What do you suppose is Hawthorne's purpose for the scaffold? IN other words, what is the role or function of the scaffold scenes in this novel? Are any important philosophical truths revealed?
The scaffold is the only place where Hester, Dimmesdale and Pearl are together in the town. The first is when Hester is being interrogated by Dimmesdale, the second is at night when they meet him, and the third is at the end of the book. The Scaffold is used by Hawthorne just like it would be in real life, to bring a crime to the public, just as it does in the book. Not sure about philosophical truths, nothing like that I could think of at the moment.
