The Scarlet Letter

Test Review

Where does the story take place?

Boston, Massachusetts

What were two early concerns of the colonists?

having a cematary and prison

What is unsightly vegetation?

weeds

What one flower contrasts with the somberness of the scene?

rose

What is described as the “black flower of civilized society”

the prison

What is described as a “tale of human frailty and sorrow”

the book itself

What does the rose symbolize

sweet moral blossoms (morality)

What is the tone of the opening chapter?

somber, tense, solemn, optimism, hopeful

When does the story take place?

June, 1642-1649 (200 years after Chapter 1)

Describe “the Puritan character”

rigid, severe, God-fearing

heterodox

not conforming with accepted standards or beliefs

beadle

town crier

malefactress

woman who violates law or does evil/ female who commits crime

ignominy

public shame or disgrace

What is the 17th century meaning of gossips

familiar aquaintance (only applied to women)

Is Hester heterodox?

Yes and no, commits adultery, doesn’t give up father, accepts punishment

Who is Mistress Hibbons?

widow of magistrate, will hang for witchcraft

Why is the minister distressed, according one woman?

huge scandal in congregation, takes scandal personally

Characteristics of Hester

tall, dark abundant hair, deep black eyes, rich complexion, marked brow, perfectly elegant figure

Who is the stranger?

same person as visions, Roger Chillingworth, husband

why is he accompanied by an Indian?

Indian brought him out of captivity

Why did Hester precede her husband to the New World?

he needed to look after something in Amsterdam

What is the scaffold?

platform of pillory in the middle of the market place, used for punishment

Who is john Wilson

reverend, eldest clergyman of Boston, scholar, arrived with the first settlers in 1630

Qualities of Dimmesdale’s preaching manner

genuine, adamant, moving (touched hearts of the people), religious fervor, logos, speech of an angel, simple and childlike

What is hinted about the scarlet letter when Hester returns to prison?

glowed, lit up the prison hallway, “threw a lurid gleam along the dark passageway of the interior”

Explain the chapter title “The Recognition”

Hester recognizes the stranger, the town recognizes Hester as an adulteress

How long does Hester stand on the scaffold"?

3 hours

Did the Massachusetts magistrates have mercy in the sentence?

yes, they could have had her put to death, but they didn’t

Who is master Brackett?

jailer, recommends mental help for Hester and Pearl

Who is Roger Chillingworth?

Hester’s husband, doctor (learned from the natives)

What does he vow to do?

find out Hester’s lover and make him feel guilt

Why does he assume another name?

To avoid shame and connection to Hester, keep his reputation

What does he make Hester promise?

to keep his identity a secret since he is out for revenge

Why does Hester hesitate about taking the medicine"?

she questions his motives in giving it to her

Is Chillingworth a medical doctor?

No he’s an alchemist (witch doctor)

Where has he recently learned secrets of folk medicine?

his time with the Natives

What happens when Chillingworth touches the scarlet letter?

scorched Hester’s chest as if the letter was hot

Who is the Black Man of the forest?

Devil’s messenger or the Devil himself, refers to Chillingworth

Why does Hester remain in the colony?

it had been the scene of her guilt, so it would be the scene of her earthly punishment, daily shame will cleanse her, her lover was there, she wants to repent

Where do she and Pearl reside?

little cottage on the outskirts of town with a thatched roof

How does she earn a living?

seamstress for Puritanic modes of dress

What one garment is Hester never asked to make?

a wedding veil

Describe Hester’s relationship to society

isolated, estranged, exiled

What often happens to hester in church?

her sin is the topic of sermons

How do strangers react to seeing the scarlet letter?

they stare curiously, young maidens would blush as if their purity was sullied, brand it afresh into hester’s soul, make her a spectacle

How does hester respond to the looks of strangers?

wants to cover the letter but doesn’t, dreads the agony of their stares

What legend arises about the scarlet letter?

symbol was not merely cloth but infernal fire, glowed with which it was made

Why is hester’s needle work highly respected?

made clothes for the poor, she is very skilled and produces good work

Why does hester name her daughter Pearl?

she cost her everything, and she is her only treasure (biblical allusion)

Characteristics of pearl

beautiful, mischievious, disobedient

What is pearl’s relationship with the other children?

ostracized and removed from them, resents them, and throws stones at them

How does Pearl react to the scarlet letter?

once she is aware of it, she obsesses over it and tries to tear it off

Why is Pearl often called a precocious child?

independent, has no friends, demon offspring, perceptive for her age (she knows the letter has meaning)

How does Pearl cause her mother anxiety?

shares hester’s characteristics, touches the A, asks who her father is, does she know she is the product of sin

Why does Hester go to the governor’s mansion?

to deliver a pair of gloves he had commissioned, heard they want to take Pearl from her

How is pearl dressed?

in a crimson tunic with gold threads, making her a living scarlet letter

How does pearl put to flight the taunting children?

she runs at them while screaming, shakes hands and makes threatening gestures

Features of the inside of the Governor’s house

walls lined with portraits, ornate furniture, spacious, lofty halls lined with chairs

What “great lump of vegetable gold” in the governor’s garden symbolizes New England?

pumpkin vine/pumpkin

Who is the Reverend Mr. Blackstone?

first white settler in the Boston area, joined the Natives in 1634 because he didn’t like the Puritans

What magnifies the scarlet letter much to pearl’s devilish delight?

reflection in the suit of mail that is displayed in the governor’s home

What do we learn about the governor through his taste for embroidered gloves?

he has taste in clothing, hypocritical, wants to look prominent

What do we learn about the governor from the remnant of ale in his pewter mug

token of English hospitality

What do we learn about the governor from his taste in English gardening?

wants his house to be orderly, recreate Old World in New World

What do we learn about the governor from the status of his servants?

indentured servants, rich (he can pay for their passage to the New World), shrewd businessman

What three men are in the garden with the governor

Mister John Wilson (venerable pastor), Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth

Why is there talk of taking Pearl from hester?

can’t trust Pearl’s soul to Hester since she has sinned, hester is a bad mother, Pearl is a demon

How old is Pearl at the time?

3 years old

What is the New England Primer?

17th century school book which taught the alphabet with Biblical examples

How does Dimmesdale change physically since the early part of the story?

looks unwell, pain in his eyes, careworn, emaciated

How does he help Hester?

argues the God gave Pearl to Hester, sacred bond between mother and child

What gesture of affection does Pearl make toward the minister?

takes his hand and lays it on her face

How does Chillingworth propose to find the identity of Pearl’s father?

analyze child’s nature and guess about the father

What does Mr. Wilson reply to Chillingworth’s idea?

skeptical and disagrees, calls it sinful to follow the clue of profane philosophy

Who tempts Hester as she leaves the mansion?

Mistress Hibbons, the governor’s bitter-tempered sister

What is hester’s reply to this person?

she must care for Pearl, would have gone if they had taken Pearl

What is the connotation of leech?

clingy, sucks life from D, another word for physician

In what capacity does Chillingworth associate himself with Dimmesdale?

Chillingworth chooses Dimmesdale as his spiritual guide, and he is Dimmesdale’s medical advisor

Why do the two men occupy the same quarters?

“so every ebb and flow of the minister’s life-tide might pass under the eye of his anxious and attached physcian”

Signs of Dimmesdale’s failing health

from grew emaciated, his voice had a melancholy, prophetic tone of decay, pale, voice trembles

How has Chillingworth’s face changed?

began to take on a look of evil, face sooty with smoke

Roger Chillingworth’s appearance and actions lead many people to associate him with what symbolic force?

Satan or Satan’s emissary

Where does Chillingworth gather the “black weeds?”

“growing on a grave which bore no tombstone” out of the heart of one who died with a secret

What does Chillingworth feel is the basis of Dimmesdale’s illness?

heart bears an unconfessed sin, and he won’t be healed until he confesses, it is a mental and spiritual ailment

What does Pearl call Chillingworth?

Old Black Man (Satan)

What does Dimmesdale refuse to tell Chillingworth?

wild thing he did in the passion of his heart, his secret

What does Pearl throw at Dimmesdale?

little prickly burrs, Dimmesdale dodges them

Why are we not told what Chillingworth sees on dimmesdale’s chest while he’s sleeping?

to hold tension and suspense

Explain Chillingworth’s diagnosis: “A rare case! … A strange sympathy betwixt soul and body”

illness caused by extreme guilt

What is Chillingworth’s plan of revenge?

make himself Dimmesdale’s most trusted friend and use it against him, spiritual manipulation

How does Dimmesdale punish himself?

fasted vigorously, scourged himself in a secret closet

What is the minister unable to escape in his thoughts and sleepless nights?

visions of his sin and guilt, visions of pearl, Hester, and the scarlet letter

On what subject does he usually preach?

how he is a sinner, increases torture, irony

What does he speculate about grass growing on his grave?

it will not grow since his sin is buried there, “accursed thing must be buried there”

Explain the significance of the chapter title: “The Interior of a heart”

the pain of Dimmesdale’s heart is exposed, heart/soul - lack of peace

What is somnambulism?

sleepwalking

Where does Dimmesdale walk on this chilly night?

to the scaffold

What does Dimmesdale do to expiate partially his guilt?

stands on the scaffold and screams into the night

On whom would most people blame this strange outcry?

something frightful in a dream, witches flying with Satan