"But sometimes...she felt an eye- a human eye- upon her ignominious brand, that seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half of her agony was shared. The next instant, back it all rushed again...for, in that brief interval, she had sinned anew."
In this passage, whose "human eye" does Hester feel? What is meant by Hester "had sinned anew"?
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ReplyDeleteI believe that the human eye that she feels is the father of Pearl. Even though we don't know who he is, we can assume that he knows that he is the father and keeps an "eye" on Hester.
ReplyDeleteWhen Hester says "had sinned anew" I believe she means that she has sinned again.
I think the human eye is that of a person who has also committed adultery, but was not caught and forced to wear the 'A', to mark them for the rest of their life.
ReplyDeleteWhen Hester says she had sinned anew, she is saying that she has sinned again, and that she is reminded that this sin is hers,and will new go away.
Bethany Gander-6th hour
ReplyDeleteI think Hester feels the "human eye" of others that have sinned, but have not been caught. Not necessarily adultresses like herself, but people who have made as grave mistakes as she has, and can sympathize with her emotional condition.
ReplyDeleteI think it means that Hester has sinned again when it is stated that she has "sinned anew." Maybe because she feels she has done a bad thing by wondering whether or not she is alone in the way she feels and what she has done.
I believe that by human eye she is referring to anyone who had shared the same sin as her, but was fortunate enough not to go through what she had to.
ReplyDeleteI think that Hester meant that she sinned again but in a different way, when she judged others like that, because she was trying to take some of the pain away by assuming the worst of others.
The human eye is Peral's, who shares her reputation and therefore shares her agony, but her sinning anew is her feeling relieved that her daughter has to go through this, because in reality it's not her fault and she should feel guilty, not relieved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zach and carols17, I believe it to be the human eye of Pearl, who as Zach said, shares Hester's Reputation and agony.
ReplyDeleteWhat it means by she has sinned anew is that she has sinned again and continues to sin.
Richie Keith
3rd hour
I agree with kathleen about the first part. I believe that the "human eye" are the eyes of all the others who have sinned but have yet to be caught in the act of sinning as Hester had.
ReplyDeleteI think "she has sinned anew" means that by having someone look at the A on her chest reminded her of the tough times she endured while in prison and on the scaffold. It brought the thoughts and feelings all back to her and made her feel as if the whole fiasco was happening all over again.
I do agree with you Dee about sinning anew (sinning anew meaning sinning again like I said earlier). That living threw the experiance of being in prison and on the scaffold was like living in her past. Thinking of the sin she commited made her almost relive the memory and emotions again. So feeling this way made her feel as if she was sinning all over again.
ReplyDeleteCaroline Schmidt 1st Hour
I believe that this eye is of the young women that were gossiping with the older women as Hester was leaving prison. If you recall, these younger women thought that Hester's punishment was a bit too harsh.
ReplyDeleteSo, this "eye" is really these young women seeing her scarlet letter and feeling for a moment sad for Hester, but then remembering their place in society and abandoning those thoughts.
---Kyle Turner---
6th Hour
i think that this "eye" that she feels is on her is the father of her child pearl. they both sinned, they both committed this adultery. it wasn't just her. but, in the back of her mind, she believes it is only her fault, and she could have stopped it. but, in reality, it was the both of them whom have committed adultery.
ReplyDeleteThe eyes that she feels, I think, are the eyes of other sinners - sinners that were not caught, and so Hester can feel their guilt. This relieves her because she does not feel so alone, or maybe she feels less guilty knowing she is not the only one. But then, it seems sinful to her to have sought that relief, as she believes she deserves to be punished.
ReplyDeleteJacob Nicholson :]
3rd hr
I agree with a few others that the human eye would be Pearl's eye. She has not been sent from the Father above, she is not good at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think that Hester means that she has sinned but someone else has sinned along with her, or that she has sinned but someone close will be an even worse sinner.
first hour :)
ReplyDeletei believe the "human eye" is referring upon her peers who has also done adultary but haven't gotten caught for it. They look upon her and feel the agony she is going through.
ReplyDeleteAnd for sinning anew, i think its talking about her making new sins and not being ever being perfect.
The human eye that I think she's referring to is one that all sinners can feel. It's like a 6th sense for them. They can feel the pain of others who have also done wrong. Sinned anew might mean that she has done wrong recently
ReplyDeleteKris Callahan 1st hour
Well i think the "human eye" watching her is the man in which she cheated with. Meaning he is among the crowd somewhere, she says that when the eye looks at her scarlet letter it kinda takes some pressure off of her. So the person looking at her must be just as guilty and involved with what happened as she is. When Hester says she feels like she "sinned anew" it means that she felt like she sinned all over again. So when that "human eye" looks at her it must remind her of the guilt and shame she felt, it brought all those emotions back again making her feel like she "sinned anew".
