Scarlet Letter

At what point are you certain that Chillingworth is Hester's husband?

Chillingworth and Hester openly discuss that they are married.

Why does Dimmesdale consider it fortunate that the ship is not to sail for four days?

Dimmesdale consider it fortunate that the ship doesn't sail for 4 days because he is able to finish his work, he planned to retire in 3 days, and he can give his sermon on Election Day.

Near the beginning of Chapter Eighteen, Hawthorne says that Dimmesdale sin "had been a sin of passion, not of principle, nor even purpose." What do you think he means by this statement?

He means that Dimmesdale committed the sin out of passion, he means that Dimmesdale did not mean to stand against anything.

Hawthorne says that the suit of armor hanging in Governor Bellingham's hall was not meant "for mere idle show." What does he mean by that?

He meant the Governor Bellingham used to wear the armor in war and it wasn't just out for display.

Why does Hester at first resist Chillingworth's attempts to give the baby medicine?

Hester believes the Chillingworth might try to poison the baby.

After hearing of Hester's crime and punishment, the stranger vows that her lover's identity will be known. How important do you think this vow of his will be in the rest of the novel?

It foreshadows that he will be deeply upset by Hester's affair for the rest of the book.

When Mistress Hibbins offers to introduce Dimmesdale to "yonder potentate you wot of," to whom is she referring?

Mistress Hibbins is referring to the Devil.

The stranger who appears at the outskirts of the crowd while Hester stands on the scaffold is slightly deformed. In what way?

One of his shoulders is higher than the other.

What was the first object Pearl seemed to be aware of as an infant?

Pearl first becomes aware of Hester's scarlet letter.

Of what ceremony in England was the Election Day pageantry a pale imitation?

The Election Day pageantry is a pale imitation of the Lord Mayor's Show in England.

What conclusion can you draw from the fact the every new colony must provide a prison and a cemetery at once?

The author is making fun of the puritans by saying that people are going to sin and die.

How does Hawthorne characterize the disciplining of children in the early days of the Boston Colony?

The child were punished with harsh beatings and sometimes were beaten for no reason at all.

Cite some examples of the grim games played by the Puritan children.

The children would pretend to be indians and scalp each other, they would beat each other the children would also pretend that they were beating up people of other faiths.

When Hester throws down her scarlet letter, the transfiguration foreshadowed in Chapter Thirteen occurs and Hester's beauty returns. What is the "magic touch" that causes the transformation?

The magic touch that causes the transformation is Hester reuniting with her love.

When Pearl demands that Hester put the scarlet letter on her dress again, does she pick it up and take it to her mother?

When Pearl demands that Hester put the scarlet letter back on her dress, she does not pick it up and take it to her mother.

Describing how Hester is able to support herself and her child, Hawthorne says, "She possessed an art that sufficed...to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. It was the art-then, as now, almost the only one within a woman's grasp-of needlework." What does he mean by "the only (art) within a woman's grasp?"

Women would be very limited in their job opportunities.

What two necessities, according to Hawthorne, must the founders of a new colony provide immediately?

jail and cemetery

Despite the pain it causes him, Dimmesdale's guilt appears to make him a better preacher. Cite the passage that tells why this is so.

"But this very burden give him sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood."

Does Chillingworth try to persuade Hester not to reveal his identity to Dimmesdale?

Chillingworth does not try to persuade Hester to not tell Dimmesdale who he is.

Why does Chillingworth say that he seeks no vengeance against Hester?

Chillingworth feels as if they both have done wrong so he seeks no vengeance.

How does Dimmesdale appear as he leaves the church after his triumphant sermon?

Dimmesdale appears pale and walks haltenly as he leaves the church after his sermon.

Hester urges Dimmesdale to leave Boston and begin a new life. What possibilities does she suggest for his future career?

Hester tells him he can become a teacher, missionary for indians, or a scholar in Europe.

How does Pearl react when Dimmesdale calls Hester and herself to mount the scaffold with him?

Pearl goes to Dimmesdale and hugs him when he calls her and Hester to mount the scaffold with him.

