The Forest Meeting (Climactic Reunion)

From The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the wild forest, where she casts off the letter and lets down her hair — a moment of pagan freedom and the novel's emotional climax.
Chapter 17, 'The Pastor and His Parishioner'

Hester reveals Chillingworth's identity; they plan to flee together.

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Chapter 18, 'A Flood of Sunshine'

'O Hester, thou art my better angel!' — Hester unpins the letter and her hair falls; sunshine bursts through the forest.

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Chapter 19, 'The Child at the Brook-Side'

Pearl refuses to recognize her mother until she puts the letter back on.

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