Chillingworth sees Hester when she is being put on display for the town to see that she is an adulteress. What is Hester on? Is Hester on a scaffold or a pillory, or is there not a difference?
She is ON a scaffold IN a pillory. A scaffold is a platform. A pillory (also known as the stocks) is a device that has a large hole in the center and two smaller holes off-center. The larger hole is for the person's head and the smaller holes are for the person's hands. When Hester was placed in the pillory, the pillory was sitting atop a scaffold. The pillory is elevated so that the townspeople can get a good view - the entire point of this punishment is public humiliation.