What piece of unwelcome news does the master of the ship one which she, Pearl and Dimmesdale are to sail have for Hester?

The master of the ship tells Hester that Chillingworth will also be sailing on the ship with them.

What possible outcome do you think this speech of Mistress Hibbins may foreshadow? "When the Black Man sees one of his own servants, signed and sealed, so shy of owning to the bond as if the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, he hath a way of ordering matters so that the mark shall be disclosed in open daylight to the eyes of all the world! What is it that the minister seeks to hide, with his hand always over his heart?

A possible outcome might be a public confession.

What is Dimmesdale's initial reaction when hester reveals Chillingworth's true identity?

After finding out Chillingworth's true identity Dimmesdale at first blames Hester.

Which side, if either, does Chillingworth take in the question of whether Pearl should be taken away from Hester?

Chillingworth does not take a side on the matter.

Pearl appears to know intuitively that Dimmesdale is her father when she asks him whether he will stand with her mother and her on the scaffold in the daylight. What previous indication was given that she felt a special bond with the minister?

An indication that Pearl knows Dimmesdale is her father is when she grabs his hand in her own and places it on her cheek.

Explain why Chillingworth desperately tries to stop Dimmesdale from confessing his sins on the scaffold.

Chillingworth didn't want Dimmesdale to confess because he want Dimmesdale to escape eternal damnation.

What do you think Chillingworth means when he says of the father of her child, "shall read (the letter of infamy) on his heart?"

Chillingworth means that even if the man doesn't tell him he was Hester's lover, he will know because of the man's guilt.

What do you think Chillingworth means in the following passage? "Peace, Hester, peace!" replied the old man with gloomy sternness. "It is not granted me to pardon. I have no such power as thou tellest me of. My old faith, long forgotten, comes back to me, and explain all that we do, and we all suffer. By they first step awry thou didst plant the germ of evil; but since that moment, it has all been a dark necessity. Ye that have wronged me are not sinful, save in a kind of typical illusion; neither am I fiend-like, who have snatched a fiend's office from his hands. It is our fate."

Chillingworth means that fate took over and that they had no control over what happens.

How does this statement of Chillingworth's made during his first conversation with Hester in the prison, agree with the statement in question six from above? "I might have foreseen all this. I might have known that, as I came out of the vast and dismal forest, and entered this settlement of Christian men, the very first object to meet my eyes would be thyself, Hester Prynne, standing up, a statue of ignominy, before the people. Nay, from the moment when we came down the old church steps together, a married pair, I might have beheld the balefire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path!"

Chillingworth meant that fate took over and he should have known what was going to happen.

Hester and Chillingworth each pity the other. For what does he say he pities Hester and for what does Hester pity him?

Chillingworth pities Hester for the good that was wasted. Hester pities Chillingworth because he was a good man that turned into an evil one.

What two kinds of experience equip Chillingworth to be a physician?

Chillingworth studied alchemy and his time spent with the indians.

Where, according to Chillingworth, does Hester take her first step astray?

Chillingworth tells Hester that she took her first steps atray when she married him.

Hester is startled at the change in Chillingworth's appearance since she last saw him. How has he changed?

Chillingworth's appearance has become uglier, darker, and more evil looking.

How does the discovery Chillingworth makes (at the end of Chapter Ten) change the relationship between the minister and himself?

Chillingworth's discovery changes the relationship between the two men because now Chillingsworth knows that Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl and he can just focus on his revenge.

Dimmesdale enters the church energetically and upright to give his sermon; he leaves it stooped and tottering. How would you account for each of these quite different ways he carried himself? What must we assume has happened to him during the course of the sermon?

Dimmesdale carried himself so differently because before the sermon Dimmesdale was relieved and after he was filled with guilt.

What measures does Dimmesdale take in an attempt to do penance for his sins?

Dimmesdale tries to do penance by beating himself, staying awake for long periods of time during vigils, and fasting (starving himself).

What is particularly noticeable about Dimmesdale's manner as he walks in the procession?

Dimmesdale's manner in the procession is more energetic and he doesn't have his hand over his heart.

