Summary—Chapter 7: The Governor’s Hall
Hester pays a visit to Governor Bellingham’s mansion.She has two intentions: to deliver a pair of ornate gloves she hasmade for the governor, and to find out if there is any truth tothe rumors that Pearl, now three, may be taken from her. Some ofthe townspeople, apparently including the governor, have come tosuspect Pearl of being a sort of demon-child. The townspeople reasonthat if Pearl is a demon-child, she should be taken from Hesterfor Hester’s sake. And, they reason, if Pearl is indeed a humanchild, she should be taken away from her mother for her own sakeand given to a “better” parent than Hester Prynne. On their wayto see the governor, Hester and Pearl are attacked by a group ofchildren, who try to fling mud at them. Pearl becomes angry andfrightens the children off.
“Tsotsi” is the Afrikaans word for young thugs who rule the township streets of South Africa. This is the “name” of Athol Fugard’s young protagonist. He is mysterious, shadowy, has no name; has no past, family, or friends, or at least no recollections of every belonging anywhere or to anyone. The plot of 'Tsotsi' differs in the film and the novel. However, the basic outline of the plot is about a boy 'Tsotsi,' who lives in a township outside of Johannesburg. He is given a baby, who he is to look after. The story addresses the redemption of a hardened criminal in a cruel world.
Tsotsi Chapter 7 Summary
The governor’s mansion is stuffy and severe.It is built in the style of the English aristocracy, complete withfamily portraits and a suit of armor, which the governor has wornin battles with the Native Americans. Pearl is fascinated by thearmor. When she points out her mother’s reflection in it, Hesteris horrified to see that the scarlet letter dominates the reflection.Pearl begins to scream for a rose from the bush outside the window,but she is quieted by the entrance of a group of men.
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Chapter 7 Summary Great Gatsby
Summary—Chapter 8: The Elf-Child and the Minister
Bellingham, Wilson, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale enterthe room. They notice Pearl and begin to tease her by calling hera bird and a demon-child. When the governor points out that Hesteris also present, they ask her why she should be allowed to keepthe child. She tells the men that she will be able to teachPearl an important lesson—the lesson that she has learned from hershame. They are doubtful, and Wilson tries to test the three-year-old’sknowledge of religious subjects. Wilson resents Pearl’s seemingdislike of him, and Pearl’s refusal to answer even the simplestof questions does not bode well.
With nowhere else to turn, Hester begs Dimmesdale to speakfor her and her child. He replies by reminding the men that Godsent Pearl and that the child was seemingly meant to be both a blessing anda curse. Swayed by his eloquence, Bellingham and Wilson agree notto separate mother and child. Strangely, Pearl has taken well to Dimmesdale.She goes to him and presses his hand to her cheek. Vexed becauseHester seems to have triumphed, Chillingworth presses the men toreopen their investigation into the identity of Hester’s lover,but they refuse, telling him that God will reveal the informationwhen He deems it appropriate. As Hester leaves the governor’s mansion,Mistress Hibbins, the governor’s sister, pokes her head out of thewindow to invite Hester to a witches’ gathering. Hester tells herthat if she had not been able to keep Pearl, she would have gonewillingly. The narrator notes that it seems Pearl has saved hermother from Satan’s temptations.
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Analysis—Chapters 7–8
These chapters link Pearl even more explicitly to thescarlet letter. Hester dresses her daughter in “a crimson velvettunic of a peculiar cut, abundantly embroidered with fantasies andflourishes of gold thread.” Pearl and the embroidered letter areboth beautiful in a rich, sensuous way that stands in contrast tothe stiffness of Puritan society. Indeed, the narrator explicitlytells the reader that Pearl is “the scarlet letter endowed withlife.” The narrator tells us that Hester has worked to create an“analogy between the object of [Hester’s] affection and the emblemof her guilt and torture.” This reinforces the contradictory natureof both the letter and Pearl, for just as Hester both loves andfeels burdened by Pearl, her thoughts regarding the scarlet letterseem also to contain a touch of fondness. Certainly her attitudetoward it is not one of uniform regret, and she may even harborpleasant associations with the deeds that the letter symbolizes.The sin itself was both a guilty act and an act of affection, aproblematic combination of love and “evil.”
The letter and the child also hold a dual meaning forthe town fathers. They understand that both child and badge functionas reminders of sin and as protections against further sin. Dimmesdale momentarilyacknowledges this in his speech, but the purpose of his words isnot to ponder ambiguities but rather to point to these ambiguitiesas proof of the futility of all interpretation. Pearl, he says, camefrom God, and therefore must be intended as Hester’s companion.According to Dimmesdale, any attempt to interpret her presence otherwisewould be in vain because no one has knowledge of God’s intentions.