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The Scarlet Letter Fate and Free Will Quotes Page 1
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
| Quote #1 Stretching for the official staff in his left hand, he laid his right upon the shoulder of a young woman, whom he thus drew forward; until, on the threshold of the prison door, she repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air, as if by her own free will. (2.9) |
From the moment we meet her, Hester has a mind of her own. She is one strong cookie. Can you imagine what it must feel like to have to step out into the open air after having been locked away for so long, after having given birth to a baby? But Hester is able to make it seem like she is completely in charge of this event, like standing on the scaffold is her idea. She is no wilting lily.
| Quote #2 “God gave her into my keeping,” repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. “I will not give her up!” –And here, by sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes. (8.24) |
Though Hester is a champion of free will and choice throughout much of this novel, she invokes the idea of fate in this moment. According to her, she was meant to have Pearl all along – God intended for her to have a baby.
| Quote #3 “Better to fast and pray upon it; and still better, it may be, to leave the mystery as we find it, unless Providence reveal it of its own accord.” Mr. Wilson (8.37) |
The Puritans in this novel believe in fate and destiny. Instead of prying into a mystery, they know their god will reveal the answers when the time is right. The idea of Divine Providence is a Christian concept which holds that God is the supreme ruler of the universe, and He controls and guides humankind. He works toward bringing about good on earth. Therefore, in the minds of Puritan leaders, there’s no need to pry into a mystery when God will do the work for them.
