The Scarlet Letter Quiz Review Ch. 15-24 10/28

what connection does pearl make between her mother and the minister as she and hester discuss the significance of the scarlet letter?

she knows it has to do with dimmesdale and it is why he “keeps his hand over his heart”

what thought stirs in hester’s mind after pearl asks her about the significance of the letter?

‘is she old enough to know?’ she loves pearl, but doesn’t know if it will make her stronger or weaken her, but eventually decides not to tell her

according to pearl, why doesn’t the sunshine love hester?

it is ‘hiding’ from the scarlet letter

who is the “black man” that pearl spoke of? what does he do?

he is the devil, he carries a book with him on which people sign their name with their own blook and “he leaves his mark [scarlet letter] on their bosoms”

what does reverend dimmesdale mean when he says, “happy are you, hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! mine burns in secret”?

his guilt is personal and unknown; it is more burdensome because he bears it on his own, and hester lightened the load years prior

what does hester suggest that dimmesdale should do to escape roger chillingworth?

run away with her to europe, become a wilderness missionary

what promise does hester make to dimmesdale at the end of chapter 17?

she won’t let him leave alone

what does hawthorne mean when he says, “the scarlet letter was [hester’s] passport into regions where other women dared not tread…”?

hester has endured so many tribulaltions that have made her stronger than many other women

after struggling with leaving town or staying behind, what does dimmesdale decide to do?

go with hester

what is the result of dimmesdale’s decision to leave town with hester?

he feels JOY for the first time in so long

what does hester do with the scarlet letter

she takes it off

what effect does hester taking off her scarlet letter have on her heart and spirit?

the passion and youth returns to her, she feels huge relief from that burden of guilt she has been carrying and all the pain it has caused her

why did the animals and plants of the forest all seem to befriend pearl?

they “recognized a kindred wildness in the child”; pearl has a wild spirit similar to that of nature

according to dimmesdale, why has pearl often caused him alarm?

he sees himself in her and was worried that others would too

why does hawthorne call pearl their “living hieroglyphic”?

she is the oneness of their being, and many people do not know how to interpret her or what she is like

why does hester feel separated from pearl when pearl returns from playing in the forest?

pearl is across the brook and doesn’t recognize the scarlet letter, she is with dimmesdale

why is pearl relucatant to come to hester when she calls her? why does she throw a fit in the forest?

she is confused as to why hester took off the scarlet letter and doesn’t recognize her mother

what does pearl do with the minister’s kiss?

washes it off in the river

**is dimmesdale’s decision to leave massachusetts in line with his character that we have seen so far? why or why not?

he has hid for his punishment for so long, so it makes sense that he would want to continue hiding

**would hester prynne commit her sin again if given the choice? why or why not?

yes, because she loves pearl and dimmesdale too much to imagine her life without them; however, she might do it differently

the election sermon was traditionally preached on the inauguration day of the new governor. why was this day particularly important for reverend dimmesdale?

he was to preach the sermon and planned to use it as an opportunity to step down from his career

when dimmesdale returns to town after his meeting with hester, why does hawthorne say “it was the same town as heretofore; but the same minister returned not from the forest”?

he looks relieved from some of his pain, looks stronger

how was the minister tempted as he encountered people from his congregation in town?

wants to throw off his “holiness” and expose the double-standard fault in their beliefs

what observation does pearl make about when the minister will greet them and when he won’t?

only wants anything to do with them in private, but they are strangers to him in public

what shocking piece of information does hester learn from the captain of the spanish vessel?

chillingworth is among them

how is reverend dimmesdale different during the election day parade?

he is healthier and more confident; people think it is spiritual

what one spot does hester feel drawn to— “…that the whole orb of her life…was connected with this spot, as with the one point that gave it unity”?

the scaffold

why did the visiting people at the parade stare at hester and her scarlet letter?

they had heard about her but never seen her

who tries to stop dimmesdale from his public confession and his reunion with hester and pearl?

chillingworth

who does dimmesdale ask to help him climb the steps of the scaffold?

hester

according to chillingworth, what is the. one place dimmesdale could have escaped him? why?

the scaffold (truth); he had to confess, and chillingworth would have no power over dimmesdale once the truth was out

when pearl kisses her father, what ‘spell’ is broken?

pearl becomes more human and feels more sympathy/emotion for another person; shows affection to her father

what happens to the minister on the scaffold?

he confesses, reveals what is on his chest, and then dies

how did the townspeople say that a letter came to be imprinted on the ministers flesh?

1. self harming (carved or burned), most logical

2. chillingworth gave drugs that made it appear

3. appeared over time

what lesson did some say dimmesdale wanted to teach in his “last sermon”?

used his death as a parable to show that we are “all sinners alike”, those who believed this were probably just trying to defend him

what is revealed in chillingworth’s will that comes as a bit of a shock? why did he do this?

he gave pearl everything; could have done this because he was guilty, because he had no other children, or there might be some scraps of humanity left in him after all

why does hester return to her cottage outside of boston?

important things happened there, hester becomes a counselor for those who are struggling (especially women)

**why would pearl come to dimmesdale on the scaffold but not in the forest?

he finally publicly acknowledged her; he is her father now; he confessed in front of even more people than there were when hester was on the scaffold

what does the scaffold symbolize? why?

TRUTH

scenes:

1. hester w/ pearl on the scaffold while dimmesdale ‘hiding’

2. dimmesdale on scaffold at night, still in secret, thinking about the truth and what confession would have felt like (hester and pearl soon join)

3. dimmesdale’s verbal confession

**what is the theme of this story? what was hawthorne’s purpose in writing?

the effects of secret sin are guilt and self-destruction; what revenge can do to people and the effects of revenge; to expose puritan intolerance and hypocrisy; appearances can be deceiving