We first explored how foils operate in the novel to illuminate character by virtue of contrast. We discussed how Hester P, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale , react differently to the societal pressure caused by Hester's adultery. We then studied the text noting how the narrator and Hester Prynne are almost doppelgängers as each seeks expiation through art and each feels compelled to reside in the locale of the actual or perceived sin. I further pointed out textual passages that introduce the novel's theme of universal sin which all people conceal and how the pretense of moral purity is worse than the sin itself according to the author. Last, we began a focus on the symbolism of Pearl acting as a contrast to the rigidity of the Puritan theology.