The best evidence from Chapter 3 excerpt of The Scarlet Letter which approves that the stranger in the marketplace wants to keep his true identity a secret lies in the last sentence of the third paragraph is: “When he found the eyes of Hester Prynne fastened on his own, and saw that she appeared to recognize him, he slowly and calmly raised his finger, made a gesture with it in the air, and laid it on his lips.” By raising his finger and making a gesture with it in the air, the stranger wants Hester to stay silent.
EXPLANATION
At the beginning of the paragraph, it was explained that Hester Prynne met with this stranger in the market. His appearance was striking and sharp, his face looked horrified, looks dark covered in emotions. The second and third paragraphs explain more detail about the stranger's appearance. At the end of the third paragraph, it was stated that this stranger wanted to conceal his true identity.
Explained by the excerpt:
“When he found the eyes of Hester Prynne fastened on his own, and saw that she appeared to recognize him, he slowly and calmly raised his finger, made a gesture with it in the air, and laid it on his lips.”
When Hester Prynne's eyes met this stranger’s eye, she seemed to recognize him. Immediately but in a slow-motion, the stranger made a gesture: raised his finger and laid it on his lips. This gesture is universally known means an order to be silent. In the context of this story, silence means not talking about his identity (keep it as a secret).
LEARN MORE
If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:
• In Chapter 3 of The Scarlet Letter, how does the magistracy’s act of marking Hester Prynne with a scarlet letter serve to maintain its power in the community? brainly.com/question/665031
• Themes of scarlet letter brainly.com/question/1523481
KEYWORD: The Scarlet Letter, American Literature, Hester Prynne, Puritans,
Subject: English
Class: 10 - 12
Subchapter: Literature
