We first discussed how the author closes the narrative distance between the reader and a plot set in the 1620s by his direct comments to the reader and by the use of the word "we". I then placed on the board the analytical framework we have been discussing : emotional response to symbolism, illusion vs reality , red/black, and forest/ town. We discussed the importance of Hester Prynne' s character as a manifestation of the author's condemnation of Puritan conformity and punishment. We then parsed the first pages of the next chapter noting how Hawthorne's diction conveys Chillingworth's moral depravity by describing him physically as dark and deformed. We further noted the recurrence of the reality/ illusion motif in the imagery of Pearl studying her reflection in water.