Question

9 when the young woman—the mother of this child—stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress. in a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbours. on the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter a. it was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore, and which was of a splendour in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony. think question 3 what does hawthorne mean when he writes “one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another” in the final paragraph? cite details that support your response.

Explanation:

In "The Scarlet Letter", the woman has multiple shames. The 'A' on her dress is a visible token of her adultery - one shame. But she also has the shame of being a social outcast and of having a child out - of - wedlock. Hiding the 'A' would not hide her overall social and moral transgressions. Details like her initial impulse to conceal the 'A' and then her realization that it won't hide other aspects of her shame support this.

Answer:

Hawthorne means that the visible symbol of her shame (the 'A' on her dress) cannot hide her other shames such as being a social outcast and having a child out - of - wedlock. The text shows her initial impulse to conceal the 'A' and her subsequent understanding that it won't mask her overall situation.