The Scarlet Letter

Why does the Governor ask Pearl questions in chapter 8? Why is he upset about her answers

1. He is deciding if Pearl should get to stay with her mother 2. He is upset with her answer because she says she was was plucked from a rose bush outside the prison when she is asked who made her a) in puritan culture they believe that God made a person b) Pearl knows this answer, but she deliberately gets it wrong

How is Dimmesdale's a "vain show of expiation" in chapter 12?

1. He is trying to do repentance by standing at the scaffold at night, but he is doing it at night when no one is awake to see him 2. Every time he tries to get people to notice him, no one comes up 3. He thinks that he is doing his repentance but he is going about it the wrong way

Where do Hester and Pearl live in chapter 5?

1. they live in a small abandoned cottage on the outskirts of town 2. it's soil is too sterile for cultivation 3. It is concealed from view 4. Still lives in boston

Why does Dimmesdale feel like a hypocrite in chapter 19?

He feels like a hypocrite because he has this longing to meet Pearl, but before he was afraid that someone would recognizes his characteristics in Pearl's face a) earlier on he feels like a hypocrite for pretending to be this holy person when in reality he was the worst sinner among his flock

Why does Hester hold baby Pearl close to her in chapter 2? Describe Hester?

" it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress. In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbours." a) The scarlet letter and Pearl are a result of her sin b) she cannot hide both the baby and the scarlet letter, so she uses Pearl to hide the scarlet letter 1. Hester is very beautiful a) she has black eyes, shiny hair, rosy cheeks, and a fair complexion 2. She is tall, has a feminine body and is stately, elegant, and lady like a) this is a direct contradiction to the women in the beginning of the book who do not have beauty of feminine grace b) the women are jealous of Hester's beauty

Why does Hawthorne say Pearl is wild and passionate in chapter 6?

"in given her existence, a great law had been broken" a) THIS IS THE REASON THAT SHE CAN NOT BEHAVE b) Hester's impassioned state when Pearl was conceived has transmitted itself to the baby's moral life

In Chapters 7 and 8 we once again have all the main characters gathered together. What changes do you notice in their appearances or relationships?

1. Chilling worth has become more evil 2. Hester is stronger 3. Pearl is still stubborn and naughty 4. Governor Bellingham and John Wilson do not look that different a) Governor Bellingham has lost some of his rank by popular election 5. Dimmesdale looks sicker

Why does Pearl and Hester go into the forest in chapter 16? What do they discuss in the forest?

1. Intent upon telling Dimmesdale the truth about Chillingworth's identity, Hester waits for the minister in the forest, because she has heard that he will be passing through on the way back from visiting a Native American settlement. a) she has tried to talk to him in the days before when he was out walking or even in his study, but decides that she has to do it in the outdoors so there is no chance of Chillingworth interfering or any scandal to Dimmesdale's reputation b) She had visited a sick man the day before who Dimmesdale had also visited and the sick man tells her that Dimmesdale had gone to visit Apostle Elliott and the Indian converts c) She figures out what time he would be returning and sets out to intercept him there d) Pearl accompanies her mother and romps in the sunshine along the way. 2. They walk for a little while and the road has started to become a foot path in a forest with little light a) THIS REPRESENTS HESTER'S MORAL WILDRENESS THAT SHE IS WONDERING IN b) there are gray clouds hanging over them c) the sun shines through them every once in a white, but always retreats when they come near d) Pearl tells Hester that 'the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . . . It will not flee from me; for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!" e) Hester responds by saying that she hopes Pearl never will wear a scarlet letter f) with this Pearl asks why not because she thinks that it will come to her when she is a woman g) Hester tells her to run along and catch the sunshine 3. Pearl runs along and does manage to catch the sunshine and stands laughing, but as soon as Hester walks towards them, the sunshine goes away a) Curiously, the sunshine seems to shun Hester. b) Hester believes that Pearl has absorbed the sunshine to use at a later time 4. Hester starts to describe Pearl as always being lively and does not have the disease of sadness like the other children a) the narrator reveals that Pearl lacks a grief that wold help her to sympathize and humanize her b) this will come at its own accord (foreshadowing) 5. As they wait for Dimmesdale by a brook, Pearl asks Hester to tell her about the "Black Man" and his connection to the scarlet letter. a) She has overheard an old woman discussing the midnight excursions of Mistress Hibbins and others, and the woman mentioned that Hester's scarlet letter is the mark of the "Black Man." b) Pearl says that she heard the black man romes the forest with a big heavy leather book and a pen to give to whoever he sees in the woods so they can sign there name in blood in it c) She asks if Hester has ever gone to meet the black man i nthe forest at night d) Hester reocgnizes the common story and asks if Pearl has ever woken up in the middle of the night and found her mother gone e) Pearl then tells her that if Hester does not want to leave her alone, then she should take Pearl with her to meet him f) Hester tries to ignore her but then gives in and says that she only meet the black man once and that the scarlet letter is his mark 6. They describe a brook that is nearby that seems to be babbling a sad tone a) Pearl asks the brook why it is so sad b)Hawthorne compares Pearl to the brook but says that Pearl is more lively than the brook c) Hester tells Pearl that she would understand what the brook was saying if she had her own sorrow 7. When Pearl sees Dimmesdale's figure emerging from the wood, she asks whether the approaching person is the "Black Man." a) Hester, wanting privacy, tries to hurry Pearl off into the woods to play, but Pearl, both scared of and curious about the "Black Man," wants to stay. b) Exasperated, Hester exclaims, "It is no Black Man! . . . It is the minister!" c) Pearl scurries off, but not before wondering aloud whether the minister clutches his heart because the "Black Man" has left a mark there too. d) She further asks why he does not wear his mark on the outside of his clothing like her mother does. 8. Hester walks into the forest and stays hidden in the trees a) she sees how feeble and sickly that Dimmesdale looks as he is walking through the forest with no one else around b) says he looks happy to lay down on the root of the nearest tree and die there c) she says he shows no sign of suffering expect for his hand over his heart

What does Hester learn from the sea captain in chapter 21?

1. Roger Chillingworth is going to join them on the ship as a member of their party 2. Comander tells Pearl that Chillignworth will bring Dimmesdale aboard 3. Both times when the sea captain gives Hester this news, Chillingworth smiles at her

How has Hester's reputation changed in the seven years since the begining of the book in Chapter 13?

1. Seven years have passed since Pearl's birth. 2. Hester has become more active in society. a) She brings food to the doors of the poor, she nurses the sick, and she is a source of aid in times of trouble. b) She is still frequently made an object of scorn, but more people are beginning to interpret the "A" on her chest as meaning "Able" rather than "Adulterer." c) the townspeople have started to forgive her and claim her as one of their own 3. Hester herself has also changed. a) She is no longer a tender and passionate woman; rather, burned by the "red-hot brand" of the letter, she has become "a bare and harsh outline" of her former self. b) Hester's appearance has also changed over the years, but for the worse. c) Rather than having her youthful good looks, she now seems more like a shell of a human being. d) Her "rich and luxuriant" hair either has been cut off or remains hidden under a cap. e) But she "might at any moment become a woman again, if there were only the magic touch to effect the transfiguration. 4. She has become more speculative, thinking about how something is "amiss" in Pearl, about what it means to be a woman in her society, and about the harm she may be causing Dimmesdale by keeping Chillingworth's identity secret. a) Rather than living in passion and feeling, Hester spends most of her time devoted to thought. b) Indeed, "had little Pearl never come to her from the spiritual world ... she might have come down to us in history, hand in hand with Ann[e] Hutchinson, as the foundress of a religious sect." (allusion) c) Hester resolves to help Dimmesdale by rescuing him from Roger Chillingworth. d) She has grown strong enough as a woman to see that her previous pact with Chillingworth, in which she promised not to reveal who he really is, was the wrong decision. e) She therefore decides to meet him, and soon thereafter she finds him in the woods collecting medicinal herbs. f) She has freedom of thought ad speculation that they have in England but is not allowed in Puritan culture

How does he book conclude in chapter 24? What are the theories concerning dimmesdale's final revelation? What happens to Pearl? To chillingworth?

1. The book's narrator discusses the events that followed Dimmesdale's death and reports on the fates of the other major characters. a) Apparently, those who witnessed the minister's death cannot agree upon what exactly it was that they saw. b) Most say they saw on his chest a scarlet letter exactly like Hester's. c) To their minds, it resulted from Chillingworth's poisonous magic, from the minister's self-torture, or from his inner remorse. d) Others say they saw nothing on his chest and that Dimmesdale's "revelation" was simply that any man, however holy or powerful, can be as guilty of sin as Hester. e) It is the narrator's opinion that this latter group is composed of Dimmesdale's friends, who are anxious to protect his reputation. 2. He does state that a moral lesson is to be found in the original manuscript from the Custom House. a) That precept is "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!" b) In considering which characters follow this caveat, Hawthorne discusses their fates. 3.Left with no object for his malice, Chillingworth wastes away and dies within a year of the minister's passing, leaving a sizable inheritance to Pearl. a) Then, shortly after Chillingworth's death, Hester and Pearl disappear. b) In their absence, the story of the scarlet letter grows into a legend. c) The story proves so compelling that the town preserves the scaffold and Hester's cottage as material testaments to it. 4. Many years later, Hester suddenly returns alone to live in the cottage and resumes her charity work. a) By the time of her death, the "A," which she still wears, has lost any stigma it may have had. b) No one knows Pearl's fate, but people assume that she married well and had a family because letters with the seals of heraldry arrive for Hester and articles of comfort and luxury are found in her cottage. c) Hester is also seen embroidering baby garments; instead of Puritan colors, she uses most un-Puritan-like lavish and rich materials. d) While alive, she gives hope and comfort to those who feel sorrow and pain, and, accordingly, the scarlet letter becomes a symbol of help. e) She becomes a prophet of a better time where human happiness will be easier to obtain than in the rigid rules of Puritan society. 5. Hester is buried in the King's Chapel graveyard, which is the burial ground for Puritan patriarchs. a) she is buried in the cemetery near the prison door where she first was incarcerated. b) Her grave is next to Dimmesdale's, but far enough away to suggest that "the dust of the two sleepers had no right to mingle, even in death." c) They do, however, share a headstone. d) It bears a symbol that the narrator feels appropriately sums up the whole of the narrative: a scarlet letter "A" on a black background. e) The gravestone says: "On a field, sable, the letter A, gules."

How is sunshine used again in Chapter 18?

1. The sunshine on hester and Dimmesdale 2. Love must always create a sunshine 3. This is heaven's favor on them, heaven is smiling on them now that they are free of the sins

What specific plans have Hester and Dimmesdale made in chapter 20? Why is he so eager to preach the Election Day sermon in Chapter 20

1. They make plans about when they will be leaving together 2. Hester says that they can leave with the Spanish main in 4 days when it sails to England a) she knows the captain and crew members 3. He is happy because he is going to give the Election Sermon in 3 days a) this is a big honor for a New England minister b) he doesn't want people to think that he left without finishing his duty

Who is the Black Man

1. a nickname for the devil. 2. The legend speaks of a Black Man who inhabits the woods and gets people to write their names in his book, using their own blood as ink.

What do Hester and Pearl talk about in the market place in chapter 22? describe the procession. Who comes over to talk to them?

1. While Hester ponders Chillingworth's smile, the Election Day procession begins. a) First music adds a "higher and more heroic air." Then comes a company of gentlemen soldiers, brilliantly garbed. b) The majestic procession passes through the marketplace. A company of armored soldiers is followed by a group of the town fathers, whose stolid and dour characters are prominently displayed. c) Next are the political dignitaries, stable, dignified, and drawing a reverent reaction from the crowd. d) Finally comes the minister, Dimmesdale, whose intellectual prowess is mentioned by Hawthorne. e) He has changed, showing great energy and an air of purpose in his walk and demeanor. f) His strength is spiritual, and he has an abstracted air as though he hears things not of this earth. 2. Although only a few days have passed since he kissed her forehead next to the forest brook, Pearl barely recognizes the minister. a) She tells Hester that she is tempted to approach the man and bestow a kiss of her own, and Hester scolds her. b) Dimmesdale's apparent vigor saddens Hester because it makes him seem remote. c) She begins to question the wisdom of their plans. d) She realizes what a great gulf there is between them, and she can scarcely forgive him for his remoteness. 3. Mistress Hibbins, very elaborately dressed, comes to talk to Hester about Dimmesdale. a) Saying that she knows those who serve the Black Man, Mistress Hibbins refers to what she calls the minister's "mark" and declares that it will soon, like Hester's, be plain to all. b) Suggesting that the Devil is Pearl's real father, Mistress Hibbins invites the child to go on a witch's ride with her at some point in the future. c) The narrator interrupts his narration of the celebration to note that Mistress Hibbins will soon be executed as a witch.

Who is John Wilson

1. the eldest clergyman in Boston and a friend of Arthur Dimmesdale. 2. The historical figure on whom this character is based was an English-born minister who arrived in Boston in 1630. 3. He is a symbol of religious authority and, combined with Governor Bellingham, of the Puritan Theocracy. 4. Boston's elder clergyman, Reverend Wilson is scholarly yet grandfatherly. a) He is a stereotypical Puritan father, a literary version of the stiff, starkly painted portraits of American patriarchs. b) Like Governor Bellingham, Wilson follows the community's rules strictly but can be swayed by Dimmesdale's eloquence. c) Unlike Dimmesdale, his junior colleague, Wilson preaches hellfire and damnation and advocates harsh punishment of sinners.

Hawthorne says Pearl is Hester's great sorrow and great joy in chapter 6. Why?

Pearl is Hester's only child and the greatest love of her life, but she also challenges Hester to her breaking point and often mocks Hester with her fascination of the scarlet letter 1. Pearl was put on the earth to torture her mother, but also save her soul

What type of literary language is the Scarlet Letter known for?