ReplyDeletejazzyp01 is jasmine perez 1st hr
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone that said the eye she felt is Pearl. When Pearl looks at her she feels like she is not alone and it offers some relief.
ReplyDeleteHer new sin is a pain, the pain that she feels when she comes back to reality and feels alone again because she alone is wearing the scarlet letter.
Austin Martinovich 3rd hour
I think that the "human eye" is that man that she commited the sin with. She probally thinking with him looking at it that he will have that same guilt that she has for a moment.
ReplyDelete"had sinned anew" means that no matter what she will still have commited adultry and nothing can change that.
This got my wheels spinning a bit. The human eye to me is referring to her fellow colonists, also that while she has committed the unforgivible act of adultry some of her peers are also not completely perfect.
ReplyDeleteHester felt relieved when she thought she was getting sympathy from someone who shared her sin but when she came back to reality it was like the weight of her sin all came crashing back on her making her feel like she had "sinned anew"
ReplyDeletelucas frederes-3rd hour
So I did some hard thinking and the thing that made most sense to me is the eye watching her is the man she committed sin with. Also, by her saying "had sinned anew" is means that no matter what happens, no matter what she does about it this will forever be on her soul and she will always have the scarlet letter A on her chest.
ReplyDeleteI believe the human eye is referring to all the other people who have secret sins in the colony. Hester "had sinned anew" means that she had felt like everyone eles for a brief moment, but in the end she still was a sinner and once again she felt alone.
ReplyDeleteBryer Lehr 3rd hour
I believe that the human eye hester feels is the eye of other people who have sin and sympathy with her, but unlike her they keep their sin a secret that they carry with them everywhere they go.She is relieved by the present of other people with sin because it makes her feel not alone in her sin,but as she says, her sin has been renewed,because she not only in her mind thinking though her sin and sharing it with other, but she is also sharing in their sins.And so both sins have been renewed in her heart.
ReplyDeleteJessica Yoesle 6th hour
the "human eye" she is referring to could be a couple different things. It could be Pearl who is always looking up at her or it could be her fellow "secret" sinners.
ReplyDelete"had sinned anew" to me means that she did what she did without thinking it through before she did it and has to pay the consequences now.
Billy Keene 3rd hour
"Human eye" is talking about Dimmesdale, the father of Pearl and fellow sinner (if you didn't already know this, you do now).
ReplyDeleteWhen it says she "sinned anew" it's saying that she once again entertain thoughts that were unsuitable for their current relationship status (thought about them in a way only exceptable to the Purtains in the bond of marriage).
Sarah Walker
3rd Hour
The "human eye" would most likely just be Pearl's father, sharing in Hester's sin. And "sinned anew" may mean that whenever the human eye looks away from the scarlet letter, out of shame or whatever reason, the torment of being alone in her suffering may be just like enduring the sin anew.
ReplyDelete-Christian Blunk 3rd Hour
I think that the "human eye" refered in the quote are other people who have sinned like hester, but are hiding their sin, making it a "secret sin" as the book suggested. When these other people look at hester an her sin they can sympathise, but only for a while because after awhile she is suffering alone again and her sin is made anew
ReplyDeleteAnna Mason, 3rd hour
Hester feels the eyes of other sinners looking at her scarlet letter and enjoys the fact that she is not the only one who hasn't sinned, and is relieved that they are not thinking of her sin. Thus she feels a shamed that she is happy about how she felt relieved and feels like she sinned again because of it.
ReplyDeleteKourtney Vara 3rd Hour
I believe that the human eyes are either people who have also committed sins but kept them secret or people who actually feel bad for Hester and the immense agony she has been put through.
ReplyDeleteSinning anew would stand for the feeling that Hester gets that maybe she isn't alone in this. However these people will obviously not show outright compassion or admit their sins for her so she is reminded of how solitary she is.
T.J. Draper 3rd hour
I agree with T.J. on this one. I also think that the "human eyes" are of the sinners amongst her, that still have their sins a secret. They feel for her, because they have the same guilt.
ReplyDeleteI think "sinning anew" means that Hester knows that she is not the only one who has sinned, and that others around her have too, although they won't admit it to anyone.
Saralyn Simpson
3rd Hour
I believe the "human eye" is that of others who have commited sins and have yet to be caught. The "sinning anew" to me is the Hester feels like she is commiting another sin by assuming others are sinners when she is not fully sure if they are or not, therefore she is basically judging them.
