ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Pearl does react well to seeing her mother happy and free of her scarlet letter; in fact, she barely recognizes her. Added to that, Pearl does not react well to meeting Dimmesdale. She is upset that he cannot openly proclaim his love for her and her mother.

Detailed explanation-2: -Dimmesdale suggests that some men, however, keep their sins secret because if they confess, they will never again be able to do good for God.

Detailed explanation-3: -When Dimmesdale refuses Pearl’s request that he stand with her on the scaffold in broad daylight, she refuses to share what she knows about Chillingworth. Pearl thus makes a statement about the causal connection between Dimmesdale’s denial of his own guilt and his incomplete understanding of the world around him.

Detailed explanation-4: -Twice, Pearl asks Dimmesdale if he will stand there with them at noon the next day; the minister says he will stand there with them on “the great judgment day.” As he speaks, a strange light in the sky illuminates the scaffold and its surroundings.