The Scarlet Letter: Chapter 18

The color-coded bars in this section make it easy to track the themes throughout the work. Each color corresponds to one of the themes explained in the Themes section of this LitChart. For instance, indicates that all five themes apply to that part of the summary.

Summary Analysis Themes

Dimmesdale decides to flee Boston with Hester. He calls her his “angel” and says he’s been renewed. Hester flings away her scarlet letter and feels an enormous swell of relief.

In the forest, free from the pressures of Puritan society, Dimmesdale and Hester escape their sins and are free to love.

Dimmesdale and Hester discuss Pearl, whom Hester says she barely understands. Pearl, meanwhile, has been playing alone in the forest, where she fits in well among the wild animals. Hester calls her to come meet Dimmesdale, her father.

Unity with nature shows purity. The implication is that Pearl, and therefore her parents’ affair, are not sinful against God. They only sin against Puritanism.