Perhaps another reason for Hester's meeting and speaking to Dimmesdale is her desire to overcome the terrible aloneness she has felt as a result of their separation and her ignominy: "The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment...They now felt themselves,at least, inhabitants of the same sphere.
In Chapter XVII, Dimmesdale and Hester are, at last, able to converse about "themes that were brooding deepest in their hearts." Their sharing of thoughts and feelings gives some meaning to their lives. Hester tells Dimmesdale that their love "had a consecration of its own."
In the forest Dimmesdale can finally be true, as Hester has been in her revelation of Chillingworth. When Hester casts off the scarlet letter and her cap, her hair gains a richness, her face beauty. In their meeting Hester and Dimmesdale come back to life, a life that has passion and hope.
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