ReplyDeletetaylor damyen
6th hour
This "human eye" that Hester talks about is the people who have also committed some kind of sin that is hidden from everyone,so she feels a connection between them and they both sympathize for each other.
ReplyDeleteWhen she says she says she has "sinned anew" i think it means that for the brief minute she feels a connection with someone, she feels at ease, like she isn't alone in this world, but when the connection is gone she realizes all the cold stares directed toward her and it brings her back to reality, where she is a complete out cast, and she feels like she has committed another new sin because the people's reactions are no different from what they were right after she commits adultery. She feels like she is getting the same cruel punishment all over again.
Rae Sakakibara
6th hour
I agree with the people that said the "human eye" is a person that sinned watching her. The person in some ways feel Hester's pain because they know they've done something wrong but they're to afaid to tell anyone what their sin is.
ReplyDeleteWhen it says Hester felt like she had sinned anew, I think it means that the people that are cruel to her and think they've done nothing wrong are giving her dirty looks again. When Hester received those looks I think she felt like she was being punished again and again.
I think that the 'human eye' was someone who had sinned, but hadn't been publicly revealed, like Hester was. In Hester's case, it was pretty impossible to hide her sin once she got pregnant, but other people could hide different sins, like lying, stealing, or cheating easily enough.
ReplyDeleteAlso, by saying that she had 'sinned anew', i think it was meant that these other sinners weren't public about what they had done, so the fact that Hester was, in a sense, very alone, was driven home again and again by her realizing that no one else was in her position or on her side.
i think the human eye she feels is that of the person who committed this act with her,(the priest) when she feels him look at her it reminds her that she is not alone in this act and it gives her momentary relief. when it says sin anew i believe it simply mean that she is brought back to reality and remembers the position she's in and that she has sinned. p.s mrs billings i hate this.
ReplyDeleteAmminal 1st hour
I think her human eye comes from Dimmesdale, the father of her child. It is the watching eye of someone who shares her sin with her, but that insists on hiding his sin from everyone that doesn't already know.
ReplyDeleteHer new sinning could be related to adulturous thoughts and also to her continuous punishment of wearing the scarlet letter.
Tracy Pfeffer
3rd Hour
The human eye comes from her fellow sinner, also known as the father of pearl, and also known as Dimmesdale. They committed adultery together and therefore share the same sin.
ReplyDeleteSinning anew refers the shame she will always face because she will always have to wear the scarlet letter.
Katie Hays- 1st hour
I think the human eye referes to someone who see's Hester and shares a secret sin and in that moment can relate to Hester.
ReplyDeleteThe reference to sinning anew means, that when Hester feels that her pain is shared for that brief moment and then she feels alone and cut off again.
Logan Roix- 3rd hour
I think the human eye belongs to the one who sinned with her (i.e. Reverend Dimmesdale.) He is the only one who can sympathize with her instead of creating the horrible sting of disdain.
ReplyDeleteAfter he looks away, she has no one to share her pain with making her feel like she just sinned again.
Amanda Bursztynsky 1st hour
I think the "human eye" is Dimmesdale's because he took part in her sin so he somewhat understands how she feels and is part of the reason for everything that is happening to her.
ReplyDeleteI think she feels like she had "sinned anew" because she goes back to feeling lonely since he cannot say anything about his part in her sin and she is left being the outcast.
Lexi Poulakos - 6th hour
The eye she feels upon her is the man she commited adultery with as he shares in her misery.
ReplyDeleteShe has sinned anew because she has shared her pain when she should be the only one.
Corey Barnes-3rd Hour
I think that the "human eye" she feels upon her is all the other sinners out there. When it says Hester has "sinned anew" I think it means that by Hester forgetting her sin momentarily and feeling better about it becuase of the sins of others is a sin in itself. Also when she remembers the pain of her sin again it is just like sinning all over again.
ReplyDeleteWell I think that the "human eye" is all of the secret sinners around her. They can feel her pain sort of. Also, when it says she has sinned anew, I think it means that she feels like the secret sinners and can relate, but then remembers her sin is known to everyone.
ReplyDeleteLike Caroline said I think that the human eye is Pearl's father watching over her. And when Hester said that she "sinned anew" it means that she sinned again because she was born with original sin and now she commited adultry.
ReplyDeleteBreanna Roberts 6th hr
I agree with Bryer. The human eyes Hester feels on her are the other colonists who have sinned just like her, but their sins are still kept a secret. For that brief moment they relate to her and Hester can feel the connection with them.
