Olivia continued to explore the conflict between faith and science as illustrated in the novel. We discussed this as a contemporary issue , and I alluded to the Scopes trial and Clarence Darrow's role in the trial. We then examined the text and discussed the distinction between private and public confession and how Chillingworth goads Dimmesdale about the godly attributes of a public confession. Additionally,we analyzed the use of the supernatural in the passage where Chillingworth pulls back Dimmesdale's vestment and uncovers Dimmesdale's hidden secret, the exact nature of which is left to the reader's imagination. We last explored the author's description of the child, Pearl, and speculated as to the symbolism of the child as a metaphor for an Edenic America. I discussed the concept of America as a spoiled Eden as this theme appears in other novels, specifically The Great Gatsby. For homework, Olivia is completing the essay assigned last Thursday and finishing yesterday's homework outlining the characters' academic argument about the benefits of public confession.