What metaphor does Hawthorne use in the passage above to explain the purpose of Hester and Dimmesdale's small talk?

Hawthorne compares to the small talk to opening the door.

After the minister's encounter with Mistress Hibbins, Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale in this way: "The wretched minister!...Tempted by a dream of happiness, he had yielded himself, with deliberate choice, as he had never done before, to what he knew was deadly sin." Why, according to Hawthorne, is agreeing with Hester a worse sin than committing adultery with her?

Hawthorne is arguing that running away is a worse sin because they planned it and it was on purpose, but the adultery was not on purpose and was in a moment of passion.

Commenting on Dimmesdale's desire to preach the Election Sermon as a "suitable mode...of terminating his professional career," Hawthorne observes, "No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true." How does this judgement apply to the minister's reasons for wanting to deliver the sermon?

Hawthorne is pointing out the flaw in his thinking because nobody will remember his sermon when they find out that he ran away with Hester.

Hawthorne states the following paradox, "How strange, indeed! Man had marked the woman's sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her...God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child...to connect her parents forever with the race and descent of mortals, and to finally be a blessed soul in heaven." Does the birth of a "lovely child" born out of an adulterous relationship prove that the strict Puritan moral code is wrong? Explain your answer.

Hawthorne is saying the God gave Hester a beautiful child as a result of her sin, this contradicts the Puritan faith.

In the paragraph beginning, "thus, we seem to see...," what reasons does Hawthorne set forth that might lead Dimmesdale to flee with Hester?

Hawthorne reasons for Dimmesdale leaving with Hester are that he may find happiness with Hester and Pearl and that he is in a weakened state which might be better if he leaves.

Near the end of the chapter, in the paragraph beginning, "Indeed, the same dark question often rose in her mind...," Hawthorne paints a pessimistic picture of the role of women in Puritan society. Does Hawthorne strike you as an advocate of women's right? In your opinion, have enough changes occurred so that today women are "allowed to assume what seems s fair and suitable position?"

Hawthorne strikes me as an advocate of women's rights. In my opinion, times have changed enough were women are allowed to assume suitable positions.

Read the following sentences from Chapter Eighteen: "A wolf, it is said,-but here the tale has surely lapsed into the improbable,-came up and smelt of Pearl's robe, and offered his savage head to be patted by her hand." Why does Hawthorne suggests that this detail is part of a legend of folk tale?

Hawthorne suggests that this detail is part of a folk tale to protect himself because it is so unbelievable.

Where is Roger Chillingworth, the stranger of Chapter Three, to lodge while the authorities work out his ransom with the Indians?

He is being kept in the jail.

What seems to particularly disturb the stranger after he has learned of the sentence imposed on Hester?

He is most disturbed that the father of the baby is not standing with Hester.

In what way, according to the Reverend Dimmesdale, Hester help her unknown lover atone for his sin?

He tells her that the father isn't brave enough to stand by himself and if she told them who it was then they could help the father comeback from his sin.

What explanation does the stranger make to the townsman he talks with that accounts for his combination of "civilized and savage costume?"

He tells that townsman that he was held captive by indians.

At the end of the chapter, Chillingworth says, "Not thy soul...No not thine!" Which words would he have emphasized as he said this? What do you think he means?

He would have emphasized thy and thine. Chillingworth means that he will go after the man, not Hester.

Hester thinks of her childhood home as she stands on the scaffold. What does this glimpse of her past suggest about her family background?

Her family previously had a lot of money, but when she was young she was poor.

Where have Hester and Dimmesdale decided to go when they leave Boston? Why do they choose to go to Europe rather than remain in the New World?

Hester and Dimmesdale have decided to go to Europe. They decide to go to Europe because it is easier for Dimmesdale and his health crisis and in Europe nobody will know their story.

Where have Hester and Pearl been before they arrive at the scaffold on their way home?

Hester and Pearl were at Governor Winthrop's deathbed before they arrive at the scaffold on their way home.

What are Hester's reasons for not wanting to visit Dimmesdale in his own study?

