician is such a bad guy, he just wants to be a part of a movement because he has always been alone and abused for his special medicines to cure others. What do you guys think?

Why is the secret being kept?

So as we continue along further, it's becoming more apparent that Dimsdale is pearl's father. He is becoming ill with guilt,shame and possibly regret and his health is deteriorating fast. So my question is why won't the truth of how he was part of the sin be revealed? I get why he refuses to come out (being a man of high regards) but why won't Hester sells him out? She struggles everyday being lonely, feeling her reminder of shame for eternal, confused as to what pearl is and where will she stand in the future ,etc. Hester carrys heavy burdens on her shoulder yet remains silent. Does she love this man?  Is she being threatened ?

Chillingworth

I just wanted to briefly comment on the way the author portrays Chillingworth in chapter 10 i believe at the end. I dont know about you guys but that last passage gave me the chills. What did he find underneath Dimmesdale's vest? I dont know but the way he acted so satan-like was horrifying. Now i indubitably ;) see Chillingworth as the antagonist here!

Chapter 9

We all know Chillingworth has the strong intention of seeking revenge to the man who had the affair with Hester. He's brilliant and has the advantage of a new identity to aid his search, so he's bound to find out who the father is. Considering we're all sure Dimmsdale is the father and that Chillingworth is very close to his answer whether he knows it or not, I wonder how he'll react to his discovery.

" Yet fear not for him! Think not that I shall interfere with Heaven’s own method of retribution, or, to my own loss, betray him to the gripe of human law. Neither do thou imagine that I shall contrive aught against his life, no, nor against his fame; if, as I judge, he be a man of fair repute. "
He said himself he plans to leave him alone, but it leaves me wondering if a hidden rage is behind his cold demeanor will get the best of him.

   What do you guys thing Chillingworth will do when he reveals Dimmsdale is the father?

Chillingworth/chapter 10

In chapter 10 (and previously in chapter 9) we're informed that Chillingworth is referred to as a "leech" since he is a physician and which, during the time this book takes place, is very common. Although its very common I feel as if the term "leech" is used in a different context. So far Chillingworth has moved in with Dimmesdale to assist him in his weakening condition. Within this time Chillingworth is putting his term to well use. Chillingworth is (like a leech) sticking himself to his patient Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is not only trying to cure Dimmesdale but also digging into him as well "deep into his patient’s bosom, delving among his principles, prying into his recollections, and probing everything with a cautious touch, like a treasure-seeker in a dark cavern.”. Even after Dimmesdale has caught on to Chillingworth, Chillingworth continues and also continues decaying facially or in other words becoming more evil or sinister in his appearance. Eventually Chillingworth finds an opportunity to study Dimmesdale in his sleep and endeavors into his "bosom" and finds something. The book doesn't tell us (of course) what it is exactly Chillingworth has found but we (or I) can pretty much assume that some sort of mark is growing on his chest, like a hidden scarlet letter that Hester wears but unlike Hester who openly wears her shame Dimmesdales with shame hidden is also hiding his form of the scarlet letter. I don't really know though these are just assumptions. It's like 1am so yeeeeeah.

Dimmesdale

I kind of feel bad for Dimmesdale. By now we can pretty much conclude that Dimmesdale is Pearls father. Regardless of the fact that he has not confessed for the sin he has commited along with Hester he is still somewhat of a decent guy. He did try in helping Hester out within his abilities on now two occasions. In the begging of the book when Hester is being publicly condemned and Reverened Wilson proposes that they force Hester to confess her lover, Dimmesdale says no since it would be morally wrong to force a woman to confess her hearts secretes (or something along those lines I'm paraphrasing). I don't think Dimmesdale refused to force Hester into confessing to save himself but to avoid a serious harsh punishment on Hester. Then later Dimmesdale helps Hester keep Pearl. Overall Dimmesdale and Hester didn't have a "one night stand" as it's said today. According to Hester the moment was passionate. One night stands are not passionate. Hester and Dimmesdale must have had to be talking and "such" for quite a while so what they had must have been special to a degree right? Not just that but now Dimmesdale is slowly getting ill. I kind of feel as if this is a sign not of sin consuming Dimmesdale but as a sign of Dimmesdale suffering a broken heart. If what Dimmesdale had with Hester was serious as I suppose then maybe this inability to father his child and be with Hester due to his responsibility is slowly killing him

Scarlet Letter

I am actually starting to like this book because of how Hester has acknowledged her actions of sinning, yet she has her daughter that shows that life moves on. Like in the Grapes of Wrath, we can't start something new but a newborn child can bring many surprises along with a new beginning.

