Quote #2

On page 68 of The Scarlet Letter Reverend Mr. Wilson is trying to get Hester to reveal the father of her child. She refuses no matter what he says. Then Hester tells the Reverend, “And my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know an earthly one!” Hester does not want her daughter to know who her father is at all. This shows Hester has immense shame for her crime. She never wants to tell who the father is or even let her daughter know her own father.

This quote shows just how ashamed Hester is of her crime. She knows her daughter is a child of sin and that kills her inside. If she doesn’t even want her child to know her own father then there’s no way she is ever going to tell the townspeople who the father is. This quote also shows that Hester wants to take all the blame of the crime even though it wasn’t all her fault. She doesn’t want anyone else to be held responsible and that shows great strength and generosity.

This quote is significant because, again, it shows insight into Hester as a person. It illustrates her qualities and how she feels about her crime. Even though she committed a horrible crime, Hester is not a bad person. She’s a good person for not ratting out the father of her baby. She is the one who is going to be enduring all of the punishments, but if she told whom the father is he would too have to go through the penalties. This quote also shows that she cares for her baby no matter what. She wants to do what’s best for her and not letting her know the father is what she thinks is best. This quote gives the reader an idea about Hester, which could help while reading the book later.