Hester did not want to visit Dimmesdale in his study because Chillingworth was there. Hester also knew that if she went to Dimmesdale's study by herself people would start gossip and it would ruin Dimmesdale's reputation. Hester also says that she would need the whole world to take a breath.

What do you think Hester means when, as Pearl begs to know the meaning of the scarlet letter, she thinks to herself, "No! If this be the price of the child's sympathy, I cannot pay it?"

Hester didn't know how to explain the scarlet letter without making it sound negative.

In describing the harsh disciplinary practices of the Puritan family, Hawthorne observed that these practices were "enjoined by scriptural authority." He is referring to Proverbs 13:24: "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him takes care to chastise him." Does Hester follow this practice of not sparing the rod? Do you think that Pearl would have been more obedient and docile if Hester had taken a different approach to discipline?

Hester does not follow the Puritan way of raising children. I think the Pearl would become even worse if she was raised like a normal Puritan child. All of the strict rules and harsh punishments would make her even more rebellious.

What does Hester do with any spare money that she might have?

Hester gives her spare money to charity.

Briefly summarize the reasons why Hester is not better able to cope with Chillingworth that she was in her prison chamber seven years before.

Hester is able to cope with Chillingworth because over time Hester has risen above and Chillingoworth has just sunk deeper.

How does it happen that Hester is acquainted with the captain of the ship now in the harbor?

Hester is acquainted with the captain because she is the sister of charity.

What is the link the binds Hester to Dimmesdale?

Hester is bound to Dimmesdale by iron links of mutual crime.

In the previous chapter, Hester could not bring herself to explain the meaning of the scarlet letter to Pearl. Yet in Chapter Sixteen, she tells Pearl that she met the Black Man once and the scarlet letter is his mark. What is she confessing to?

Hester is confessing to Pearl that she sinned and she got around bringing up Dimmesdale by bringing the Black Man.

Why is Hester better prepared to make the decision to go away than Dimmesdale is?

Hester is more prepared than Dimmesdale to go away because she has become comfortable questioning her society and being separate from her community, unlike Dimmesdale who has never questioned anything.

When Hester has replaced the scarlet letter, Pearl kisses her. Immediately, thereafter, Pearl does something that causes Hester to say, "That was not kind." To what action is Hester referring?

Hester is referring to Pearl kissing the scarlet letter after is kissed Hester.

Explain the irony involved in the following passage: "I will enter," replied Hester Prynne, and the bond-servant, perhaps judging from the decision of her air, and the glittering symbol on her bosom, that she was a great lady in the land, offered no opposition."

Hester is seen as a good honorable woman by the bond-servant because he doesn't know about her sin, but in reality Hester is shamed for her "glittering symbol". The irony is that the bond-servant thinks that the scarlet letter means that she is an important person.

What change in Chillingworth's appearance does Hester notice when she speaks to him?

Hester notices that Chillingworth looks darker and devilish.

What promise does Chillingworth get from Hester?

Hester promises that she won't tell anyone his identity.

What reasons does Hawthorne give for Hester's remaining in Boston, where she is an outcast?

Hester remains in Boston because she does not want to leave her lover and fate is compels her to stay where big events in her life happened.

Where does Hester stand during the procession and during DImmesdale's sermon in the church?

Hester stands at the foot of the scaffold during the procession and Dimmesdale's sermon.

When Governor Bellingham demands to know what Hester can teach Perl concerning the "truths of heaven and earth," how does Hester reply?

Hester tells Bellingham that she can teach Pearl all of the lessons that she has learned from wearing the scarlet letter.

How does Hester account for the aspects of Pearl's character that trouble her?

Hester's pregnancy with Pearl was very difficult and lonely. Hester accounts for the aspects of Pearl's character that trouble her by telling Pearl about her childhood.

As Hester seems about to be freed of the stigma of the scarlet letter, Hawthorne muses on her feelings: "Nor were it an inconsistency too improbable to be assigned to human nature, should we suppose a feeling of regret in Hester's mind, at the moment when she was about to win her freedom from the pain which had been thus deeply incorporated with her being. Might there not be an irresistible desire to quaff a last, long, breathless draught of the cup of wormwood and allows, with which nearly all her years of womanhood had been perpetually flavored?" Do you think it possible that Hester would feel a twinge of regret at the thought of leaving the scene of her humiliation and banishment? Explain your answer.