The Scarlet Letter book , applied to history

In many cases, I am able to contrast the Scarlet Letter to what we have learned thus far in AP US History. The idea of controlling the destiny of the individual was very real in the Puritanical colonies.  I like the way the book even makes reference to Anne Hutchinson who was a phenomenal woman who preached that it was not by works that one goes to heaven, but by grace. She courageously stated that she had seen The Lord directly, and not through the bible. This is what I think the book's plot is built around: nonconformity...finding yourself and God in the midst of  metaphorical "zombies" and nay Sayers.

Hester Prynne: A Transcendentalist

Hester’s actions are not even close to opposite of a transcendentalist thinker. Hester’s actions fallow transcendentalism very much. She is not fallowing the crowd because she unlike every other female in the town is not a puritan. Transcendentalism teaches not to fallow the crowd and be your own person which Hester is doing. Also Hester is not fallowing the town’s orders of giving up the father’s name so the child can have a father Hester refuses to speak and reveal anything. Transcendentalism also teaches not to conform to what people tell you to do so by not giving speaking about the questions she is asked Hester is not conforming, not doing what she is told she should do.

Trancendentalism

What are you guys thoughts on Emerson and Thoreau?

Who has more power?

So we started out at who has more power, but we really got sucked further into individuality. I was curious as to see who you guys think has the power in their palms. Perhaps there is something you didn't get to share or wanted to??? Really want to hear what you guys think, all is good to share.^_^

Book Choices

What book did everybody pick for that essay due at the end of the block? I picked Dante's Inferno.

chapter 28: the symbolism of the rain

In class we discussed the symbolism of rain to the story and after listening to everyone discuss this I kept thinking about it. Everyone basically said that the rain symbolised "hope", however, I believe that the rain symbolizes "cleaning" the past or "showering" their lives. The rain is washing away the negativity and bringing a brand new begining for the Joad Family. Its washing the past and the struggles off their past, making them forget about their past lives and look forward to what will occur in the future. Maybe the rain means a new brighter change for every one.

The GOW and the Wizard of Oz

I often find it easy to compare the plot of The Grapes of Wrath to The Wizard of Oz. Each plot possesses a sort of conflict that each character is trying to relieve. With Grapes of Wrath, we see that the Joads are trying to move to California due to rumors of job abundance and easy living, but they soon find that not everything is as it seems. With the wizard of Oz, where we see Dorothy, the scare crow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion heading to Emerald city to quench their needs, but come to find out, the wizard is a fake. From a spiritual stand point, the moral is completely identical: you had what you needed all along, and not everything is what it turns out to be.

This is in regards to the character Noah. I know his departure served as a way to show how the Joad's were crumbling at that certain point of the book, and to give even the reader a sense of despair considering the one of the strongest theme's emphasized was the power in unity. Although, I guess I got my hopes to high since I was expecting something hidden in Noah's persona. Maybe like a moment of glory where we see him as more as we perceived like Rose of Sharon but in a smaller scale. I know it's insignificant, but Noah was the only character in the book that left me unsatisfied.

Funny thing

Is anyone else finding themselves wanting to talk like the migrants? Whenever I want to say something aloud or even in my head, I don't use proper English and start talking like the migrants from the book. Maybe this is off topic but I just wanted to know if anyone else does that sometimes too. Also, we should discuss some of the questions brought up in class today throughout the week on the blogs :)

point of view

Throughout the book there chapters were switching points of views every now and then. I wanted to address this and the meaning of it. What do you guys think the point if this is? I'm pretty sure Steinbeck does this so the reader has a broader view of the situations at hand. If we only read the story in the migrants' point of view we would never understand why the local California's were so cruel. Steinbeck shows us their conversation in private and their thoughts to help us understand.

Final thoughts about the whole book.

When the book started it took me forever to get past the first five chapters because it seemed like useless information, but as the story progressed I became more and more emotionally invested. I could picture all that was being described and didn't want to put the book down. The end chapter left me with questions and an eerie feeling but I actually like when I'm left with questions because it makes me think about what I read. Later I would absolutely read the book again. Now for those of you that don't know there is a movie based on the book which I had seen a couple of years ago and it was pretty good, but after reading the book I will let you know that there are characters missing so you don't get the same feeling you got from the book. I do recommend that you watch it if you have time.