ReplyDeleteBy connecting with the other sinners, it feels like part of her burden is lifted off and she's not so alone in her suffering. But as they leave her or they go back to being silent all of her pain washes back over her and its as though she feels the pang of her sin all over again.
3rd hour
I have my own twist.
ReplyDeleteThe human eye is the other person that commited adultury. The sinned anew is pearl because she is the sin from adultury.
...Daymion Haggard 3rd...
i think that the eye could belong to Dimmesdale because he understands what she is feeling, the shame. i also agree with many others saying that it could be others who have commited adultry. also Hester feels as if she commited sin all over again because when she gets the relief of the understanding eye it comes back to the judging eye to quickly and that she did not get a chance to finally feel accepted long enough; she just gets put down with every judging stare
ReplyDeletemichelle cameron-1
The "human eye" Hester is talking about is the eyes of a secret sinner who she feels half relieved in knowing that she is not the only one who has sinned. But when she "sins anew" I think it is when she realizes that even though that person may have sinned she is the one who has to wear the scarlet letter.
ReplyDeleteElaina Bruck 6th Hour
the human eye symbolizes everyone being able to physically see hester's sin because she had a child to prove what she had done. Bein sinned anew means she is singled out because others in her society that have sinned did not recieve nearly as harsh of a punishment like she did
ReplyDeleteI think the human eye that Hester is refering to is Pearls. Throughout the book it's obvious that Pearl has a strange facsination with the scarlet letter. Pearl has a way of observing and comprehending what her mother is hiding from her. So it makes sense, that even as a newborn, the connection between Pearl and the scarlet letter exists.
ReplyDeleteThe part where Hester feels like some of the agony is shared is because Pearl represents Hester's sin, so in a way, she does share it.
Because Pearl and Hester's sin are related, thinking of Pearl, the proof of Hester's sin, made Hester feel like she had sinned anew.
Angela Wilcox 3rd Hour
I think the eye that Hester feels watching over her is partner in crime, Pearl's father. The eye watches her suffer while he walks free.
ReplyDeleteWhen it says Hester "had sinned anew" it means that she can try to change the minds of her peers that she is still capable of being a good person, but her sin cannot be erased. The scarlet letter is burned on her soul and will forever be a part of her.
I believe that the "human eye" is Rev. Dimmesdale and all the secret sinners looking at her.
ReplyDeleteKendra Brenbarger
6th Hour.
(:
People with secret sin can sympathize with her but they cant really talk to her. She feels connected with these people. Like she's not alone. She thinks she's able to tell when these people are around but she never knows exactly who they are.
ReplyDeleteMarcia Kreifels
I agree with Kendra and Bethany on this for sure Kendra for the first part and bethany for the second!
ReplyDeleteI think that she is referring to Dimmesdale as "the human eye". Knowing that someone else committed a sin like hers makes her feel somewhat relieved. She knows she is not alone. I think that the "sinned anew" is talking about how that sigh of relief goes away when she remembers that she is wearing the scarlet letter and people stare at it. Unlike for Hester, Dimmesdale's secret sin is not known to all the townspeople so he isn't publicly humiliated.
ReplyDeleteKrystal Moe
6th hour.
The "human eye" Hester feels is the other townspeople when they look at her and know what she has done. They may have done along the same lines of sin as she has done, but were not punished for their wrong doings.
ReplyDeleteWhen Hester has "sinned anew", it is refering to how she has sinned again, one sin is being replaced with a different one.
Ali Stevenson - 1st hour
The man she loved, the man she cared about, the man who she gave up her own reputation and pride to be with!! Not her husband who cares about himself and his own petty problems. The man who gave it all for her and she gave it all for him. Revernd Dimmesdale my friend is the one person who she can find relief from!
ReplyDeleteEddie Weber 6th hour
I think the human eye is the eye of the father of pearl. And hester is feeling him looking at her which reminds her of her sin, to which she sinned anew. I think "sinned anew" means that she sinned again. in such a strict society like the puritans, maybe even thinking of someone is a sin so she might think she is sinning by just thinking of pearls father.
ReplyDeleteCorey Skolek, 3rd hour
The "human eye" that Hester feels is the eyes of the people who have a secret sin. Hester feels like she can relate to these people and that she's not alone in this bitter society, but the next moment, reality hits her and she realizes that she has to live with her sin forever.
ReplyDeleteHanna Sakakibara 3rd hour
I agree with Hanna and others with this question. The "human eye" I think is the eyes of the people with a secret sin. One example would be Dimsdale because of his sin with Pearl. The "sinned anew" I think is she has sinned before and the A and her sin is another sin that she has to deal with.
ReplyDeleteAmber Weitzel-3rd hr.