I do think that Hester would feel regret at the thought of leaving the scene of her humiliation and banishment. It is the place where Hester met her love. This is also the place where she had her child and raised her. Hester also grew as a person there, she overcame her punishment and adversary. I think Hester was thinking about all of this as she decided to leave and this made her feel regretful.

Why do you think Pearl is so upset to find that Hester has removed the scarlet letter from her dress?

I think Pearl is upset when Hester removes the scarlet letter from her dress because it is so unnatural for her.

The second-to-last paragraph of the chapter consists of only one sentence: "The scarlet letter had not done its office." What do you think Hawthorne means by that statement?

I think that Hawthorne means that the scarlet letter hasn't completely done its job of shaming Hester and making everyone around her aware of her sin. The letter has made Hester even stronger, which defeats its purpose.

What do you think DImmesdale means when he describes his and Hester's sin as violating "our reverence for each other's soul?"

I think that he means that Hester and him have committed a sin together by tempting each other and that will hurt their souls.

Nature, itself, seems to rejoice at the reawakening of Hester and Dimmesdale's love. Do you think readers are supposed to think that the natural world really reflects the emotions of human beings or does nature simply appear different through the eyes of the lovers?

I think that nature appears different through the eyes of the lovers.

When Hester and Pearl catch sight of Dimmesdale, Pearl says, :And mother, he has his hand over his heart! Is it because when the minister wrote his name in the book, the Black Man set his mark in that place? But why does he not wear it outside his bosom, as thou dost, mother?" When else has Pearl associated the minister's habit of keeping his hand over his heart with Hester's scarlet letter? In what ways is Pearl's question a perceptive one?

In chapter 15 Pearl also notices Reverend Dimmesdale's habit of putting his hand over his heart. Pearl's question is a perceptive one because she noticed that her mother wears her scarlet letter on the outside and that Dimmesdale wears his scarlet letter on the inside.

At the end of Chapter Twenty-Two, Hawthorne writes: "The sainted minister in the church! The woman of the scarlet letter in the market-place! What imagination would have been irreverent enough to surmise that the same scorching stigma was on them both!" In what scene is "the same scorching stigma on them both?" How does Hester's stigma differ from DImmesdale's?

It happened many times in the story. Hester's stigma is different from Dimmesdale's because her's is on the outside and Dimmesdale's is on the inside eating away at him.

How much time has passed since Hester first stood with the infant Pearl on the scaffold?

It has been 7 years since Hester and Pearl first stood on the scaffold.

Hawthorne describes the holiday mood of Puritan Boston as follows: "Into this festal season of the year-as it already was, and continued to be during the greater part of twtheo centuries-the Puritans compressed whatever mirth and public joy they deemed allowable to human infirmity; thereby so far dispelling the customary cloud, that for the space of a single holiday, they appeared scarcely more grave than most other communities at a period of general affliction. Explain the meaning of the passage in italics. Is it a satirical or serious remark?

It is a satirical remark because Hawthorne is saying that even when the Puritans are allowed to have fun they can't because they don't know how.

Hawthorne describes the meeting of Hester and Dimmesdale in the forest in this way: "When they found voice to speak, it was, at first, only to utter remarks and inquiries such as any two acquaintances might have made, about the gloomy sky, the threatening storm, and, next, the health of each. Thus they went onward, not boldly, but step by step, into the themes that were brooding deepest in their hearts. So long estranged by fate and circumstances, they needed something slight and casual to run before, and throw open the doors of inercourse, sos that their real thoughts might be led across the threshold." Does it seem to you that Hester and Dimmesdale would begin their first private conversation in more than seven years with small talk? Explain. Why do you think Hawthorne merely tells us that they talked about the weather, asking about each other's health, and so on, instead of including the actual dialogue?

It makes sense that they would start with small talk because they haven't talked in 7 years.

How do most of the townspeople regard Hester's punishment-as too severe, too lenient or appropriate?

