All That Glitters . . .

There is something to be said for glittery things. The simple beauty in the way light reflects off of a drop of water, creating prisms of light; the shine of a newly polished ring upon the hand of a woman who, herself, glitters with joy; the sparkle of laughter that emerges from a place of deep happiness in the heart of a child; these things are all "glittery." They evoke something within us that speaks of goodness and leaves a sweet taste in our proverbial mouths. If life were always honest and straightforward, then glittery, happy, shiny things and moments and opportunities would always be good. But they aren't.

We humans have become experts at covering dirtiness and deception with a little shine so that we may call it clean. We live in a society where a good offer is often a scam, where doctored pictures can make anyone look like a catch on eHarmony, and where cheap fakes of designer brands and quality jewelry are peddled on the streets as great buys! When the gold begins to darken and tarnish and the silver turns our fingers green, we scoff in disappointment that we didn't see it coming.

In his 1596 play, The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare offered a warning to the cautious listener:

All that glisters is not gold;
Often you have heard that told:
Many a man his life has sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold

The message is clear: A wise man is not fooled by what looks outwardly good. A foolish man, will sell even his own life for that which seems to have outward value. On the outside, the tomb may be gilded (covered in gold), but inside, there are still worms. While Shakespeare's expression is certainly the most famous, it is hardly the first. French thrologian Alain de Lille said, "Do not hold everything gold that shines like gold," in the 12th century. Thomas Becon repeated the sentiment in 1553, when he remarked, "All is not golde that glistereth." These men understood what some of us clearly fail to grasp - the outside package can hide rather sinister truth.

Perhaps in a more metaphorical nature, Dimmesdale reaches this conclusion at the end of the book. Having planned a "glittering" future for himself, he came to understand that there was actually something better. When he says to Hester, "Is not this better than what we dreamed of in the forest?" we see that he has learned to be, as Shakespeare said, "as wise as bold."

EC - Consider the ending of the book and write a one page, well-supported paper in which you discuss the following prompt:

Why is Dimmesdale's final choice "better than what [they] dreamed of in the forest"? How is this decision a reflection of the idea that "all that glitters is not gold"?

A Secret and Suffocating Soul

A pillow pushing hard against my face,
To soften my sinful cries.
To cover my pain and disgrace,
And hide away my lies.

Pushing so hard now,
That I can hardly breathe.
Suffocating ever so slowly,
Like every day I lead.

Becoming weak under the pressure,
Too tired to even strive.
So I try and become what I was,
And make my days a 'life'.

It seems hope is really bleak,
Because these walls are closing in.
I'm crumbling under the weight,
Of my every little sin.

These words, penned by an internet poet who calls herself "Torn" seem to be spoken from the very mouth of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. As we work our way through The Scarlet Letter, I cannot help but think about the intense suffering of the characters. Each of them is somehow facing "walls that are closing in." Their foundations of security are rattled by shame and loss, unrequited love and unquenchable hate. Through it all, one will become angelic, one will become monstrous, and one will suffer the greatest torment of all, the suffocation that is born of silence that hides a guilty heart.

It is easy to understand the pressure that Dimmesdale faces. He is, after all, the spiritual leader of the entire town and, as such, is expected to be blameless. He should be without sin. That is without question, but is there no redemption for sin? Is there no reconciliation to be had for a man who truly loves God?

Torn writes, "I'm crumbling under the weight of my every little sin." Like Dimmesdale, she says that her own sin is hidden, secret, suffocating. If hidden sin is so capable of breaking us, then why do we not just open ourselves to sharing the truth? Perhaps it is the nature of man to fear openness, to fear transparency, to fear consequences. After all, Adam and Eve hid from God in the Garden of Eden when they knew they had sinned. So we as humans have a long history of hiding from the truth.

Think about it: As children, we hide when we know we have done wrong. By our teens, we are experts at lying to cover our transgressions. Grown men and women create entirely separate identities so that they can live dual lives and cover their many indiscretions. Lest we believe that we humans are alone in this, remember that even dogs cower when "master" yells. We hide ourselves behind webs of deceit for fear of discovery and we slowly die inside. We are all like Dimmesdale in some way or another. His story is so moving, so memorable, so painful to read, because it is so human. We all see ourselves a little bit in him and we understand his suffering. Over the next week, you will see yourself in Dimmesdale, and part of you will hurt. I hope that his story will inspire you to explore your own soul and find your own hiding places so that you may find your way out of them into the open air that brings redemption.

E.C. #1 - "Follow" this blog (you can figure it out!!) and add a comment to this blog post. What do you think about the human desire to hide from truth? Can we find redemption for even the worst sins? Is it better to confess? What do you think about Dimmesdale's situation? Write about whatever you would like in your comment, but make it good! 25 points

E.C. #2 - Read over Torn's poem again and think about how it relates to Dimmesdale. After considering that, write your own poem in the "voice" of one of the main characters (Hester, Dimmesdale, Pearl, Chillingworth) that expresses their struggles. It should be the same length as Torn's (4 stanzas of 4 lines each). Make sure to use poetic form in stanzas with meaningful line breaks. (Don't just write until you run out of space. Decide what each line should say and then break to the next line. This isn't an essay or a paragraph, after all!) Up to 40 points. In ink or typed only.