Governor Bellingham's sister. She invites Hester to a witches' meeting in the woods and becomes the object of Pearl's fascination. She speaks often of the "Black Man," another name for the Devil. She is executed for practicing witchcraft about a year after Dimmesdale dies. Her death shows how merciless Puritan society had become in the name of piety and propriety: the Governor would even order the execution of his own sister.
Mistress Hibbins Quotes in The Scarlet Letter
The The Scarlet Letter quotes below are all either spoken by Mistress Hibbins or refer to Mistress Hibbins. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 8
Quotes
“Wilt thou go with us tonight? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well-nigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one.”
Related Characters:
Mistress Hibbins (speaker), Hester Prynne
Related Symbols:
Red and Black
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Scarlet Letter LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mistress Hibbins Character Timeline in The Scarlet Letter
The timeline below shows where the character Mistress Hibbins appears in The Scarlet Letter. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8
...Pearl from Hester. On their way out of the Governor's residence, Hester and Pearl see Mistress Hibbins . She invites Hester to a witches' gathering in the woods with the Black Man,...
(full context)
Chapter 20
...feels changes coming over him, including the urge to speak blasphemously to strangers. He encounters Mistress Hibbins . She suggests they go to see the Black Man.
(full context)
Chapter 22
Mistress Hibbins approaches Hester. She says she can always tell a servant of the Black Man, and...
(full context)
Pearl asks Mistress Hibbins if she has seen what lies beneath Dimmesdale's hand. Mistress Hibbins invites her to ride...
(full context)