Most of the townspeople felt that Hester's punishment was too lenient.

Although she has just heard the story of the Black Man the previous night, Pearl used that name in referring to Chillingworth in Chapter Ten. At the time, she appeared to be referring only to his darkened complexion. Reread the passage in Chapter Ten where Hester and Pearl look up to see Chillingworth and the minister in the window. Explain both of these sentences Pearl says to her mother. "Come away or yonder old Black Man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already."

Pearl is referencing the devil. She is also telling her mother to stay away from the devil and sin. She also says the devil has already gotten to Dimmesdale.

Why does Pearl tell Hester "the sunshine does not love you?"

Pearl says this because when Hester walks into the sun the light vanishes.

What kind of spectacle have the townspeople of Boston gathered to witness?

People have gathered to watch Hester's punishment of public humiliation.

What gesture of the Reverend Dimmesdale's does Pearl repeatedly associate with her mother's scarlet letter?

Reverend Dimmesdale repeatedly puts his hand over his heart, which is where Hester's scarlet letter is.

What does the minister reply when Pearl asks him if he will stand on the scaffold with them in broad daylight?

Reverend Dimmesdale tells Pearl that he will stand with them one other day, but not tomorrow.

Summarize the Reverend Dimmesdale's argument on behalf of allowing Hester to keep Pearl.

Reverend Dimmesdale's argument for Hester keeping Pearl is that Pearl is a reminder to Hester of her sin. He also says that the two will help each other get to heaven.

The Reverend Dimmesdale awaited the result of his appeal to Hester to reveal her lover's name "leaning over the balcony, with his hand over his heart..." On hearing her refusal, he draws back "with a long respiration." Why do you suppose he was holding his breath until he heard her answer? How would you describe what the young minister is probably feeling at this moment?

Reverend Dimmesdale's reputation as a minister is on the line. He probably felt like the whole town looked down on him because he couldn't get one of his parishioners.

The Reverend Wilson tells Pearl she must "take heed to instruction (in religious matters), that so, in due season, thou mayest wear in thy bosom the pearl of great price." In using this phrase, he has in mind these verses from the Bible: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it" (Matthew 13:45-46). Explain in your own words what the Reverend Wilson is saying to Pearl.

Reverend Wilson is telling Pearl that if she studies her bible and acts right than she will know God's will for her life and be led to heaven.

How does the Reverend Wilson interpret the baby's response to Dimmesdale's entreaty? What significance do you think the baby's response may have?

Reverend Wilson tries to tell Hester that even the baby wants Hester to tell them who the father is. The baby is really crying because it is too hot for a baby to be outside for 3 hours.

What were some of the conjectures made by parishioners as to the origin of the minister's scarlet letter?

Some of the conjectures made by parishioners as to the origin of Dimmesdale's scarlet letter are that he did it to himself, they said Chillingworth did it with Magic, and his guilt manifested itself.

What explanation for the events of Election Day is made by the minister's friends to make him seem blameless?

The best explanation for the events of Election Day is that Dimmesdale was teaching a lesson about sinning.

What two contrasting reasons did the church members put forth that would ensure Hester's losing custody of Pearl?

The church members want to take Pearl from Hester because they say that if Pearl is so bad then she shouldn't live with a good Christian woman and if she isn't as bad as she is made out to be then she shouldn't be raised by the town's adulteress.

What clues to the identity of the stranger does Hawthorne provide in the first three paragraphs of Chapter Three?

The clues are that he has uneven shoulders, their eyes meet instantly, and he makes a shh gesture to Hester.

What have the crowds of people gathered in the market-place to witness?

The crowds of people have gathered to witness the governor's inauguration.

Hawthorne describes Hester as lonely "and without a friend on earth who dared to show himself." Who might be one friend who dares not show himself?

The father of Hester's child is her one friend who doesn't dare show herself.

Explain whose "human eye" it is that Hawthorne is referring to in this passage: "But sometimes, once in many days, or perchance in many months, she felt an eye-a human eye-upon the ignominious brand, that seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half of her agony was shared. The next instant, back it all rushed again...for in that brief interval, she had sinned anew." Had Hester sinned alone? In what way has Hester "sinned anew?"

