Describe the significance of the second scaffold scene in 'The Scarlet Letter' Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the second scaffold scene in his novel The Scarlet Letter as a pivotal turning point in the story It reveals guilt repentance and hidden sin This scene also shows how punishment begins the moral awakening of the sinner Midnight Confession The second scaffold scene takes place at midnight Reverend Dimmesdale filled with guilt stands on the platform where Hester once stood He cries out in pain seeking forgiveness The scene shows his hidden sin and inner suffering It is a secret confession before his public one His guilt burns within him and is symbolized by the dark night around him The scaffold becomes a stage for his private moral struggle Union of the Sinners This scene brings together Hester Pearl and Dimmesdale When Hester and Pearl join hands with him a symbolic family is formed