SYMBOLISM 1. The novel is especially admired for its complex symbolism, its powerful image patterns, its poetic language, and its compact structure. 2. Critical attention often focuses on: a) the three scaffold scenes; b) on the contrasting scenes of darkness and light; c) on Hester Prynne, American literature's first heroine; d) on the mysteries of the human heart.

Who is the stranger in chapter 4? How is he characterized in this chapter? What promises does Hester make to him?

The stranger is her husband 1. He is a physician a) the native people taught him who to use herbs to help people b) his used to study alchemy c) he is made better doctor for these things than if he was a real physician 2. He seeks to treat both the baby and Hester 3. He doesn't want to kill Hester because it is a worse sentence for her to have to live with her punishment which is harsher than killing her a) he doesn't say that he wants her punished 4. he is "the man whom she had most deeply and irreparably injured" 5. He described as being a terror with his words 6. He can see into her soul 7. he asks her to not tell anyone who he is a) she agrees

What happens when Hester confront Chillingworth in Chapter 14?

1. Hester resolves to ask Chillingworth to stop tormenting the minister. 2. One day she and Pearl encounter him near the beach, gathering plants for his medicines. a) She tells Pearl to run and play by the river shore while she talks to Roger Chillingworth b) Pearl flies like a bird, kicks off her shoes, and runs along the water's edge in bare white feet c) she stops and peers into the pool left by the receding water d) she sees a girl staring back at her with dark shiny curls and an elf like smile (her reflection) e) she has no other playmate so she invites the reflection to race her f) the image says that it is better in the water g) Pearl steps into the knee deep water and sees her feet at the bottom of the water and a smile floating on the water's surface 3. When Hester approaches him, he tells her with a smirk that he has heard "good tidings" of her, and that in fact the town fathers have recently considered allowing her to remove the scarlet letter. a) Hester rebuffs Chillingworth's insincere friendliness, telling him that the letter cannot be removed by human authority. b) Divine providence, she says, will make it fall from her chest when it is time for it to do so. 4. She then informs Chillingworth that she feels it is time to tell the minister the truth about Chillingworth's identity. a) From their conversation, it is clear that Chillingworth now knows with certainty that Dimmesdale was Hester's lover and that Hester is aware of his knowledge. 5. Hester notices that Chillingworth has changed. He's now a wretched, vengeful old man. a) A change comes over Chillingworth's face, and the narrator notes that the old doctor has transformed himself into the very embodiment of evil. 6. In a spasm of self-awareness, Chillingworth realizes how gnarled and mentally deformed he has become. a) He recalls the old days, when he was a benevolent scholar. b) He has now changed from a human being into a vengeful fiend, a mortal man who has lost his "human heart." c) Saying that she bears the blame for Chillingworth's tragic transformation, Hester begs him to relent in his revenge and become a human being again. 7. Hester tells Chillingworth he holds Dimmesdale's life in his hands. Chillingworth says he saved Dimmesdale's life by not revealing his link to Hester from the start. a) Hester says he would be better off dead than forced to endure Chillingworth's torture. 8. Chillingworth admits that he's become a "fiend." He blames Hester for his downfall. a) Hester agrees, pleading with Chillingworth therefore not to blame and abuse Dimmesdale any further. 9. Hester says she must tell Dimmesdale about Chillingworth. a) He responds that their fate, a "black flower," is no longer in anyone's hands. b) He apologizes to Hester for not having offered her the love that would have prevented their collective ruin. c) Chillingworth insists that his revenge and Hester's silence are "[their] fate." e) "Let the black flower blossom as it may!" he exclaims to her. "Now go thy ways, and deal as thou wilt with yonder man." f) he walks away to continue collecting herbs

What is the setting of the Scarlet Letter?

Boston, Massachusetts in 1650 during Puritan rule

How are the Puritan's described? Distinguish between the old women who are critical and the young woman who defends her.

"But, in that early severity of the Puritan character, an inference of this kind could not so indubitably be drawn... In either case, there was very much the same solemnity of demeanour on the part of the spectators; as befitted a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical, and in whose character both were so thoroughly interfused, that the mildest and the severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and awful." 1. The Purtains are described as harsh and publicly shame people who are guilty of crimes by waiting by the prison door until it opens up a) they are cold and feel as though religion and law are intermixed b) mild and harsh punishments are just as terrifying c) they offer no sympathy to criminals and handle every punishment as if it was the death penalty d) the children get off school to witness the public shaming of criminals 2. The people are disguised by Hester Prynne a) they think her punishment should be worse-that she should be permanently physically marked or even be executed for her crime b) They feel as though Hester is below them 3. The old and young woman argue about hwo she should be punished a) the older women only want the strickest punishment for Hester b) the youngest woman is sympathetic and believes that Hester should not be punished because the permanent mark and guilt of her sin is enough

1. Describe the opening setting, both time and place. What happens in chapter 1?

1. " The founders of a new colony .... Have recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil" for two purposes. a) A cemetery and prison 2. Gives you a setting in the first paragraph a) In Puritan Boston 3. It's a third person novel but sometimes he interjects as first and addresses the reader

What is the Custom House

1. 1st person 2. Describes events that led up to Hawthorne's writing of TSL 3. Discusses his stern Puritan ancestors (William and John) 4. Criticizes people with whom he worked with in the custom house 5. Claims one rainy day that he found a scarlet letter A and the pages of a manuscript explaining its existence 6. In "The Custom House" essay, Hawthorne calls The Scarlet Letter a romance, which he defined as a work of fiction that can "claim a certain latitude with the ordinary course of man's experience," as long as it shows "the truth of the human heart." a) By focusing not on outward realism but on inner truths of human experience, Hawthorne anticipated the psychological realism of the nineteenth century.

What is the mood or atmosphere of the opening of the novel in Chapter 1

1. Anticipation: a) they are waiting to see what the crime was b) waiting at the door 2. Somber and grave a) describing the crowd 3. Dreary and depressing a) colors of what they are wearing are grey and other dark colors b) area near the cemetery is overgrown with weeds c) suggests that there is something in the soil that made the weeds grow there

What is some of the history surrounding the Scarlet Letter?

1. About ten years after the founding of Plymouth colony, new settlers established the nearby Massachusetts Bay colony, which embraced both Boston and Salem. 2. Led by Governor John Winthrop, this group established a repressive theocracy and persecuted Baptists, Quakers, and others whose beliefs differed from theirs. a) In this government run by religious leaders, any sin against God was deemed a crime against society; the crime of adultery was punishable by death. 3. It was in the annals of Plymouth history that Hawthorne learned of an adulteress who received the more lenient punishment of wearing a scarlet letter. 4. Governor Winthrop died in 1649, but the colony continued until the 1690's. a) Thereafter, despite a Puritan revival in the 1740's led by the minister Jonathan Edwards, New England became more commercial and less devout. 5. In the 1840's religious revivals again swept New England. 6. From a literary viewpoint, the most important of these was transcendentalism, which combined Christian ethics with the ideas of Romanticism, a philosophy that stressed nature over science, emotions over reason, and the individual over society. a) According to transcendentalism, any human being could "transcend" the physical world to a new spiritual plane by living in harmony with nature. b) Hawthorne's interest in the mysteries of the human heart placed him squarely in the Romantic tradition. c) Although tempted by the idealistic vision of Transcendentalism, he was too aware of New England's history—including his own family's history—to completely accept the optimism of Emerson and Thoreau. d) He knew that the Puritans had been idealists who emigrated to establish a utopia, but that their vision soon grew corrupted by intolerance and commercialism. e) Because he acknowledged this potential for evil, Hawthorne, like Melville and Poe, is often labeled a Dark Romantic.

How does Hester's feelings towards her former husband change in chapter 15? What has Pearl been up to while Hester and Chillingworth were talking? What does Pearl keep asking her mother about?

1. As Chillingworth walks away, Hester goes to find Pearl. 2. She realizes that, although it is a sin to do so, she hates her husband. a) If she once thought she was happy with him, it was only self-delusion. b) she says that Chillingworth's sin was greater than hers because he persuaded her to be happy married to him when her heart knew no better c) Hawthorne makes a note that men should tremble to win a woman's hand unless they win her heart or else it will be his fault, like Chillingworth's, when someone else shows the woman what true happiness is like 3. Pearl has been playing in the tide pools down on the beach. a) She finds out the image is unreal in the water and leaves it b) net she makes boats that sail with shells and go on more adventures than any new england merchant ever has c) she grabs live fish and lays them out in the sun d) she takes the white foam from the tide and throws it in the air and pretends to catch them like snow flakes e) she starts to throw rocks at birds, but when she realizes that she hurt one of the birds, she stops because she hated that she had hurt another living thing f) Pretending to be a mermaid, she puts eel grass on her chest in the shape of an "A," one that is "freshly green, instead of scarlet." g) Pearl hopes that her mother will ask her about the letter, and Hester does inquire whether Pearl understands the meaning of the symbol on her mother's chest. 4. They proceed to discuss the meaning of the scarlet letter. a) Pearl connects the letter to Dimmesdale's frequent habit of clutching his hand over his heart, and Hester is unnerved by her daughter's perceptiveness. b) Hester believes that Perl is trying to sympathize with her mother c) she compares Pearl to an April wind- they are smart and acute and might be at the right age to be made into her mother's friends and confidant without hurting either of them d) In pearl's character, courage is developing from chaos and her pride could be turned into self respect e) Pearl possesses affection and the evil that she had inherited from her mother has to be great if Pearl does not develop into a noble woman f) Hester believes that it is God's justice and retribution to have Pearl be so persistent about the scarlet letter, but also realizes that it could now be used for mercy and beneficence g) she could be the person to help fix Hester's broken heart h) She realizes the child is too young to know the truth and decides not to explain the significance of the letter to her. i) She does not think that this is worth gaining her daughter's sympathy 5. she lies and says that she wears the letter because of its beautiful gold thread a) pearl knowing better, seeks the real reason, and hester threatens to punish her b) this is the first time that Hester had lied about the scarlet letter c) Hawthorne says that despite the scarlet letter's gaurdianship of her heart, some new evil managed to sneak in or some old evil never left 6. Pearl is persistent, though, and for the next several days she harangues her mother about the letter and about the minister's habit of reaching for his heart. a) she asks 2-3 times on the way home b) she asks after super c) she asks as she is going to sleep and in her sleep d) it is the first thing that she says when she walks up

Summarize the meeting between Hester and Dimmesdale in chapter 17. What do Hester and Dimmesdale talk to each other about in chapter 17? What plan do they make together at the end of the chapter?

1. As Dimmesdale walks in the wilderness, returning from a visit with Apostle Eliot, he hears Hester's voice and is surprised by her presence. a) At first, he cannot tell whether she is a human or a ghost. b) In fact, they are both ghosts of their former selves, and their chill hands and hesitant words reveal the strangeness of this meeting. 2. Both Hester and Dimmesdale talk with each other about the past seven years, and Dimmesdale confesses his misery and unhappiness. a) While Hester consoles him and mentions people's reverence for him, the minister feels his guilt and hypocrisy even more. b) He compares his silence with her public confession and realizes how his hidden guilt is tormenting him. 3. Hester, realizing how deeply her silence has permitted Dimmesdale to be tortured by her husband, seizes the moment to reveal Chillingworth's secret. a) This torture has led to insanity and "that eternal alienation from the Good and b) True, of which madness is perhaps the earthly type." c) Hester also realizes that she still loves Dimmesdale, and she begs his forgiveness for her silence. 4. The minister reacts to this revelation with anger at first, blaming her for his torture and realizing why he intuitively recoiled from Chillingworth on their first encounter. a) Hester, who has silently borne the disdain and scorn of the community and who has lived these seven years without human sympathy, cannot bear Dimmesdale's condemnation, and she falls beside him and cries, "Thou shalt forgive me! Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!" b) She hugs him with great tenderness and feels such a compassion for his sorrow that her seven years of punishment seem to fall away. 5. Dimmesdale, for his part, forgives her and asks God to forgive them both. a) He believes that Chillingworth is the worst sinner of them all because he "violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of the human heart," unlike he and she, who "never did so." b) They are reluctant to leave this place in the forest because here they find a peace and harmony that they cannot feel in the Puritan community. c) Dimmesdale fears Chillingworth's course now that he, no doubt, knows "her purpose to reveal his true character," and he asks Hester to give him courage. 6. Hester's plan is for Dimmesdale to go deeper into the wilderness and live in natural freedom away from the eyes of Puritan society or to return to Europe, where he will be free of "these iron men and their opinions." a) But Dimmesdale feels he has not the strength to do either. b) While he falters, Hester encourages him, claiming that he can lead a powerful life for good and still fulfill his mission on earth. c) When the minister says he cannot do this alone, she tells him she will go with him.

On the way back to Boston, how does Dimmesdale act in chapter 20? What does he think about doing? Why?

1. Dimmesdale is doing things on impulses 2. He has gained a new energy from his conversation with HEster a) his spiritual suffering was causing a physical suffering 3. He was moving through he forest at a rapid pace 4. he is incited or eager to do wicked things- these are involuntary or unintentional things a) these are temptations that allows for him to accept what he did and let the devil get to him in the woods ENCOUNTERS: 1. Deacon-wants to make a joke about communion 2. Old woman-wants spiritual guidance-he provides her with one through divine intervention but wasn't planning on it 3. Wants to teach the kids wicked words 4. He wants to talk with the seaman and do improper jests in the conversation 5. He ignores the young woman who is a new member of the church 6. he do encounter mistress Hibbins who asks him about accompanying him on future visits to the forest a) He thinks he as sold his soul to the devil 7. Roger chillingworth sense a change in Dimmesdale, when Dimmesdale refuses his help and seems to know that he met with Hester in the forest

What does Dimmesdale's reaction to Hester's news about Chillingworth reveal about Dimmesdale's character in chapter 17? Is it believable that he can forgive Hester?

1. Dimmesdale tells her that he will never be able to forgive her 2. It is believable that he can forgive her because he is being overly dramatic a) he loves her and when Hester hugs him and begs him to forgive her, he does 3. He says it is the fault of Chillingworth who has wronged them both, not the fault of each other

Why does she plead with Dimmesdale for help in chapter 8?

1. Dimmesdale was her pastor and he knows her heart better than the other men 2. He is a good speaker and can persuade the other men 3. He is also Pearl's father

How is Mistress Hibbins' talk with Hester significant in chapter 22?

1. Election day procession a) dimmesdale walks with strength b) Hester is not happy when he doesn't give her recognition c) Pearl doesn't recognize him 1. Mistress Hibbins is shunned and feared a) She talks to Hester about Dimmesdale as a servant of the black man b) Mistress Hibbins basically foreshadows that everyone will know the secret hidden on Dimmesdale's chest c) she also tells Pearl that she is the child of the devil d) says that Black Man is not happy when his servants to not reveal their sins to the world

How are Hester and Pearl treated when they come to town in chapter 21?

1. Hawthorne shows criticism of Puritans in chapter 21 for the treatment of Hester 2. They are still distant and do not talk to her even though they look t her differently 3. still keep a distance from her in the crowd 4. See Pearl as a demon child when she is laughing and dancing in the crowd 5. People who have never see the scarlet letter torment her with their gaze a) one of their stigmas differs from the other 6. She has a feeling of triumph that she will no longer be the town's victim

What do you think is Hawthorne's purpose in describing the New England holiday in chapter 21 and 22?

1. He is trying show criticism of the Puritans a) he talks about how their strict rules has causes future generations not to get to enjoy the fun past times and celebrations of the English ancestors

How does Pearl react to Dimmesdale in chapter 19? To the change in her mother?

1. Hester decides that Dimmesdale needs to know Pearl, his child 2. She tells him that Pearl will love him even though he tells her that children do not like him 3. Pearl has been playing in the forest and dressing up in flowers a) she resists going to her mother when she sees Dimmesdale and is freaked out about the change in situation 4. She realizes that her place has been taken in her mom's heart a) he has always made her when he talks to her b) she is scared and does not know what to think about Dimmesdale 5. She refuses to cross the bridge a) dimmesdale says that she is forbidden to like an elf in a fairy tale 6. She sees Dimmesdale, points to the place on Hester's chest where the scarlet letter should be a) Hester realizes that Pearl is upset that she s not wearing something that she has always seen her wear b) tells Pearl to grab it by the river, but Pearl refuses until Hester has to go over and put it on herself c) THIS SYMBOLIZES HER FATE d) Hester goes from being beautiful to ugly and puts her hair back up again e) pearl greets her mother and kisses her and the scarlet letter, this causes Hester to yell t her

Why does Hester return to Boston in chapter 24?

1. Hester returns to Boston in Chapter 24 to serve out the rest of her penance there 2. She is more connected to Boston than in the place that Pearl now lives

What does Hester suggest Dimmesdale do? What is the significance of the last line of Chapter 17?

1. Hester suggests that Dimmesdale run away in order to escape his past and chillingworth a) either to europe or into the forest to live in the wilderness b) do not live in the wilderness because of Dimmesdale's state of health 2. Dimmesdale says he is too weak to do it on his own 3. Hester tells him that he will not be alone a) she will come with him so that they can be a family again

Why is Dimmesdale's sermon so effective in chapter 23?

1. His sermon is so effective because he is a dying man 2. He is also a great oratorical speaker a) able to put the people in a trance

What does Pearl ask about the scarlet letter in chapter 15 and 16? About the Black Man?

1. Peal asks about the scarlet letter because she wants to understand why her mother wears the letter a) she knows it is connected to the reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart b) Hester contemplates it, but does not tell Pearl why she wears the letter c) She wants Pearl to understand but is not willing to tell her that day d) tells Pearl that she is being silly and that she wears the A for the sake of the gold thread 2. Pearl keeps asking because she wants to know and wants to be able to sympathize with others 3. She wants her grief that will allow her to be humanize a) she is a kid and does not understand sympathy because she has never been sad before 4. She wants to know about the black man because she thinks it is connected to the scarlet letter

What does Pearl do for the first time in chapter 23? Significance of this?

1. Pearl experiences grief for the first time at the death of Dimmesdale and cries 2. She is now able to sympathies with other human beings a) she will no longer fight against the world and looses her wildness b) this also ends her role as the bringer of her mother's pain 3. She also kisses dimmesdale for the first time which is both of them acknowledging their relationship to one another

What has Pearl been doing while Hester talks to Chillingworth in chapter 15? How do her actions further reveal her character

1. Pearl has been playing by the water with nature 2. SHE IS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH THE WILD PARTS OF NATURE 3. She takes the fish out of the water 4. She builds ships and has them float on the water 5. She throws water suds in the air and pretends they are snowflakes 6. she throws rocks at pigeons, but when she realizes that she hut one of them, she stops because she doesn't want to hurt another living thing 7. She makes an A out of seaweed and wonders if her mother will ask her what it means a) Hester does b) PEARL'S LETTER IS DRAWN FROM A NATURAL SOURCE, WHERE AS HESTER'S IS A RESULT FROM HUMAN ACTION

Describe the reactions of Hester, Pearl and Chillingworth as Dimmesdale leaves the meeting house and goes to the scaffold in chapter 23.

1. Pearl walks right over to him and hugs his leg- she is happy to be acknowledged 2 .hester is hesitant but listens to him 3. Roger Chillingworth is upset and tells him to think about what he is doing a) he cannot take his revenge on Dimmesdale if he confess his sins on the scaffold

What question does Hester ask the dying Dimmesdale in chapter 23? What is his reply?

1. She ask him if they will meet again in heaven and spend eternity together a) she says that they have gone through enough misery that they have to be saved b) she says that he can see heaven with his dying eyes 2. He tells her that he does not know because God is a merciful God a) they broke a large law and sinned b) they forgot God and each other's souls and it is stupid to hope that they will see each other in Heaven c) God has given them their burdens so that they might be saved

What question does Pearl ask Dimmesdale in chapter 19? Why do you think she asks it?

1. She asks him if he is going to walk back to town with them, hand in hand a) she wants to know why he is so nice to them in private, but shuns them in public b) she is confused and curious 2. Hester tells her no because they cannot do that yet, but soon they will

What does Pearl again ask about Dimmesdale in chapter 22?

1. She asks if Dimmesdale is he man who kisses her in the woods 2. She asks her again why he would only acknowledged them in the woods 3. She also asks why he keeps his hand over his heart

How has Hester's reputation in the community changed in chapter 13? How has Hester herself changed?

1. The A now stands for Able and not Adultery 2. The people treat her differently now because she helps the poor and does not take any of the credit 3. She does not care how people think or treat her anymore a) she is living her life the way that she is supposed to 4. The two people now claim her as their own a) call her "Our hester" to the strangers of the town 5. Her beauty is now gone along with her womanly features a) she might be transfigured into being beautiful again-this is foreshadowing of her taking off the scarlet letter 6. She is a free thinker a) she has freedom of thought and speculation 7. She sees a sisterhood with all woman a) she believes that woman should be treated differently than they are in society now a) she has undergone all of these changes over time

Based on the tombstone Hawthorne gives Hester, what does the "A" stand for by the end of the novel in chapter 24?

1. The a is something that has reverence or awe towards it 2. The tombstone says that "on a field of black, the letter A in scarlet" a) they put it in scarlet letter on her and dimmesdale's tombstone to show the relationship towards each other b) it acts like a family crest of badge of honor c) like a coat of arms

What is the symbol of the forest and the forest path in chapter 17? Was there sin of purpose or passion?

1. the road they take into the forest is symbolic a) it signifies the moral wilderness that Hester had been wondering in her whole life 2. the trees make the path narrow which shows the difficulties that she faced in her lifetime 3. The moral wilderness has made Hester strong a) the scarlet letter is a passport to where no other woman dares to tred and it makes her strong b) dimmesdale has never gone through an experience like hers 4. They had a sin of passion a) they did not mean to do it they just loved each other b) Chillingworth meant to commit the sins that he did which is why he is worse than they are 5. Dimmesdale tells Hester that she is his angle a) that gives the A a new meaning

Why does Hester go to the Governor's hall in chapter 7? Be able to describe the hall and suggest what it shows about the Governor.

1. to drop off a pair of gloves she embroidered 2. To argue her case about getting to keep her daughter

Describe the scene in the jail when the stranger/doctor visits Hester in chapter 4.

1. her husband visits her in the prison because she is unwell and he is a doctor a) he is staying in the prison temporarily 2. Hester is overly excited and her baby is unwell 3. She is afraid that he will harm her and her baby a) he tells her that he would never hurt a misbegotten and miserable babe and he would do the same thing if the child was theirs 4. He treates Hester with the same potion a) she settles down b) she tells him that she had wished for death so to think about what he is giving her before he gives it to her c) her current punishment is worse than death 5. They both take the blame for the sin: a) he was foolish to think that she could love him b) she admits that she never did c) he always put his studies first and he was older and misshapen, but he still loves her d) " "It was my folly! I have said it. But, up to that epoch of my life, I had lived in vain. The world had been so cheerless! My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire. I longed to kindle one! It seemed not so wild a dream,—old as I was, and sombre as I was, and misshapen as I was,—that the simple bliss, which is scattered far and wide, for all mankind to gather up, might yet be mine. And so, Hester, I drew thee into my heart, into its innermost chamber, and sought to warm thee by the warmth which thy presence made there!" e) He had been lonely and wanted to share his love with someone f) Hester says that she has wronged him 6. He wants to know the man who has wronged them both a) Hester says she will ever tell b) he says he will read it on the man's heart c) if someone wants to know something they can find out 7. "The eyes of the wrinkled scholar glowed so intensely upon her, that Hester Prynne clasped her hands over her heart, dreading lest he should read the secret there at once." a) he can read her soul b) he knows that she feels distrustful towards him and is weary of what he will do 8. Hester asks him why he is smiling at him and compares him to the black man in the forest out to ruin her soul a) he responds by saying that it is not her soul b) it is the soul of her lover that he wants to ruin

How is sunshine used in the chapters 15 and 16 to comment on the characters and their actions

The sunshine does not shine on Hester, but Pearl is able to grab it a) Pearl tells her mother that this is because Hester has the mark of the scarlet letter and it scares the sunshine away

Who is the Captain

1. He is the captain of the Spanish Main 2. He tells Hester Prynne that Roger Chillingworth is going to be joining them on the boat 3. He is charmed by Pearl a) he has her tell Hester than Roger Chillingworth is going to make sure that Arthur Dimmesdale gets to the ship

How is Pearl described in Chapter 6? What is Pearl fascinated by?

1. Hester's one consolation is her daughter, Pearl, who is described in great detail in this chapter. 2. A beautiful flower growing out of sinful soil, Pearl is so named because she was "purchased with all [Hester] had—her mother's only treasure!" a) Because "in giving her existence a great law had been broken," b) Pearl's very being seems to be inherently at odds with the strict rules of Puritan society. c) Hester is afraid that nothing good can come from her sin, however, and thus she fears that Pearl will in some way be retribution for her sinful passion. 3. Hester spends hours clothing Pearl in the richest garments she can find, even though it seems that Pearl would appear just as beautiful in any garment. a) Hester's passion exists in the child's demeanor in the form of "flightiness of temper ... and even some of the very cloud-shapes of gloom and despondency that had brooded in her heart." 3. Pearl has inherited all of Hester's moodiness, passion, and defiance, and she constantly makes mischief. a) Pearl has a particular mood where nothing Hester does can persuade the child to change her stance, so eventually Hester is "ultimately compelled to stand aside, and permit the child to be swayed by her own impulses." 4. Hester loves but worries about her child. 5. When the narrator describes Pearl as an "outcast," he understates: Pearl is an "imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants." a) Pearl herself is aware of her difference from others, and when Hester tries to teach her about God, Pearl says, "I have no Heavenly Father!" b) Because Pearl is her mother's constant companion, she, too, is subject to the cruelties of the townspeople. c) The other children are particularly cruel because they can sense that something is not quite right about Hester and her child. d) Knowing that she is alone in this world, Pearl creates casts of characters in her imagination to keep her company. 6. Pearl is compared to a witch in both the way she interacts with other children and the way she plays. a) Having been scorned by the other Puritan families all her young life, Pearl is positively wrathful when other children approach her, going so far as to throw stones and scream at them. b) With toys, Pearl always plays games in which she destroys everything. 7. Pearl is fascinated by the scarlet letter and at times seems to intentionally torture her mother by playing with it. a) The first thing Pearl saw in her infancy was the scarlet letter. b) As a baby she even reached up and touched the letter, causing her mother intense agony at the shame it generated in her. 8.Pearl later played a game where she threw flowers at her mother and jumped around in glee every time she hit the scarlet letter. a) at one point Hester exclaims in frustration, "Child, what art thou?" b) to which Pearl replies that she is Hester's little Pearl. b) Pearl turns the question back on her mother, insisting that Hester tell her of her origins. c) Hester replies that the Heavenly Father sent her. Pearl responds with, "He did not send me ... I have no Heavenly Father!" d) Pearl then presses Hester to tell her who her father is, saying, "Tell me! Tell me! It is thou who must tell me!" e) Surprised at the impudence of a child so young (Pearl is about three at the time), Hester wonders if Pearl might not be the demon-child that many of the townspeople believe her to be.

What happens to Hester once she is released from prison in Chapter 5? What is her occupation? What powers does the scarlet letter give to her

1. The narrator covers the events of several years. 2. After a few months, Hester is released from prison. 3. Although she is free to leave Boston, she chooses not to do so. a) She does not avail herself of the opportunity to escape to a new life without shame in some other city. b) The narrator remarks that people often are drawn irresistibly to live near the place where a "great and marked event" has occurred. c) He further comments that even if that is not the reason, Hester may have been inclined to remain in Boston because her secret lover still lived there. 4. She settles in an abandoned cottage on a patch of infertile land at the edge of town. 5. Hester remains alienated from everyone, including the town fathers, respected women, beggars, children, and even strangers. 6. She serves as a walking example of a fallen woman, a cautionary tale for everyone to see. 7. Although she is an outcast, Hester remains able to support herself due to her uncommon talent in needlework. a) Her taste for the beautiful infuses her embroidery, rendering her work fit to be worn by the governor despite its shameful source. b) Although the ornate detail of her artistry defies Puritan codes of fashion, it is in demand for burial shrouds, christening gowns, and officials' robes. c) In fact, through her work, Hester touches all the major events of life except for marriage—it is deemed inappropriate for chaste brides to wear the product of Hester Prynne's hands. 8. Despite her success, Hester feels lonely and is constantly aware of her alienation. a) Thus young children often creep up to her house to spy on her while she worked. b) As shame burns inside of her, she searches for companionship or sympathy, but to no avail. c) She devotes part of her time to charity work, but even this is more punishment than solace: those she helps frequently insult her, and making garments for the poor out of rough cloth insults her aesthetic sense. 9. She lives simply with the sole exception being that she creates amazing dresses of fine fabrics for Pearl. 10. Hester's social life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful history. a) she is treated so poorly that often preachers will stop in the street and start to deliver a lecture as she walks by. b) Hester also begins to hate children, who unconsciously realize there is something different about her and thus start to follow her with "shrill cries" through the city streets. 11. One of the things which Hester starts to notice is that every once in a while she receives a sympathetic glance and feels like she has a companion in her sin. a) As the narrator puts it, "it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts." b) This point is interesting in that many of the people now accused of hypocrisy regarding the scarlet letter include those such as "a venerable minister or magistrate," people who are viewed as models of "piety and justice" but still carry secret sins. c) Hawthorne remarks that the legend of the scarlet letter was that it glowed in the dark when Hester walked the streets at night d) he remarks that it scared Hester's bosom so gravely that there might be more truth to the rummer than modern society cares to admit

Who is Master Brackett

1. he is the tow jailer 2. He looks after Hester Prynne and Pearl when she is in jail 3. He is mentioned towards the end of the book for smiling at Pearl in the town square because he remembered her as a baby

What is Hester's punishment in chapter 2? Why are people so angry about the "A" Hester has embroidered?

"On the other hand, a penalty which, in our days, would infer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule, might then be invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself." a) in contemporary times, the punishment of standing on the scaffold would be humiliating, but in Puritan times it was a punishment worse than death 1. Hester's punishment: she has to stand on the scaffold for 3 hours in front of the whole town 2. After this, she has to wear a scarlet A on her bosom at all times for the rest of her life and is not allowed to take the letter of 3. The people are angry with Hester's A because she embodied it beautifully with golf thread a) it is supposed to be this badge of shame and she turned it something beautiful to wear b) she is owning up to her sin and making a mochary of the people whoa are making her wear it c) she is making it into a badge of honor d) she is contradicting Puritan values by showing her beauty and embroidering the letter in a way that is too elegant and fancy for Puritan culture 4. SHE IS NOT BEING RUDE, DISRESPECTFUL, OR CELEBRATORY, SHE IS SIMPLY TAKING OWNERSHIP OF HER ACTIONS

How does Hester earn a living in chapter 5? What does she do in her spare time? What do these activities add to our understanding of Hester?

1. Her is a seamstress- she makes clothes for the townspeople 2. The become fashionable and everyone wears her clothes 3. She is never asked to make clothes for a wedding or a bride 4. She gives all of her extra things to charity- this is part of her penance a) this is the mode she uses to express the passion of her life b) it gives her a place in the town c) she gives to the poor and sells to the rich d) the rich will look down on her and the poor bite the hand that feed them e) everyone treats her badly no matter the socio-economic level

Where do Hester and Pearl go to in Chapter 21? How does Hawthorne describe the Puritan people nad the saliors?

1. Hester and Pearl go to the marketplace to watch the procession and celebration as elected officials assume their offices. 2. Hester thinks about leaving Boston with Dimmesdale and having a life as a woman once again. 3. While she meditates on her future, Pearl, agitated by the crowd and celebration, dances as she waits for the procession. a) She alone senses Hester's excitement; to other observers, Hester appears to watch the procession passively. 4. Pearl continues to ask Hester precocious questions. a) She wants to know about the procession and asks whether the minister will acknowledge them as he did on the midnight scaffold. b) Hester quiets her and tells her she must not call out to Dimmesdale. c) Pearl remarks that it is strang that the minister will only acknowledge them at night and in the forest but not in the light of day d) Hester tells her that she does not understand what is going on and distracts her with the celebration 5. The celebration is relatively sober, but the townspeople's "Elizabethan" love of splendor lends an air of pageantry to the goings-on. a) the people are off work and the kids are out of school 6. People in the procession believe that it is their duty to look dignified and wear older styled clothes a) no elements of Elizabethan celebration because it went against the Puritan teachings b) there are games like wrestling matches, carneval games, and two masters of defense giving a demonstration of fighing when the town beadle breaks it up for breaking Puritan law c) Hawthorne remarks that the Puritan celebrations have left a remark that modern day society has been unable to remove and learn how to have fun again 6. As they wait in the marketplace among an assorted group of townsfolk, Native Americans, and sailors from the ship that is to take Hester and Dimmesdale to Europe a) the sailors are the wildest people there b) they have broad rimmed hats and eyes with animal ferocity even when they are happy c) They broke Puritan laws, but do not get into trouble for it d) they break even more serious laws on the high sea (stealing), but are not in trouble for it e) sailors can return to society without a stain on their reputation because people think that they should acts just as wild as the sea 7. Roger Chillingworth walks over to the captain with a chain around his neck a) the captain eventually makes his way over to Hester and strikes up a conversaion b) since there is always a space kept between her and everyone else around her, they can talk freely without risk of being caught or without risk to Hester's reputation c) The captain casually reveals that Chillingworth will be joining them on their passage because the ship needs a doctor and Chillingworth has told the captain that he is a member of Hester's party. d) Hester says that he is a friend of the man (she is trying to save from the Puritans) 8. Hester looks up to see Chillingworth standing across the marketplace, smirking at her.

Who is Mistress Hibbins and what does she ask Hester in chapter 8? Why does Hester refuse?

1. Mistress Hibbins is Govenor Bellingham's sister 2. She is a witch who is executed for being one 3. She asks Hester to go to the woods with her and the other witches to see the Black man- promised him to bring him Hester Prynne 4. Hester says no and that maybe she would have gone if she lost Pearl but now she is going to stay home with her daughter a) show how Pearl is already saving her mother's soul

What are the involuntary actions done by DImmedale at the scaffold in chapter 12? What do Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale represent on the scaffold

1. Dimmesdale sleep walks to the scaffold a) he goes without any effort of his own b) goes at the darkest hour of night, not in the day in front of everyone c) trying to atone, ut does it all wrong d) He walks in a dream led by a supernatural force 2. The three fromed an electric chain a) Dimemsdale has the letter A on his chest b) Pearl is the living scarlet letter and the proof of their affair c) Hester Prynne has the physical scarlet letter on her chest

Explain the sin that Hester Prynne has committed in chapter 2

1. Hester, who is a married woman, has committed adultery with an unnamed man a) this affair produced a daughter, Pearl

While she is remembering the past, a stranger is introduced in chapter 3. How is he described? What does he learn?

1. Hester sees an Indian in the crowd and is pleased by this because she hopes that people will turn there attention towards him instead of her 2. That is when she sees Roger Chillingworth-her husband under an assumed name a) When she sees him she holds her baby so close to her that the child cries 3. The stranger is described as: " He was small in stature, with a furrowed visage, which, as yet, could hardly be termed aged. There was a remarkable intelligence in his features, as of a person who had so cultivated his mental part that it could not fail to mould the physical to itself, and become manifest by unmistakable tokens. Although, by a seemingly careless arrangement of his heterogeneous garb, he had endeavoured to conceal or abate the peculiarity, it was sufficiently evident to Hester Prynne, that one of this man's shoulders rose higher than the other. Again, at the first instant of perceiving that thin visage, and the slight deformity of the figure" a) He makes a gesture with his hand to signal to her to not identify him or make it clear that she recognizes b) He has just arrived in Boston after having been held in captivity with the Indians 4. He has just arrived in New England a) He asks a man near him who the woman in the scaffold is and what did she do and later who is the father of her baby b) The man responds that the woman is Hester Prynne who is the wife of a man who sent her over before him so he could look over some affairs c) It has bee 2 years and he has not come or sent word from her husband- she was young and beautiful and left to fall without her husband around d) the father of her baby is unknown because Hester refuses to share his name e) The husband is probably dead at the bottom of the ocean f) "this woman is youthful and fair, and doubtless was strongly tempted to her fall;—and that, moreover, as is most likely, her husband may be at the bottom of the sea;—they have not been bold to put in force the extremity of our righteous law against her. The penalty thereof is death. But, in their great mercy and tenderness of heart, they have doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and then and thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom." g) Since she is young, beautiful, and just had a baby they decide not to kill her because they believe that her husband is dead h) since there is no clear evidence of her husband being dead, it was still adultery 5. The townsman also tell chillingworth that he will be glad he came to New England because they search out sin and punish the people who commit it a) "Truly, friend, and methinks it must gladden your heart, after your troubles and sojourn in the wilderness," said the townsman, "to find yourself, at length, in a land where iniquity is searched out, and punished in the sight of rulers and people; as here in our godly New England." 6. We know now that Hester's husband is not dead a) She hides from him in the midst of public exposure and does not want to be alone with her husband b) SHE TAKES REFUGE IN THE SCAFFOLD

What does Hester plan to do to help Dimmesdale in chapter 13?

1. She has her own version of right and wrong 2. She has to tell Dimmesdale the truth because it is the right thing to do

Why did Hawthorne write the Scarlet Letter?

1. THE SCARLET LETTER WAS HAWTHORNE'S BIGGEST SUCCESS 2. Two ancestors of whom Hawthorne was both proud and ashamed a) One was named William Hawthorne who was a solider and a magistrate and did things that Hawthrorne was embarrassed and ashamed about b) Also John Hawthorne, but both had a prominent place in this thinking they gave accomplishment to the family because they did something but it was also they brought guilt to the family because what they did was not a good thing

What is the overall impression created in Chapter 1?

1. The overall impression Hawthorne creates in this chapter is ambiguous. 2. The chapter: a) establishes the time and place of the novel b) introduces the tone of the novel c) suggests the main conflict d) suggests potential theme

To avoid having to think about the present, Hester remembers the past in chapter 2. What do her memories tell us about her life and character? How does Hawthorne build sympathy for her?

1. "But, under the leaden infliction which it was her doom to endure, she felt, at moments, as if she must needs shriek out with the full power of her lungs, and cast herself from the scaffold down upon the ground, or else go mad at once." a) she feels so horrible that she wants to scream out and jump off of the scaffold 2. She thinks of her family and life back in England a) She thinks of her husband b) "There she beheld another countenance, of a man well stricken in years, a pale, thin, scholar-like visage, with eyes dim and bleared by the lamp-light that had served them to pore over many ponderous books. Yet those same bleared optics had strange, penetrating power, when it was their owner's purpose to read the human soul. This figure of the study and the cloister, as Hester Prynne's womanly fancy failed not to recall, was slightly deformed, with the left shoulder a trifle higher than the right" c) Her husband has the power to look into people's soul d) This is Hawthorne giving his characters supernatural powers 3. Hester feels a mix of shame and pride which everyone can relate to 4. Hawthorne betrays her as a martyr or a victim 5. We learn that Hester was born into an impoverished family a) Her mother is dead b) Her husband is an ugly man who is scholar c) she had wanted a new life in New England, still being connected to her husband, but away from the past d) she realizes that her new life was gone and her reality was terrible 6. This helps us to feel almost bad for Hester because she has had a hard life and it seems as though nothing can go right for her

How does Pearl behave in chapter 7?

1. Pearl is enchanted by the things at Governor Bellingham's house 2. She throws a fit and screams when her mother doesn't let her get a rose from the bush 3. Then she goes quiet when Bellingham shows up 4. She gets angry and scares the other children away when they throw mud at her

What is hawthorne's attitude towards Hester in chapter 2

1. "knowing well her part, she ascended a light of wooden steps, and was thus displayed to the surrounding multitude, at about the height of a man's shoulders above the street" 2. "Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans, he might have seen in this beautiful woman, so picturesque in her attire and mien, and with the infant at her bosom, an object to remind him of the image of Divine Maternity" a) he is comparing Hester to Mary b) Mary is graceful and above many c) They were both fighting adversity d) They are both caring for their child e) Mary and Hester's baby daddies are not the men they are marrying f) IT IS AN IRONIC COMPARISON BECAUSE YOU WOULD NOT EXPECT AN ADULTERESS TO BE COMPARED TO MARY g) Mary was almost convicted of adultery so her and Hester were almost in the same boat 3. Hawthorne believes that Hester is A MARTYR a) he describes her as elegant, graceful, and she is held in high regard to him b) she is not what the townspeople think of her c) he is sympathetic towards her d) She is a better person than the townspeople e) He is ashamed of his Puritan ancestors which is why he displays the townspeople poorly, but the people that they ridicule with kindness

What is the structure of the novel?

1. A dramatic method-the characters interact in a relatively few fully developed scenes and he perfected the short story form before writing 2. Also structured around the scaffold scenes 3. It's a physiological novel-one of the firsts 4. There are several scenes with few characters 5. He has summary chapters where a period of time will past a) chapter 5, 13

Who is Arthur Dimmesdale

1. A well respected Boston reverend who has an affair with Hester Prynne and is the secret father of Pearl. 2. Shy, retiring, and well loved and respected by his public, Dimmesdale is too frightened and selfish to reveal his sin and bear the burden of punishment with Hester. 3. Yet at the same time, Dimmesdale secretly punishes himself for his sin by fasting and whipping himself. 4. Ultimately the suffering and punishment he endures, though self-inflicted, proves far worse than Hester's or Pearl's, suggesting that betrayal and selfishness are greater sins than adultery. 5. Dimmesdale's guilty conscience overwhelms him like a plague, robbing him of his health and preventing him from raising his daughter. 6. His eventual confession comes too late, and he dies a victim of his own pride. 7. The father of Pearl 8. He is friends with John Wilson and Governor Bellingham 9. He is friemeies with Roger Chillingworth 10. Description: a) commanding voice b) young c) inexperience d) went to a good university e) striking aspects f) he has an apprehensive, startled half-frightened look g) he does not feel comfortable being in society h) he is a loner which is a contrast with his profession as a minister i) THOUGH HE IS YOUNG, HE IS HELD IN HIGH REGARD j) HE IS AN EXCELLENT PUBLIC SPEAKER AND EVOKES EMOTION WHEN HE TALKS k) he is not self confident

What does Hester hear in Dimmesdale's sermon in chapter 22? What is Hester drawn to? What is Pearl doing during this time? What does the captain tell Pearl to tell Hester?

1. After the old woman leaves, Hester takes her place at the foot of the scaffold to listen to Dimmesdale's sermon, which has commenced inside the meetinghouse. a) Now Hester hears the voice of Dimmesdale giving his sermon; while she cannot hear the words, she does hear sympathy, emotion, and compassion mixed with a "low expression of anguish." b) He may not be telling the world of his sin, but Hester hears the sadness and despair in his tone because she is so in sympathy with his heart. 2. Pearl, who has been wandering around the marketplace, a) Then Pearl scampers off through the crowd in her bright red dress and sees the shipmaster, who gives her a message for her mother: Chillingworth has secured passage for himself and Dimmesdale on the ship. b) the shipmaster also gives Pearl his gold chain which foreshadows her wealth in the future 3. While Hester worries about this new development, she suddenly realizes that everyone around her—both those who are familiar with her scarlet letter and those who are not—is staring at her. a) except the nice young woman who has since died 4. The chapter ends with the lines "The sainted minister in the church! The woman of the scarlet letter in the marketplace!" Who would believe "that the same scorching stigma was on them both?"

What does the Meteor symbolize

1. As Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl in Chapter 12, a meteor traces out an "A" in the night sky. 2. To Dimmesdale, the meteor implies that he should wear a mark of shame just as Hester does. 3. The meteor is interpreted differently by the rest of the community, which thinks that it stands for "Angel" and marks Governor Winthrop's entry into heaven. a) But "Angel" is an awkward reading of the symbol. 4. The Puritans commonly looked to symbols to confirm divine sentiments. a) In this narrative, however, symbols are taken to mean what the beholder wants them to mean. b) The incident with the meteor obviously highlights and exemplifies two different uses of symbols: Puritan and literary.

What is Hester's punishment in Chapter 2? How does Hester comfort herself while she is serving out her punishment

1. As part of her punishment, Hester must stand before the crowd on the scaffold for several hours. 2. Her walk to the scaffold is inwardly agonizing, though Hester never reveals her suffering. 3. The narrator observes that once upon the scaffold, the beautiful Hester took on the image of "Divine Maternity," and yet her beauty also had the "taint of deepest sin." a) divine maternity is a name for the Virgin Mary b) Hester suggests this symbol of purity to the crowd only by contrast, but the narrator seems to imply the symbol really does fit her 4. Governor Bellingham, a judge, and other officials observe the "spectacle" of Hester's punishment on the scaffold. 5. The crowd, aware of the presence of authority, remains serious and grave. 6. Hester feels the urge to scream at the crowd and leap off the scaffold, but she restrains herself. 7. Hester thinks about her past in order to endure her time on the scaffold. a) Lost in reminiscence, the harrowing scene before her eyes seems to vanish. b) Hester thinks about her youth spent in poverty in England. c) She envisions her parents' faces and sees also the face of a "misshapen scholar," her husband. 8. Finally Hester's thoughts return to the present. a) She looks out at the menacing crowd assembled before her. b) Hester touches the scarlet letter and squeezes her baby, Pearl, so tightly that Pearl cries. c) Hester then realizes that the letter and her baby are her only reality.

How does Dimmesdale's attitude change after his meeting with Hester in the forest in chapter 20? What is their plan for running away together? What evil tempations does he have? How does he react to Chillingworth

1. As the minister returns to town, he can hardly believe the change in his fortunes. 2. He and Hester have decided to go to Europe, since it offers more anonymity and a better environment for Dimmesdale's fragile health. a) Through her charity work, Hester has become acquainted with the crew of a ship that is to depart for England in four days, and the couple plans to secure passage on this vessel. 3. Tempted to announce to all he sees, "I am not the man for whom you take me! I left him yonder in the forest," a) Dimmesdale now finds things that were once familiar, including himself, to seem strange. 4. As he passes one of the church elders on his way through town, the minister can barely control his urge to utter blasphemous statements. 5. He then encounters an elderly woman who is looking for a small tidbit of spiritual comfort. a) To her he nearly blurts out a devastating "unanswerable argument against the immortality of the human soul," but something stops him, and the widow totters away satisfied. 6. He next ignores a young woman whom he has recently converted to the church because he fears that his strange state of mind will lead him to plant some corrupting germ in her innocent heart. 7. Passing one of the sailors from the ship on which he plans to escape, Dimmesdale has the impulse to engage with him in a round of oaths; 8. this comes only shortly after an encounter with a group of children, whom the minister nearly teaches some "wicked words." 9. Finally, Dimmesdale runs into Mistress Hibbins, who chuckles at him and offers herself as an escort the next time he visits the forest. a) This interchange disturbs Dimmesdale and suggests to him that he may have made a bargain with Mistress Hibbins's master, the Devil. 10. When he reaches his house, Dimmesdale tells Chillingworth that he has no more need of the physician's drugs. a) Chillingworth becomes wary but is afraid to ask Dimmesdale outright if the minister knows his real identity. b) Dimmesdale has already started to write the sermon he is expected to deliver in three days for Election Day (a religious as well as civil holiday that marks the opening of the year's legislative session). c) In light of his new view of humanity, he now throws his former manuscript in the fire and writes a newer and better sermon.

What causes Dimmesdale to stop in chapter 23? What does he say when Roger Chilingworth confronts him? What does he do and what does he say to the people? What happens to him?

1. As they move toward the town hall for the evening feast, Dimmesdale sees Hester and hesitates. a) Bellingham now moves forward to help Dimmesdale, but a look on his face keeps the governor away 2. Turning toward the scaffold, he calls to Hester and Pearl to join him. a) Suddenly, Chillingworth appears and attempts to stop Dimmesdale, but the minister scorns the old physician and cries out to Hester to help him get up to the scaffold. b) Deaf to Chillingworth's attempt to stop him, Dimmesdale mounts the scaffold with Hester and Pearl. c) He declares that God has led him there. c) Chillingworth's face darkens as he realizes that nowhere else but on the scaffold can Dimmesdale escape him. d) Chillingworth tries to get him to not go on the scaffold e) the scaffold is the only place where Dimmesdale can escape Chillingworth f) Dimmesdale thanks God for that 3. The crowd stares. Dimmesdale leans on Hester for support and begins his confession, calling himself "the one sinner of the world." a) The minister tells Hester that he is dying and must acknowledge his shame. b) Dimmesdale asks Hester if this is better than their plan in the forest c) She says she does not know, but at least if they die that Pearl will die with them d) Then he turns to the crowd and cries out his guilt. e) After he concludes, he stands upright without Hester's help and tells everyone to see that he, like Hester, has a red stigma. f) Tearing away his ministerial garments from his breast, Dimmesdale reveals what we take to be some sort of mark—the narrator demurs, saying that it would be "irreverent to describe [the] revelation"—and then sinks onto the scaffold. g) THIS IS THE CLIMAX: HE ADMITS HIS GUILT AND DIES 4. The crowd recoils in shock, and Chillingworth cries out, "Thou hast escaped me!" a) Hester lifts Dimmesdale's head and cradles it against her bosom. b) The minister asks God's forgiveness for Chillingworth's sin; then he turns to Pearl and asks for a kiss. c) Pearl finally bestows on Dimmesdale the kiss she has withheld from him and cries. d) Peal now has experience the grief that will make her a member of society and she is changed e) The minister and Hester then exchange words. f) She asks him whether they will spend their afterlives together, and he responds that God will decide whether they will receive any further punishment for breaking His sacred law. g) God is merciful by giign him afflictions so he could be saved 5. The minister bids her farewell and dies. a) His dying words are "Praised be his name! His will be done! Farewell!"

What happens when Bellingham, Wilson, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale find Pearl and Hester in Chapter 7? What does Wilson ask Pearl?

1. Bellingham, Wilson, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale enter the room. 2. He first sees Pearl, dressed lavishly in her scarlet outfit, standing in front of him. a) Pearl introduces herself and tells them her name, at which point Wilson states, "Ruby, rather ... or Red Rose, at the very least, judging from thy hue." 3. The men then see Hester Prynne in the background. Governor Bellingham tells her that he thinks it would be better for the child if Pearl were removed from her mother's care. a) Hester responds that she can teach the child what she has learned from the scarlet letter, at which point b) Bellingham sternly indicates that the letter is precisely the reason they want to remove Pearl from her care. 4. As a test of Pearl's education, Wilson is asked to examine Pearl. a) He asks her who her maker is, to which Pearl replies that she was plucked off the rose bush that grows by the prison door. b) The Governor is so shocked by her reply that he is immediately prepared to take Pearl away from Hester.

What has happened to Roger Chillingworth since we first meet him in chapter 9? What has happened to Dimmesdale? What do the townspeople think of the two of them?

1. By renaming himself upon his arrival in Boston, Chillingworth has hidden his past from everyone except Hester, whom he has sworn to secrecy. 2. He incorporates himself into society in the role of a doctor, and since the townsfolk have very little access to good medical care, he is welcomed and valued. a) In addition to his training in European science, he also has some knowledge of "native" or "natural" remedies, because he was captured by Native Americans and lived with them for a time. b) The town sometimes refers to the doctor colloquially as a "leech," which was a common epithet for physicians at the time. c) The name derives from the practice of using leeches to drain blood from their patients, which used to be regarded as a curative process. 3. Much to the community's concern, Dimmesdale has been suffering from severe health problems. a) He appears to be wasting away, and he frequently clutches at his chest as though his heart pains him. b) Dimmesdale's poor health and Chillingworth's interest in the young man combine to make many of the church officials try to get them to live together. c) Dimmesdale declines at first, saying, "I need no medicine." 4. Because Dimmesdale refuses to marry any of the young women who have devoted themselves to him, Chillingworth urges the town leadership to insist that Dimmesdale allow the doctor to live with him. a) In this way, Chillingworth may have a chance to diagnose and cure the younger man. 5. The two men take rooms next to the cemetery in a widow's home, which gives them an opportunity for the contemplation of sin and death. a) The minister's room is hung with tapestries depicting biblical scenes of adultery and its punishment, while Chillingworth's room contains a laboratory that is sophisticated for its time. b) The narrator comments that "A man burdened with a secret should especially avoid the intimacy of his physician." 6. The townspeople were initially grateful for Chillingworth's presence and deemed his arrival a divine miracle designed to help Dimmesdale. a) As time has passed, however, rumors have spread concerning Chillingworth's personal history. b) Even more ominously, the man's face has begun to take on a look of evil. c) A majority of the townspeople begin to suspect that Chillingworth is the Devil, come to wage battle for Dimmesdale's soul.

Why are people glad that Dr. Chillingworth has stayed in chapter 9? Why are people concerned that he has stayed?

1. Chillingworth becomes respected in the community as a good physician who performs miracles with his potions 2. They think he is going to be able to cure Dimmesdale who is very sick a) he is overworked, pale, and has pains in his chest 3. The people are happy because they think that he will help Dimmesdale a) then they see that there is a change in Chillingworth and start to believe that he is the Devil b) People's rumor is foreshadowing of Chillingworth's changes a) people see a physical change and a change in his demeanor b) he is more misshaped and more dis-formed and uglier

How is Arthur Dimmesdale's mental and physical health in Chapter 11?

1. Chillingworth continues to play mind games with Dimmesdale, making his revenge as terrible as possible. 2. The minister often regards his doctor with distrust and even loathing, but because he can assign no rational basis to his feelings, he dismisses them and continues to suffer. 3. Dimmesdale's suffering, however, does inspire him to deliver some of his most powerful sermons, which focus on the topic of sin. a) His struggles allow him to empathize with human weakness, and he thus addresses "the whole human brotherhood in the heart's native language." 4. Although the reverend deeply yearns to confess the truth of his sin to his parishioners, he cannot bring himself to do so. a) As a result, his self-probing keeps him up at night, and he even sees visions. 5. In one vision, he sees Hester and "little Pearl in her scarlet garb." Hester points "her forefinger, first at the scarlet letter on her bosom, and then at the clergyman's own breast." a) The minister understands that he is delusional, but his psychological tumult leads him to assign great meaning to his delusions. b) he also sees his parents, dead childhood friends, and living friends in his visions b) Even the Bible offers him little support. 6. Unable to unburden himself of the guilt deriving from his sin, he begins to believe that "the whole universe is false, . . . it shrinks to nothing within his grasp." a) Dimmesdale begins to torture himself physically: he scourges himself with a whip, he fasts, and he holds extended vigils, during which he stays awake throughout the night meditating upon his sin. b) During one of these vigils, Dimmesdale seizes on an idea for what he believes may be a remedy to his pain. c) He decides to hold a vigil on the scaffold where, years before, Hester suffered for her sin.

What reasons does Dimmesdale give that some men don't confess their sins in chapter 10.

1. Chillingworth finds weeds growing out of a grave where the man's heart was a) hidden sin and evil that he did not confess before death 2. Men do not confess their sins because they did because: a) penance is sometimes done without confession b) only God can reveal the secrets of a human heart- not a part of the final judgement c) these secrets are ment to be reveal and the hearts that keep them will not be reluctant to give them up on judgement day 3. He says that most guilty men do, but some do not because it is their nature to stay quiet or they still posession a zeal for God's glory and well being for mankind a) do not wish to be remembered for their sins but instead for their good deeds

When Dimmesdale is asleep, what does Chillingworth do in chapter 10? What do you think is the significance of his actions?

1. Chillingworth sneaks into Dimemdale's room when is in a deep sleep and touches his chest and takes his shirt off 2. He wants proof and needs physical evidence of the sins that Dimmesdale is hiding a) the physical proof is not reveal but he sees something that makes him happy 3. Chillingworth finally has the proof that he needs to know about what Dimmesdale is hiding 4. It also shows how truly evil he has become

Describe the relationship between Dr. Chillingworth and Rev. Dimmesdale in chapter 10

1. Chillingworth's role is Dimmesdale's personal physician because of his failing health 2. they become friends and move in together so Chillingworth can figure out what Dimmesdale's illness s 3. Chillingworth wants to know Dimmesdale's secrets to minister his health because he believes his physical symptoms are caused by an spiritual illness 4. DImmesdale will not share his secrets with him and does not want Chillingworth's help a) something is weighign heavily on Dimesdale's heart which is why he is wants to die 5. Chillingworth wants to discover what is on Dimmesdale's heart but he is protecting his secrets a) chillingworth has the ability to see into people's hearts 6. Chillingworth keeps trying to get secrets and dimmesdale says God is his only physicians of the soil

Describe Dimmesdale's sermons both in content and in delivery style in chapter 11.

1. Dimmesdale becomes more popular as a minister as his suffering increases 2. He is a better speakers because he could share in the fact that others are sinners and he ca sympathizes with them because he is one too 3. The virgins in his church are trying to marry him because the ministers do not have to be celibate, but Dimmesdale is 4. He is planning on admitting his sins but he cannot bring himself to do it because everyone would think that he is humble and not believe him a) no one would believe that he could commit adultery 5. He is holding back because he is afraid to come out and say what he did 6. Chillingworth figures it out when he sneaks into Dimmedale's room at night and looks under his shirt

How do the people react to Dimmesdale's election day sermon in chapter 23? What is it about? How has he transformed after the sermon?

1. Dimmesdale finishes his Election Day sermon, which focuses on the relationship between God and the communities of mankind, "with a special reference to the New England which they [are] here planting in the wilderness." 2. Dimmesdale has proclaimed that the people of New England will be chosen by God, and the crowd is understandably moved by the sermon. a) As they file out of the meeting hall, the people murmur to each other that the sermon was the minister's best, most inspired, and most truthful ever b) they feel that the miister will soon die c) This moment is the most brilliant and triumphant in Dimmesdale's public life. d) Dimmesdale finishes and everyone says it is wisest and holiest 3. As the procession of dignitaries marches to a banquet at the town hall, the feelings of the crowd are expressed in a spontaneous shout of tribute to Dimmesdale. "Never, on New England soil, has stood the man so honored by his mortal brethren, as the preacher!" a) But the shout dies to a murmur as the people see Dimmesdale totter feebly and nervously in the procession. b) His face has taken on a deathly pallor, and he can scarcely walk. 4. John Wilson comes over to help his friend, but Dimmesdale refuses his arm and continues forward

What are the symbols present in the first chapter

1. The Prison a) symbolizes a place of punishment 2. the Rose bush a) offers relief to the prisoner going in and the convicted going out b) the rose bush and the prison are visual irony c) THE STORY WILL BE SAD AND MAYBE THE ROSES WILL BE A COMFORT TO THE READER d) "Finding it so directly on the threshold of our narrative, which is now about to issue from that inauspicious portal, we could hardly do otherwise than pluck one of its flowers and present it to the reader. It may sere, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a table of human frailty and sorrow" e) THE ROSES THEMSELVES SYMBOLIZE LOVE, BEAUTY, AND HOPE f) beauty can blossom in a terrible place like a cemetery g) the rose is offered to both the criminal and the reader 3. Cemetery a) symbolizes death or dying 4. Weeds a) symbolic of the sins and evil

What happens when Dimmesdale encounters Hester and Pearl in Chapter 12? What do they see in the sky? What does Pearl ask Dimmesdale? Who else sees them? What does the sexton give Dimmesdale the next day?

1. Dimmesdale laughs aloud and is answered by a laugh from Pearl, whose presence he had not noticed. 2. Hester and Pearl had also been at Winthrop's deathbed because the talented seamstress had been asked to make the governor's burial robe. 3. Dimmesdale invites them to join him on the scaffold, which they do. a) The three hold hands, forming an "electric chain." b) The minister feels energized and warmed by their presence. 4. Pearl innocently asks, "Wilt thou stand here with Mother and me, tomorrow noontide?" but the minister replies, "Not now, child, but at another time." a) When she presses him to name that time, he answers, "At the great judgment day." 5. Suddenly, a meteor brightens the dark sky, momentarily illuminating their surroundings. a) When the minister looks up, he sees an "A" in the sky, marked out in dull red light. b) he believes that this stands for adulterer 6. At the same time, Pearl points to a figure that stands in the distance and watches them. a) It is Chillingworth. 7. Dimmesdale asks Hester who Chillingworth really is, because the man occasions in him what he calls "a nameless horror." a) But Hester, sworn to secrecy, cannot reveal her husband's identity. b) Pearl says that she knows, but when she speaks into the minister's ear, she pronounces mere childish gibberish. c) Dimmesdale asks if she intends to mock him, and she replies that she is punishing him for his refusal to stand in public with her and her mother. 8. Chillingworth approaches and coaxes Dimmesdale down, saying that the minister must have sleepwalked his way up onto the scaffold. a) When Dimmesdale asks how Chillingworth knew where to find him, Chillingworth says that he, too, was making his way home from Winthrop's deathbed. b) Dimmesdale and Chillingworth return home. 9. The following day, the minister preaches his most powerful sermon to date. a) After the sermon, the church sexton hands Dimmesdale a black glove that was found on the scaffold. b) The sexton recognized it as the minister's, but concluded only that Satan must have been up to some mischief. c) The sexton then reveals another startling piece of information: he says that there has been report of a meteor falling last night in the shape of a letter "A." d) The townspeople have interpreted it as having nothing to do with either Hester or Dimmesdale. e) Rather, they believe it to stand for "Angel" and take it as a sign that Governor Winthrop has ascended to heaven.

Where does Dimmesdale go for his vigil in chapter 12? What does he do and who does he see?

1. Dimmesdale mounts the scaffold. 2. The pain in his breast causes him to scream aloud, and he worries that everyone in the town will wake up and come to look at him. a) Fortunately for Dimmesdale, the few townspeople who heard the cry took it for a witch's voice. b) Instead, only Governor Bellingham briefly appears on his balcony before retiring to bed. c) Mistress Hi bbins also hears this but think it is one of her witch friends 3. As Dimmesdale stands upon the scaffold, his mind turns to absurd thoughts. 4. He almost laughs when he sees Reverend Wilson, and in his delirium he thinks that he calls out to the older minister. a) But Wilson, coming from the deathbed of Governor Winthrop (the colony's first governor), passes without noticing the penitent. 5. Having come so close to being sighted, Dimmesdale begins to fantasize about what would happen if everyone in town were to witness their holy minister standing in the place of public shame. a) Dimmesdale waits a while longer and then bursts out laughing.

What does sunshine and darkness symbolize?

1. First brought up in chapter 5 a) as she exits the prison, the sun shines on her as if to reveal the scarlet letter b) she is self conscious of the scarlet letter c) the sunshine is shining on the letter and one her sin 2. The sun is shining on the front of the mansion and makes it sparkly in chapter 7 a) Pearl wants some sunshine to play with, but Hester tells her that she doesn't have any sunshine to give her and Pearl must go catch her on 3. In chapter 16, Pearl tells her mother that the sunshine runs away from Hester cause of the scarlet letter (she has to live in darkness), but Pearl is a child and doesn't have a scarlet letter so it will let her play with it b) she is described as looking beautiful with the sunshining on her 4. the sunshine is used as a symbol of when it shines on Hester and Dimmesdale once they decided to be together

Who is Mistress Hibbins

1. Governor Bellingham's sister. 2. She invites Hester to a witches' meeting in the woods and becomes the object of Pearl's fascination. 3. She speaks often of the "Black Man," another name for the Devil. 4. She is executed for practicing witchcraft about a year after Dimmesdale dies. 5. Her death shows how merciless Puritan society had become in the name of piety and propriety: the Governor would even order the execution of his own sister.

What types of penance does Dimmesdale perform in chapter 11?

1. He is trying to atone for his sins by doing enance a) he is only going to make his health worse 2. He is fasting for days, studying scripture non stop and holding all night vigils 3. He is also self harming himself by beating himself with a chair and whip 4. He goes to the scaffold to try and atone for his sins

Why does Hester not leave Boston in chapter 5

1. Hester can leave town but chooses not to because she is drawn there 2. It is the place of her sin and it is the place where she has to sere her punishment 3. People are drawn to spots where major events in their life toke place 4. "The chain that bound her here was of iron links, and galling to her inmost soul, but could never be broken" a) this is a metaphor for her sin rooting her there 5. her lover is still there a) "There dwelt, there trode the feet of one with whom she deemed herself connected in a union, that, unrecognized on earth, would bring them together before the bar of final judgment, and make that their marriage-altar, for a joint futurity of endless retribution." b) the father is still in the town and she feels herself in a union with him that is not recognized on earth, but it will be in heaven 6. "Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment; and so, perchance, the torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul, and work out another purity than that which she had lost; more saint-like, because the result of martyrdom."

How is Pearl described both as to her physical characteristics and her personality in chapter 6?

1. Pearl is given her name after the proverb about pearl being trade at a great price a) pearl had cost her mother a great price b) she is also her mother's greatest treasure- it does not describe her beauty, even though she is beautiful c) "But she named the infant "Pearl," as being of great price,—purchased with all she had,—her mother's only treasure! How strange, indeed! Man had marked this woman's sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent for ever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in Heaven!" 2. It is ironic how society has chastised Hester, but God gave her a beautiful child a) they do not see a merciful God, so it is weird that he gave her a pretty baby b) weird that thee is such a good result of her sin- it is reward or gift from God c) "She knew that her deed had been evil; she could have no faith, therefore, that its result would be for good." d) she knows she committed a sin, but knows the result is good 3. Pearl is beautiful baby that would have been worthy to have been left in Eden after Adam and Eve were forced out 4. As a child she could not follow the rules a) She is outwardly beautiful, but she can not follow the rules 5. Hester's parenting style is very lax instead of the physical punishments of the Puritan times a) she gives up when Pearl does not listen and lets her do what she wants b) Hester only gets break when Pearl is asleep c) PEAL IS A DEVIL CHILD 6. When Hester cries, Pearl sometimes laughs and other times bursts into tears to prove that she can break her own heart and she was human too

How does Pearl react to Dimmesdale and Hester being together in chapter 19? What is the only way the Hester can get Pearl to come join them?

1. Hester decides the time has come for Dimmesdale to meet Pearl. a) Hester and Dimmesdale are joined spiritually and genetically to this child, and "in her was visible the tie that united them." b) While Dimmesdale confesses that he has always been afraid someone would recognize his features in Pearl, Hester simply speaks of Pearl's beauty and sees her as a "living hieroglyphic." c) Dimmesdale remembers Pearl being kind to him, yet he also feels ill at ease around children and is not very confident about this meeting. d) Hester, however, assures him that Pearl will love him and that he should be careful not to overwhelm her with emotion. 2. Pearl moves very slowly toward them, trying to discern her parents' relationship. a) Dimmesdale senses her hesitation and puts his hand once again over his heart. b) Seeing the scarlet letter on the ground and her mother's hair sensuously falling about her shoulders, Pearl points her finger, stamps her foot, shrieks, and "bursts into a fit of passion." 3. Hester's and Dimmesdale's reactions to Pearl's behavior vary. a) Hester realizes that Pearl recognizes the change in her (the letter is gone from her bosom and her hair is no longer hidden under a cap), b) She excuses Pearl's actions by saying children cannot abide change easily. c) Dimmesdale, on the other hand, begs Hester to do whatever will stop this fit and pacify Pearl. 4. Hester tells Pearl to look down at her feet, where the scarlet letter landed a) She tells Pearl to pick it up and bring it to Hester b) Pearl refuses and Hester has to walk over to get it and puts it on c) Hester has to pin the letter back on and effect a transformation back into her old, sad self before Pearl will cross the creek d) As soon as Hester changes her appearance, Pearl willingly comes to her and mockingly kisses the scarlet letter. e) In her mother's arms, Pearl kisses Hester and, seemingly out of spite, also kisses the scarlet letter. 5. Pearl desires the minister to acknowledge her in public. a) Pearl, aware that the adults seem to have made some sort of arrangement, asks, "Will he go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into the town?" b) While Hester assures her that this admission will happen in the future, Dimmesdale kisses Pearl's forehead in an attempt to mollify her. c) Pearl immediately goes to the brook and washes off the kiss. d) There she remains apart from the adults, and the brook babbles cheerlessly on.

How does hester react to Governor Bellingham saying that he will take Pearl away from her in chapter 7? Who does she turn to for help? Who does Hester and Pearl meet as they are leaving the governor's house?

1. Hester grabs Pearl and screams that she will die before the men are allowed to take away her daughter. 2. Finally, in desperation, she turns to Arthur Dimmesdale and pleads with him to speak on her behalf. a) He comes forward with his hand over his heart and argues that God has obviously given Pearl to Hester for some divine reason, and that it would meddle with the ways of the Lord to take Pearl away from her. b) He then indicates that Pearl is punishment for Hester as well, evidenced by the "garb of the poor child, so forcibly reminding us of that red symbol which sears [Hester's] bosom." 3. Bellingham agrees with Dimmesdale's arguments and decides to let matters stand as they currently are. 4. Pearl then goes to Dimmesdale and presses her cheek against his hand, showing a tenderness which is unusual for her demeanor. a) Dimmesdale responds by kissing her brow to which Pearl responds by skipping away 5. Chillingworth presses the men to reopen their investigation into the identity of Hester's lover, but they refuse, telling him that God will reveal the information when He deems it appropriate. 6. As Hester leaves the governor's mansion, Mistress Hibbins, the governor's sister, pokes her head out of the window to invite Hester to a witches' gathering. a) Hester tells her that if she had not been able to keep Pearl, she would have gone willingly. b) The narrator notes that it seems Pearl has saved her mother from Satan's temptations.

Why does Hester go to Governor Bellingham's mansion in chapter 7? What happens to Pearl and Hester as they walk to the mansion? How is the governor's mansion described?

1. Hester pays a visit to Governor Bellingham's mansion. 2. She has two intentions: a) to deliver a pair of ornate gloves she has made for the governor b) to find out if there is any truth to the rumors that Pearl, now three, may be taken from her. 3. Some of the townspeople, apparently including the governor, have come to suspect Pearl of being a sort of demon-child. a) The townspeople reason that if Pearl is a demon-child, she should be taken from Hester for Hester's sake. b) And, they reason, if Pearl is indeed a human child, she should be taken away from her mother for her own sake and given to a "better" parent than Hester Prynne. 4. Hester has decorated Pearl in a "crimson velvet tunic" embroidered with gold thread. a) The narrator comments that "the child's whole appearance ... was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!" 5. On their way to see the governor, Hester and Pearl are attacked by a group of children, who try to fling mud at them. a) a child shouts out before they start flinging mud at them, "behold, verily there is the woman of the scarlet letter, and of a truth moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side" b) Pearl becomes angry and frightens the children off. 6. Reaching the Governor's large, elaborate, stucco frame dwelling, Hester and Pearl are admitted by a bondsman. a) the bondsman at first does not let them in because the Governor is meeting with a couple of gentlemen, but does not argue when Hester forces her way in because he believes that the scarlet letter means that she is nobility of some kind 7. The governor's mansion is stuffy and severe. a) It is built in the style of the English aristocracy, complete with family portraits and a suit of armor, which the governor has worn in battles with the Native Americans. 7. Pearl is fascinated by the armor. a) When she points out her mother's reflection in it, Hester is horrified to see that the scarlet letter dominates the reflection. b) Pearl begins to scream for a rose from the bush outside the window, but she is quieted by the entrance of a group of men.

Although the Puritans hoped to have a utopia in the new country, they immediately set aside land for a cemetery and a prison. What is Hawthorne's point? How do symbols reinforce the point in chapter 1?

1. His point is that even the most equal and utopian of societies, there will still be death and there will still be crimes that need punished 2. His symbols reinforce his point because he talks about the weeds, which symbolize sin and evil, and he talks about the prison itself which symbolizes a place of punishment and guilt

What do Dimmesdale and Chillingworth discuss in Chapter 10? Who interrupts them? What does the interruption result in? What does Chillingworth discover at the end of the chapter?

1. One day Dimmesdale questions his doctor about an unusual-looking plant. Chillingworth remarks that he found it growing on an unmarked grave and suggests that the dark weeds are the sign of the buried person's unconfessed sin. 2. The two enter into an uncomfortable conversation about confession, redemption, and the notion of "burying" one's secrets. a) Chillingworth engages the minister in a conversation about why men keep secrets in their hearts rather than revealing them immediately. Dimmesdale clutches his breast and struggles to avoid directly answering the questions Chillingworth poses. 3. As they speak, they hear a cry from outside. a) Through the window, they see Pearl dancing in the graveyard and hooking burrs onto the "A" on Hester's chest. b) Chillingworth observes that Pearl has no "discoverable principle of being" since she disregards all human ordinances and opinions. c) Dimmesdale then remarks that Pearl embodies "the freedom of a broken law." 4. When Pearl notices the two men, she hurls one of her burrs at Dimmesdale, who recoils in fear. a) then she drags her mother away, saying that the "Black Man" has already gotten the minister and that he must not capture them too. 5. Chillingworth remarks that Hester is not a woman who lives with buried sin—she wears her sin openly on her breast. a) At Chillingworth's words, Dimmesdale is careful not to give himself away either as someone who is intimately attached to Hester or as someone with a "buried" sin of his own. b) Chillingworth begins to prod the minister more directly by inquiring about his spiritual condition, explaining that he thinks it relevant to his physical health. c) Dimmesdale becomes agitated and tells Chillingworth that such matters are the concern of God. d) He then leaves the room. 6. Dimmesdale's behavior has reinforced Chillingworth's suspicions. a) The minister apologizes for his behavior, and the two are friends again. 7. However, a few days later, Chillingworth sneaks up to Dimmesdale while he is asleep and pushes aside the shirt that Dimmesdale is wearing. a) What he sees on Dimmesdale's chest causes the doctor to rejoice, but the reader is kept in the dark as to what Chillingworth has found there. b) He is incredibly full of joy and wonderment after having felt Dimmesdale's heart. c) The narrator tells us that he acted "how Satan comports himself when a precious human soul is lost to heaven and won into his kingdom."

Reverend Wilson, Gov. Bellingham and Reverend Dimmesdale all speak to Hester in chapter 3. What do they ask her? Why does she refuse to do what they want? How is suspense built?

1. Reverend John WIlson and Governor Bellingham are minor characters 2. Wilson says that Hester's sins are vile and black a) he wants to know the name of her baby's father, but Dimmesdale does not believe she should have to reveal the name b) "But he opposes to me, (with a young man's over-softness, albeit wise beyond his years,) that it were wronging the very nature of woman to force her to lay open her heart's secrets in such broad daylight, and in presence of so great a multitude." c) Do not make her do it 3. Bellingham tells Dimmesdale that it is his responsibility as her pastor to get her to confess the name of her lover 4. Dimmesdale tells Hester to speak out the name of her fellow sinner because it is better for him to step down from his place and join you at the scaffold than to hide a guilty heart for the rest of his life a) your silence only tempts his sins b) do not deny him the public triumph over evil that you are receiving 5. His words are so powerful that even Hester's baby is affected and reaches out to Dimmesdale a) Dimmesdale has so much power in his speech that people are sure the father will run up to the scaffold and confess or that Hester will confess his name 6. She refuses to name the man because she says that she will endure his agony and her agony alone a) she says she cannot take the scarlet letter off because it is too deeply branded b) she says that she will never tell and that her daughter will have to have a Heavenly father because she will never have an earthly one 7. There is suspense regarding who the father of the baby is and if Hester will give the name up

When Hester first sees Chillingworth, what changes does she notice about him in chapter 14? Why is she so upset with him? How does Chillingworth react?

1. She goes to meet him and notices his devilish looks 2. She asks him to back off 3. He says that he has done everything that he can to help Dimemsdale (given him better treatement than king's can afford and for free) a) he says that he should be thanked because Dimmesdale is still breathing and he has only helped him b) he claims that Dimmesdale knows what is going on 4. Hester pleads with him to stop and asks him to pardon Dimmesdale a) he says that he does not have that power b) "Let the black flower blossom as it may" A) black flower-black man B) man's grave-let evil grow natural in his heart

Since she has sinned herself, how does she feel toward other townspeople in chapter 5? How do they feel about her?

1. She has become the topic of pastor's sermons 2. The children make fun or her and Pearl a) they creep to her house and look into the window to see the letter and then get scared and run off 3. They all shun her for her sins 4. "She was patience, she was a martyred" a) she feels the anguish of her sins especially from the Puritan tribunal 5. "she felt an eye—a human eye—upon the ignominious brand, that seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half of her agony were shared. The next instant, back it all rushed again," a) Baby's father sees her and it releaves her for a moment b) SOMEONE ELSE THAT HAS ALSO COMMITTED ADULTERY BUT AS NOT BEEN CAUGHT YET c) her sin is more recognizable, but the way that they look at her letter gives her a feeling that they are hiding their sin from the world 6. the scarlet letter gives her the power to see other's sins "Walking to and fro, with those lonely footsteps, in the little world with which she was outwardly connected, it now and then appeared to Hester,—if altogether fancy, it was nevertheless too potent to be resisted,—she felt or fancied, then, that the scarlet letter had endowed her with a new sense. She shuddered to believe, yet could not help believing, that it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts." a) she feels the letter gives her a sympathetic knowledge of the sins in others hearts 7. There is legend told about Hester Prynne a) that when she walks the streets at night, the letter glows b) it might be very true-this is the first time Hawthorne goes into first person

What motivates Hester to talk to Chillingworth in chapter 14?

1. She has to save Dimmedales soul 2. In order to tell Dimmesdale the truth, she has to meet with Chillingworth and tell him that she is breaking her promise to him and ask him to back off

When Chillingworth and Dimmesdale look out the window, they see Hester and Pearl in chapter 10. What does Pearl do to once again link Hester and Dimmesdale?

1. She is decorating the scarlet letter with burrs on her mother's chest 2. She throws burrs at Dimmesdale who ducks in horror a) she clamps and then yells at her mother to run before the black man get them (chillingworth) 3. Pearl do not know that Dimmesdale is her father 4. Symbol of Dimmesdale shrinking from burr and Pearl seeing Chilingworth as the devil a) Hester is less miserable of a person because her sin is open, but Dimmesdale is jealous and feels guilty b) Chillingworth is guilty for hurting dimmesdale

How does Pearl act with Reverend Wilson in chapter 8? With Reverend Dimmesdale?

1. She is very cold towards Reverened Wilson, who is surprised because children generally love him 2. She is very gentle and rubs her face on Dimmesdale's hand, which is surprising to him so kids do not generally like him

Why does Hester think she should be allowed to keep her child in chapter 8?

1. She says that she can teach her thinks that she learned from the scarlet letter 2. She also says that she will die if she loses her child, that Pearl is the one good thing in her life

Who does Hester Prynne see in Chapter 3 when she is standing on the scaffold? What does Chillingworth do when he sees Hester on the scaffold?

1. Suddenly as Hester looks out into the crowd she recognizes Roger Chillingworth, her husband, standing beside an Indian at the edge of the crowd. 2. She clutches her baby in alarm. a) It cries out in protest. 3. Chillingworth is "civilized and savage." a) He is small, intelligent looking, and somewhat deformed, with one shoulder higher than the other. 4. Chillingworth's face becomes horrified when he sees that the woman on the scaffold is Hester, his wife. Chillingworth and Hester's eyes lock. a) He quickly places his fingers to his lips to silence her. 5. Chillingworth asks a man about Hester's identity and crime. a) The man is surprised Chillingworth hasn't heard about Hester's notorious sin. b) Chillingworth lies that he's been held captive by Indians. c) He asks the man to explain Hester's crime. d) The stranger tells Hester's history. e) She had been married to a scholar from England (Chillingworth), but had arrived in Massachusetts alone while he remained in Amsterdam. f) She lived alone in Boston for two years before falling into sin and scandal. g)Chillingworth remarks that Hester's husband must have been foolish to think he could keep a young wife happy, and asks who fathered Hester's child. h) The man says that the child's father remains a mystery and suggests that Hester's husband come from Europe to investigate the matter himself. i) The man also notes that Hester did not receive the full "extremity of righteous law," which would have punished her with death. (HER CURRENT SENTENCE IS THREE HOURS ON THE SCAFFOLD AND A LIFETIME OF WEARING THE SCARLET LETTER ON HER CHEST) j) Chillingworth says Hester's sentence makes more sense because now Hester will serve as a living "sermon against sin." k) Chillingworth predicts that the man who fathered Hester's child will eventually be revealed and repeats the phrase, "he will be known!"

What are the people talking about outside the prison in chapter 2? What is on Hester's chest when she leaves through the prison door? How does the narrator describe Hester Prynne

1. The crowd outside the prison grows restless waiting for Hester Prynne to appear. 2. The faces in the crowd are grim, yet familiar, since Puritans gathered often to watch criminals be punished. a) The narrator says that the Puritans considered religion and law to be almost identical. 3. Some of the Puritan women waiting outside the prison say Hester deserved a harsher sentence. a) One states that Revered Dimmesdale, Hester's pastor, must be ashamed that a member of his congregation committed such an awful sin. b) the youngest woman in the group agues that Hester should not have to wear the scarlet letter on her breast, because she will always feel it's mark on her heart c) some one else adds that they should brand her forehead with a hot iron instead of having her wear the scarlet letter d) Another says that Hester should have been executed for her sin. e) a gentleman tells the ladies to stop gossiping because Hester Prynne is coming out of the prison door 4. Hester exits the prison holding a three month-old infant. 5. The prison guard puts a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugs him off and goes out alone, with "natural dignity," looking proud, radiant, and beautiful. 6. On her chest Hester wears a scarlet letter "A," affixed with beautiful embroidery that strikes some women in the crowd as inappropriate. a) The narrator describes the letter in detail, noting that its "fertility" and "gorgeous luxuriance" pushed it beyond the Puritans' boundaries of acceptable dress. b) it is embroider in gold and scarlet thread c) From the women's conversation and Hester's reminiscences as she walks through the crowd, we can deduce that she has committed adultery and has borne an illegitimate child, and that the "A" on her dress stands for "Adulterer." 7. Hester is tall, with a head of dark glossy hair, and a beautiful face with deeply set black eyes. a) She has a lady-like dignity, which the narrator says never was more powerful or beautiful than when she emerged from prison. 8. As the crowd stares at Hester, the crowd focuses on the scarlet letter, which transfixes everyone. a) The letter sets Hester apart, enclosing her in "a sphere by herself" outside the watching crowd. 9. The beadle calls Hester forth. a) Children taunt her and adults stare. b) Children were given the day off of school just to come and watch her on the scaffold

How do Dimmesdale and Hester's appearances transform after their decision to run away together in chapter 18? What has pearl been up to during their conversation?

