A: Alone?

In the forest converstation between Hester and Dimmesdale, the word "alone" gets tossed around quite a bit. This seems to be a pretty decent contender for a potential interpretation of A. First off, Hester is condemned alone in her sin; her partner does not step forward and share blame with her (even though we all know where babies come from). She is shunned to a little isolated cottage alone. She's an outcast in society and a child doesn't make a very substantial companion; Hester is essentially alone as far as any meaningful relationships are concerned. At the end of "Hester at Her Needle", there is a scene suggesting that the scarlet letter has allowed her to see the guilt of others, a hint that she may not be alone as a sinner. Yet, Hester fights this notion and seems to think that she deserves to be alone in her condemnation as one prone to sin. Instead of working to bring Hester to repentence and restore her into community, her punishment seems to have just pushed her into a painful isolation.