The Final Chapter

Well all I have to say is...wow! Four hundred pages of a beautiful tragedy. Steinbeck definitely hooks the reader in to the story and the overall setting through different perspectives and many  literary techniques. The novel as a whole is just phenomenal and I have to confess I was pretty close to shedding a tear. Nevertheless, the closing sequence of events leaves me very emotional and wondering what will happen to the Joad family. ~Sabrina Hernandez

Ending (spoiler)

So the ending of the book is far from what I expected and I'm curious to what you guys think. Did Steinbeck leave it off  perfectly or was there a cliffhanger. Plot holes? Personally I wish we could have known exactly how Tom wounded or Noah, maybe even Connie. I know what happened but I want to know how they were over time. Thoughts?

Chapter 16

Anyone have any suggestions for the second bullet point on the prompt? How is Rose of Sharon's pregnancy a symbol given that she is named after a flower referred to in the book of the bible names Soloman? I can't seem to name any connections here, I've never read that part of the bible.-.

Final Thoughts

I found the last few chapters to be overwhelming and felt the need to take a breather. I had no idea that Jim Casy would be killed!! It completely caught me off guard, and when Tom gets angry and kills a cop, all I was thinking was how Ma was going to react to it. Since Tom fled the scene with a broken nose and a damaged face, it obviously would give him away to the cops since he was being searched for. Next, Ruthie exposes the fact that Tom was hiding after killing a guy to a girl over an arguement because the girl had snatched her Cracker Jack's, which leads to Tom relocate. Finally, Rose of Sharon's baby turns out to be a stillborn which was tons of sad, however, I had a feeling telling me the delivery wasn't going to go well. Oh and I found it SUPER symbolic when the flood bank crashes.... and moments later the baby was pronounced dead. Does anyone else feel the same way??.... or is it just me..??

Chapter 25

I know understand the title of the book fully now. It all makes sense now; all the wrath that there is from the people in the towns of California. They could have been farmers that lost their land and now these families from out of state are coming in and taking what little work they could possible get. These families know how the "Okies" feel because they are just as hungry as them and they both are looking for work and that is hard to find.

The Red Scare

Throughout the Grapes of Wrath, migrants moving from various states in the U.S. to California have notoriously been called "reds". According to a character in the novel, being called a red meant you were a barbaric migrant who wanted more money and luxuries from an employer, than the employer was willing to give. In addition to being looked down upon, migrants were hated and accused of being dangerous and communists. During this period in history,America seems to have had a strange obsession with Russia and communism. Therefore, with the sudden rumor of nomadic migrants spreading communism, authorities and citizens began to fear the migrants and begin a even deeper hatred which evoked: The Red Scare. For those who where migrants, life became even more difficult due to the unnecessary treatment from fellow Americans. Although the Red Scare did not last long and communism is not mentioned in the novel its self, I have began to wonder what would happen if this degree of hate was put upon the Joad family. Not only would the Joad family be Okies, but evil red communists (according to those who hated migrants). It's silly how easily the most powerful country in the world is so easily frightened. ~Sabrina Hernandez

Chapter 5

The prompt in Chapter 5 says to explain the irony Tom observes. I was wondering if anyone could share some insight since I could use some help.

Observation:)

I am starting to notice that as the story goes on, I guess you could say the "Joad family"( since Jim Casy, and the Wilsons aren't  relatives, although Casy actually known the Joad family for quite a while) anyways, what i've stumbled across is the fact that since the journey to California began, nothing but seperation has occured. Such as: the deaths of both Granma and Grampa, Noah's decision in staying behind with the river, the Wilsons also staying behind( due to Sairy's health), Casy taking one for the team after covering for both Floyd and Tom( since they had an incident with a cop, that could've resulted in jail time for them), and Connie's sudden disappearance ( well technically he told Rosasharn that it was best for him to return home and study tractors), but he still left. Overall, hopefully you get my point when i say that the trip to California sort of caused this whole chain of departed souls..... literally... in some cases... Oh and not to mention that was Ma's fear from the start.

Chapter 20

I was impressed with chapter 20. You could feel that change in the story; it went from them being excited about what may lay in California for them to a sudden dose of reality from not having enough to pay for a proper funeral for Grandma to how the people in California didn't want them there. I also found it interesting how the "Mayor" of Hooverville seemed a little crazy because he had been pushed around so much, and then you have the young guy who is trying to help the Joads be able to survive in California by telling them about the possible job up north and then giving them directions to the government camp. I found it a little sad how Ma Joad gave the children in Hooverville what was left of the stew and then one of the kids mom scolded her for it. Now for the big question...what did you guys think of Jim Casy taking the blame for the beating of the cop?

No specific chapter.

I know this is an insignificant observation, but I love the style of writing Steinbeck uses for the a character's dialogue. It always bothered me when I read a book and all the characters happen to use perfect English.