Entry 54:
“What a strange, sad man is he!” said the child, as if speaking partly to herself. “In the dark night-time, he calls us to him, and holds thy hand and mine, as when we stood with him on the scaffold yonder! And in the deep forest, where only the old trees can hear, and the strip of sky see it, he talks with thee, sitting on a heap of moss! And he kisses my forehead, too, so that the little brook would hardly wash it off! But here in the sunny day, and among all the people, he knows us not; nor must we know him! A strange, sad man is he, with his hand always over his heart!”
Pearl notices that Dimmesdale can only be honest and show their secret alone in the dark, but when in the light with other people he cowards out. He stood on the scaffold with them in the middle of the night, and talked with them in the forest, but can't seem to be man enough to be honest and rid his real pain off his back. He can't even do so much to acknowledge them when in town. Pearl feels sorry for him that he has all this pain, and has the ability to get rid of it, but decides to hide it, with his hand over his heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment