The Scarlet Letter
Why is Chapter 19 of "The Scarlet Letter" called "The Minister in a Maze"?
Chapter 19 from Scarlet Letter
Chapter 19 from Scarlet Letter
I think this is actually chapter 20. Dimmesdale has plans to leave for Europe with Hester and Pearl. For the first time he feels transformed. No longer does he feel like the Puritan weakling doomed to spend eternity in the shadows of life. Dimmesdale starts to behave erratically. He shouts blasphemous words at church elders and confuses an elderly woman who is looking for spiritual comfort. Dimmesdale does not know who he is anymore. So long has he identified with suffering and guilt, this new vision of his future has him lost in a maze.