1. The decision to move to Europe energizes both Dimmesdale and Hester. 2. Dimmesdale declares that he can feel joy once again, and Hester throws the scarlet letter from her chest. a) Having cast off her "stigma," Hester regains some of her former, passionate beauty, and she lets down her hair and smiles. b) Sunlight, which as Pearl has pointed out stays away from her mother as though it fears her scarlet letter, suddenly brightens the forest. 3. Hester speaks to Dimmesdale about Pearl and is ecstatic that father and daughter will be able to know one another. a) She calls their daughter, who has been playing among the forest creatures, to join them. 4. The narrator then compares Pearl to a nymph and calls her a wild spirit. a) He tells that the animals were not afraid of her, and even a wolf allowed her to pat its head. b) Pearl has decorated herself with wild flowers, both in her hair and on her clothing. c) When she sees the minister she approaches slowly. d) Pearl approaches warily.

What are the topics that develop into themes in the scarlet letter?

1. The effects of sin/ guilt 2. Sin brings knowledge or insight. 3. Personal vs. public truth 4. The nature of evil 5. The effects of alienation 6. Revenge and retribution 7. Wisdom through suffering 8. Secret sin vs public shame

Who is Governor Bellingham

1. The governor of Boston and the brother of Mistress Hibbins. 2. Bellingham conducts himself like an aristocrat, enjoying money, luxury, and the privileges of power. 3. Yet when it comes to the actions of others, Governor Bellingham punishes any behavior that does not fit with the strict Puritan rules of behavior. 4. This makes him a hard-hearted hypocrite. a) For instance, even while employing Hester to do fancy needlepoint for him, he tries to take Pearl from her, arguing that as an adulterer she's an unfit mother. b) Later, he convicts and executes his own sister of practicing witchcraft.

What are the sources of the novel?

1. The idea of the actual scarlet letter comes from a history in which adultery and polygamy are punishable where one is forced to wear a scarlet capital letter A on your clothes 2. minor characters-some were real people like governor in the book who was an actual person 3. main characters-hawthorne made them up but the main character is based on someone he read about: Hester Prynne

Who is Pearl

1. The illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. 2. Pearl serves as a symbol of her mother's shame and triumph. 3. At one point the narrator describes Pearl as "the scarlet letter endowed with life." a) Like the letter, Pearl is the public consequence of Hester's very private sin. b) Yet also like the scarlet letter, Pearl becomes Hester's source of strength. c) Pearl defines Hester's identity and purpose and gives Hester a companion to love. d) Although she often struggles to understand Pearl's rebelliousness and devilish spirit, Hester never wavers in her loving devotion to Pearl. 4. Pearl, an outcast, is drawn to other outcasts, such as Mistress Hibbins and her witch friends. 5. Pearl's affinity for the occult associates her character with sin and evil, but Pearl is first and foremost a product of love, not just sin. 6. Her rumored happiness and success as an adult in Europe make her character a symbol of the triumph of love over a repressed and oppressive society. 7. Hester and Arthur's daughter. 8. Pearl is characterized as a living version of the scarlet letter. 9. She constantly causes her mother and Dimmesdale torment and anguish throughout the novel with her ability to at once state the truth and deny it when it is most necessary. 10. Pearl is described as extremely beautiful but lacking Christian decency. 11. After Arthur Dimmesdale dies, Pearl's wildness eases, and she eventually marries. HER SYMBOLISM: 1. Although Pearl is a complex character, her primary function within the novel is as a symbol. Pearl is a sort of living version of her mother's scarlet letter. a) her mother even dresses her as the living scarlet letter in a red dress with gold thread because she is owning up to her sin and subconsciously connecting her sin and Pearl 2. She is the physical consequence of sexual sin and the indicator of a transgression. 3. Yet, even as a reminder of Hester's "sin," Pearl is more than a mere punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing. a) She represents not only "sin" but also the vital spirit and passion that engendered that sin. b) Thus, Pearl's existence gives her mother reason to live, bolstering her spirits when she is tempted to give up. 4. It is only after Dimmesdale is revealed to be Pearl's father that Pearl can become fully "human." 5. Until then, she functions in a symbolic capacity as the reminder of an unsolved mystery.

How does the relationship between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale progress in chapter 10?

1. The inwardly tortured minister soon becomes Chillingworth's greatest puzzle. 2. The doctor relentlessly and mercilessly seeks to find the root of his patient's condition. a) Chillingworth shows great persistence in inquiring into the most private details of Dimmesdale's life, but Dimmesdale has grown suspicious of all men and will confide in no one. b) Chillingworth devotes all of his time to his patient. c) Even when he is not in Dimmesdale's presence, Chillingworth is busy gathering herbs and weeds out of which to make medicines. d) Dimmesdale fails to realize that Chillingworth is in fact his enemy. e) He is so terrified of everyone in the town finding out his secret that he is blind to any enemy within his own home.

How speaks to Hester Prynne when she is on the scaffold in chapter 3

1. The narrator then introduces us to the town fathers who sit in judgment of Hester: a) Governor Bellingham, b) Reverend Wilson c) Reverend Dimmesdale. 2. Mr. Wilson, an elderly local reverend, addresses Hester and calls on her pastor, Arthur Dimmesdale, to question her about her sin. 3. Dimmesdale, a young minister who is renowned for his eloquence, religious fervor, and theological expertise, is delegated to demand that Hester reveal the name of her child's father. 4. Dimmesdale demands that she reveal the identity of her baby's father a) He tells her that she should not protect the man's identity out of pity or tenderness, but when she staunchly refuses he does not press her further. b) Dimmesdale cries out, "She will not speak!" and places his hand over his heart. 5. she says she will never reveal his name. a) Hester says that her child will seek a heavenly father and will never know an earthly one. 6. Reverend Wilson then steps in and delivers a condemnatory sermon on sin, frequently referring to Hester's scarlet letter, which seems to the crowd to glow and burn. a) Hester bears the sermon patiently, hushing Pearl when she begins to scream. b) At the conclusion of the sermon, Hester is led back into the prison.

Who is Roger Chillingworth

1. The old scholar who Hester Prynne met and married before coming to Boston. 2. Chillingworth is a forbidding presence. 3. Even his name reflects his haunting, ice-cold aura. 4. Hester's relationship with Chillingworth, her actual husband, contrasts sharply with her relationship with Dimmesdale, her lover. a) Chillingworth is an older man whom she married for reasons other than love. b) Dimmesdale is a beloved reverend with whom she had an affair out of love and irrepressible desire. c) Chillingworth recognizes this difference and punishes Hester and Dimmesdale covertly by tormenting Dimmesdale almost to the point of killing him. d) Meanwhile, he hypocritically makes Hester swear not to reveal his true identity as her husband in order to avoid the humiliation of being associated with their scandalous affair. 5. In the end, by tormenting Dimmesdale, Chillingworth transforms himself into a sick and twisted man, a kind of fiend. a) Chillingworth, having lost the object of his hatred, dies soon after Dimmesdale (a year later) 6. The husband of Hester Prynne 7. He is friend/enemies with Arthur Dimmesdale 8. He is friends with Governor Bellingham and John Wilson a) the executive 9. he leaves all of his money to Pearl after his death

Who is Hester Prynne?

1. The protagonist of the novel, Hester is married to Roger Chillingworth and has an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale. 2. The affair produces a daughter, Pearl. 3. Hester plays many roles in The Scarlet Letter: devoted mother, abandoned lover, estranged wife, religious dissenter, feminist, and outcast, to name just a few. a) Perhaps her most important role is that of an iconoclast, one who opposes established conventions. b) Hester is not just a rebel, she's a glorified rebel, and Hawthorne uses her to criticize the Puritan's strict society. 4. He portrays Hester fondly, as a woman of strength, independence, and kindness, who stands up to the judgments and constraints of her society. a) Though society tries to demean and disgrace her, Hawthorne emphasizes that Hester never looked more attractive as when she first emerged from prison wearing the scarlet letter. 5. MUST WEAR THE SCARLET LETTER A ON HER BODY AS PUNISHMENT FOR HER ADULTEROUS AFFAIR 6. Hester is married to Roger Chillingworth, but while Hester awaited her husband's arrival from Amsterdam, she met Dimmesdale and engaged in the adulterous affair, which led to Pearl's birth. 7. Hester is never quite penitent for her "crime," if only because she cannot understand how her punishments could be so harsh. 8. When Governor Bellingham orders Pearl to be taken away from her, Hester wonders whether a woman must die for following her heart, prompting Dimmesdale to intercede as a subtle way of taking responsibility for the affair. 9. Hester learns that Chillingworth is seeking to destroy Dimmesdale, and she decides that her marriage was never sanctified in the first place, for her husband has the seething rage of the devil himself. 10. Hester is thus paired with Dimmesdale upon the scaffold for his final moments.

What does the Scarlet Letter symbolize?

1. The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester. 2. The letter's meaning shifts as time passes. 3. Originally intended to mark Hester as an adulterer, the "A" eventually comes to stand for "Able." 4. Finally, it becomes indeterminate: the Native Americans who come to watch the Election Day pageant think it marks her as a person of importance and status. Like Pearl, the letter functions as a physical reminder of Hester's affair with Dimmesdale. a) But, compared with a human child, the letter seems insignificant, and thus helps to point out the ultimate meaninglessness of the community's system of judgment and punishment. b) The child has been sent from God, or at least from nature, but the letter is merely a human contrivance. c) Additionally, the instability of the letter's apparent meaning calls into question society's ability to use symbols for ideological reinforcement. d) More often than not, a symbol becomes a focal point for critical analysis and debate.

Summarizes the events in Chapter 1?

1. This first chapter contains little in the way of action, instead setting the scene and introducing the first of many symbols that will come to dominate the story. 2. A crowd of somber, dreary-looking people has gathered outside the door of a prison in seventeenth-century Boston. 3. The building's heavy oak door is studded with iron spikes, and the prison appears to have been constructed to hold dangerous criminals. a) No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, the narrator tells us, they invariably provide for a prison and a cemetery almost immediately. b) This is true of the citizens of Boston, who built their prison some twenty years earlier. c) He adds that this particular prison was most likely built upon the founding of Boston and describes prisons as the "black flower of civilized society." d) The iron on the prison is rusting and creates an overall appearance of decay. 5. He describes the weeds that have grown around the prison. 6. The one incongruity in the otherwise drab scene is the rosebush that grows next to the prison door. a) The narrator remarks that it is possible that "this rosebush ... had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson, as she entered the prison door." b) The narrator suggests that it offers a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it will provide either a "sweet moral blossom" or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom. c) He then plucks one of the rose blossoms and offers it to the reader. d) He describes the gesture and the blossom as a symbol of the moral that the reader might learn in reading his "tale of human frailty and sorrow."

How do Roger Chillingworth and Hester Prynne meet in the prison in chapter 4?

1. When Hester and Pearl return to prison, Pearl cries uncontrollably. a) Hester returns to her prison cell, she remains agitated by the day's events. b) The prison guards allow a doctor in to help calm her. c) Posing as a physician, Roger Chillingworth enters and gives healing concoctions to Pearl and Hester. A) Roger Chillingworth was staying the night in the prison because he had no where else to go d) He mixes a potion for Pearl, who soon falls asleep e) Hester initially tries to keep him from helping Pearl because she is afraid that he will kill her f) Chillingworth argues that he would never hurt an innocent baby 2. Hester fears Chillingworth might actually be poisoning her, but drinks his remedy. a) She thinks that Chillingworth might be poisoning her, but he assures her that he wants her to live so that he can have his revenge. 3. In the candid conversation that follows, he chastises himself for thinking that he, a misshapen bookworm, could keep a beautiful wife like Hester happy. 4. He urges her to reveal the identity of her lover, telling her that he will surely detect signs of sympathy that will lead him to the guilty party. a) When she refuses to tell her secret, he makes her promise that she will not reveal to anyone his own identity either. 5. His demoniacal grin and obvious delight at her current tribulations lead Hester to burst out the speculation that he may be the "Black Man"—the Devil in disguise—come to lure her into a pact and damn her soul. a) Chillingworth replies that it is not the well-being of her soul that his presence jeopardizes, implying that he plans to seek out her unknown lover. b) He clearly has revenge on his mind.

Describe the physical changes in Hester in chapter 18

1. she throws the scarlet letter in a distance and it stays ear the water a) it gets near the river b) this is symbolism because it is still lingering on her-she can't get rid of it c) there will always bee a mark on her d) God says you are done it it went into the stream 2. She feels lighter than takes off the cap and lets her hair down 3. She is transfigured and becomes beautiful again a) she regains her feminine beauty

What is the allusion made in Chapter 1?

Hawthorne makes an allusion to Anne Hutchinson, the founder of a religious sect separate from Puritanism. a) she broke away from Puritanism b) she was a radical person who broke away from her faith and established her own sect c) Hawthorne asks if the rose bush in front of the garden sprung up from under her step

Who wrote the Scarlet Letter?

Nathaniel Hawthorne 1. 1804-1864 2. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, 1804 3. Scarlet letter was published in the 19th century but it is set it the time of the Puritans 4. One of his ancestors had been among the judges who condemned women as witches at the 1692 trials. a) Looked down on Puritan way and wrote fiction b) Felt guilt and that the fate of his ancestors came down on him c) Like he was also at fault 5. Worked at Boston Custom House before coming back to Salem-there is an intro section in the Scarlet letter called Custom House 6. Lived on brooke farm which is where he met his wife 7. 1850: The Scarlet Letter a) Became a sensation right away 8. 1851: The House of the Seven Gables 9. He called his tales "allegories of the heart." 10. ONE OF THE FIRST AMERICAN AUTHORS TO USE N EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF SYMBOLISM