Ethical Issues In Scarlet Letter

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At the beginning of the passage, while Hawthorne introduces the idea that Hester might be staying in Boston because she feels bound to Pearl’s father. The author ironically states that while her relationship has caused ‘a joint futurity of endless retribution,” she still deems herself “connected in a union” and secretly hopes that they will eventually be together (Hawthorne 90). This is ironic because even though he contributed in creating the shame and misfortune in her life, she still regards him highly and even still secretly wishes their relationship could continue. However, it should be noted that she “hastened to bar [the idea] in its dungeon,” thus indicating that she tried to ignore this fact (Hawthorne 91). Yet, the personification