Scaffolding: Symbol of Guilt and Shame

Significance

Shame

"Meagre, indeed, and cold, was the sympathy that a transgressor might look for, from such bystanders, at the scaffold." (33)

Scaffolding

"On the other hand, a penalty which, in our days, would infer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule, might then be invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself." (33)

The meanings behind the scaffolding transforms throughout the novel, originally it represented shame and guilt and grows to represent redemption and penance.

Overall, both Hester and Dimmesdale's experiences on the scaffolding reinforce the power of shame in society. Both were publicly humiliated while standing on the scaffolding, and both strove to relieve their guilt and achieve repentance by facing their shame. Because Hester faced it long before it was too late, she was able to repent and live out the rest of her life.

Throughout the novel, Hester and Dimmesdale are subject to both public and personal shame. It's a powerful emotion that irrevocably changes their lives. Being forced to face the crowd on the scaffolds makes Hester face her shame and guilt over her sin.

Punishment

The scaffolds are originally forced upon Hester as a punishment. They show how she must pay for her sins, and Dimmesdale seems to get away with it. Hester doesn't ask for the humility, but she receives nonetheless.

Guilt & Redemption

"Why, then, had he come hither? Was it but the mockery of penitence? [...] He had been driven hither by the impulse of that Remorse which dogged him everywhere, and whose own sister and closely linked companion was that Cowardice which invariably drew him back" (98)

Dimmesdale is driven to the "guilty platform" by his persistent internal shame (100).

He claims to have been driven by remorse, as he aims to rid himself of the guilt that has been tearing at him since committing his sin. He also feels restrained by his own cowardice, as he is unable to truly admit his wrongdoing to the public. Dimmesdale hopes that by merely standing on the scaffold, he is redeeming himself.

Redemption

Because Hester faced her guilt on the scaffolds when it originally occurred, she is able to repent for her sins. She strives to be helpful in her community and live without sin. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, doesn't. He is forced to live with his guilt and shame for 7 years, and it ultimately destroys him.

Shame

"Whom would they discern there? [...] Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale [...] overwhelmed with shame, and standing where Hester Prynne had stood!" (101)

"He had come opposite the well-remembered and weather darkened scaffold, where, long since, Hester Prynne had encountered the world's ignominious stare." (170)

Dimmesdale and Hester's lives have changed immensely since Hester's first experience on the scaffold. This quote brings back the feelings of shame and dishonor that the scaffolds originally represented, and how Dimmesdale attempts to use them the way Hester did.