The human eye that Hester talks about is the father of her baby. When she looks at the man she loves the feeling of loving the man comes rushing back which is like she is sinning again. Hester sinned with the father of her baby.

Hawthorne says that Pearl's character has an undesirable hardness and needs to experience "a grief that should deeply touch her, and thus humanize and make her capable of sympathy." Hawthorne then adds, "But there was time enough yet for little Pearl." What later event do you think this last sentence may foreshadow?

The last sentence foreshadows a big horrible event in the future.

Where, according to Chillingworth, is the one place where Dimmesdale could have successfully escaped him?

The only place according to Chillingworth that Dimmesdale could escape him is the scaffold.

What is the result when the Reverend Dimmesdale tells his congregation that he is the worst of sinners?

The people gain more respect for him and love him even more.

After a time, because of Hester's charity and good works, many refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original meaning. What do these people say the A stands for?

The people interpret the A for standing for able.

Hawthorne mentions three main occasions for which the people of Boston made use of Hester's sewing skills. What are they? What is one occasion for which Hester is never asked to make clothing? Why do you think this is?

The people of Boston use Hester's sewing for funeral garbs, official robes, and christening gowns. Hester never made wedding dresses, the people of Boston may think that because she was convicted of adultery her wedding dresses may be bad luck.

Under whose footsteps was the rosebush outside the prison supposed to have sprung?

The roses sprung under the footprints of Anne Hutchinson.

"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge," Hester tells Chillingworth. "Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport." Has the latter possibility-that the scarlet letter would have a wholly different meaning-already happened? Cite evidence from the book to support your opinion.

The scarlet letter has taken on a new meaning of able, this happens in chapter 13.

What is the significance of the scarlet letter A which is embroidered on Hester's gown?

The scarlet letter means that Hester is being punished for adultery.

The townsman tells the stranger that the judges have been lenient with Hester because of her youth and because she is probably a widow. What was the severest penalty for adultery in the Massachusetts Colony? How long does Hester have to stand on the scaffold? How long must she wear the scarlet letter?

The severest penalty for adultery in the Massachusetts Colony is death. Hester must stand on the scaffold for 3 hours. She must wear the scarlet letter for her whole life.

What, if anything, do you find ironic about the title Hawthorne given Chapter Seventeen?

The title the Pastor and His Parishioner is ironic because in this chapter the pastor (Dimmesdale) and his parishioner (Hester) are more than just a pastor and his parishioner.

How do the other townspeople who see the red A in the sky interpret it?

The townspeople think that the A stands for angel and interpret it as a sign from Governor Winthrop.

Dimmesdale says, "Of penance, I have had enough! Of penitence, there has been none!" Explain how penance and penitence are different. What penance has the minister undergone?

The word penance means self inflicted punishment and the word penitence means to feel sorry or to repent. The minister has beat himself and fasted as penance for his sin.

After describing the extent to which Hester's feminine beauty has vanished in seven years, Hawthorne says, "She who has once been a woman, and ceased to be so, might at any moment become a woman again if there were only the magic touch to effect the transfiguration. We shall see whether Hester Prynne were ever afterwards so touched, and so transfigured." What future development in the novel do you think this last sentence might foreshadow?

This foreshadows Hester reuniting with the man she loves.

Hawthorne says that some who may have heard Dimmesdale's cry from the scaffold would mistake it for "the noise of witches; whose voices, at that period, were often heard to pass over the settlements or lonely cottages, as they rode with Satan through the air." Is he being ironic? Explain.

This is ironic because Hawthorne is saying of course the people of the time think that the screaming is witches.

Explain the meaning of the last sentence in the chapter: "Then, all was spoken!"

This means that they have a plan and everything is set.

Near the end of Chapter Eighteen, the forest creatures are naturally drawn to Pearl and recognize in her "a kindred wildness." How do you account for this wildness in Pearl?

This wildness is accounted for in Pearl because she was born outside of the rules of the church, which gives her a connection to wildness of nature.