Scarlet Letter test - Whelan

Who were Hawthorne's ancestors? what relation does he have to them and what does he think about them?

they were strict puritans and he was also raised in a strict puritan home. His ancestors were connected to the Salem witch trials and he resented them for that. so he changed his name from Hathorne to Hawthorne

what did Hawthorne think about the puritans?

he thought their punishments were excessive and their attitudes led to hypocrisy

what was hawthorne interested in? how did this relate to his beliefs?

he was interested in the nature of sin and how other perceive that sin

he believed in the power of evil

what hawthorne transcentalist?

no! he was anti-transcedentalist but he still believed in soem transcedentalist thought

- he did think ppl were predisposed to evil

why was the custom house so important?

it was written by hawthorne after he wrote the scarlet letter and it gave authenticity to the novel and explained his views

how does the scarlet letter start?

in a custom house with the narrator who finds a manuscript written by jonathan prue about hester's story

what kind of narrative is the scarlet letter?

a frame narrative = story within a story

when does this take place? when is it published?

takes place the 1600's

published the 1800's

how is Hester treated by the townspeople? who treats her like this the most?

they treat her horrible and shame her, the ugly wives treat her the worst

who is roger chillingsworth?

a town minister and Hester's husband

where do hester and chillingsworth meet to talk about what she has done?

jail cell/prison

what does chillingsworth say to hester in the jail cell about her sin?

he feels guilty because he should've seen it coming because she's a young pretty woman and he's old and ugly. he doesn't blame her but he's still mad

who is pearl's real father?

dimmesdale

how does dimmesdale punish himself for his sin? why?

he feels guilty and it's eating him alive, so he whips himself, beats himself, starves an cuts himself

why does dimmesdale climb on the scaffold in the middle of the night?

he feels guilty and wants everyone to see the sin he committed

who sees dimmesdale on the scaffold in the middle of the night?

peal and hester

what is carved into dimmesdale's chest?

the letter A

how does hester react while being questioned on the scaffold by the town minister?

she refuses to admit who the father of the baby is

why does hawthorne describe the women who are judgemental toward Hester in a negative way?

Hester's beauty is in contrast with her sin. her sin is supposed to make her ugly and gross, but instead she is shining and gorgeous compared to these women

does anyone have sympathy for hester on the scaffold?

yes, a young mother sympathizes for her beacuse she knows that Hester will alwasy feel the adultery close to her heart, and the young woman is mirrored in Hester so she can relate to her in a way

describe hesters demeanor as she emerges from her prison cell

Hester presents herself with pride and is extremely confident and very light.

what is the emblem Hester has to wear and why does she wear it?

she has to wear a red A to show that she committed the sin of adultery. it's her punishment and supposed to shame her

describe the A emblem:

it's red and Hester made it really pretty with gold embroidery

what is the significance of hester viewing the crowd from atop the scaffold?

hawthorne is criticzing the harsh Puritan culture because Hester is supposed to be feeling this public shame but instead is looking down on the people

why does Hester marry chillingworth?

she has to

why does chillingworth ask Hester to keep his identity a secret?

he does not want people to know they are married because that is embarrassing on his behalf

why do the magistrates take pity on hester?

becasue they still do not know who Hester has committed adultery with and her husband is assumed dead

how does pearl act when she sees her mother without the A?

pearl doesn't go to her mom until her mom pins back on the A

how is dimmesdale affected by his discussion with Hester?

he is really enthusiastic and joyful with himself and his life

how is dimmesdale's sin different from chillingthworth's?

dimmesdale's sin is different because it was out of love and chillingworth's is out of hatred and revenge

why were Hester and Pearl in the marketplace at midnight?

Hester was measuring governor Winthrop for his robe for his funeral

what did Pearl ask Reverend Dimmesdale at night on the scaffold?

if she would stand with them on the podium the next morning

what was the "sign" that the meteor made in the sky?

the letter A

what does hester's "A" mean to people eventually?

able

describe the changes in Hester's appearance and temperament brought on by the scarlet letter:

her hair is chopped off, her skin is duller, her aura is different and more maternal, her hair doesn't have the same glow that it did before and she lost her femininity

what does Hester seek to do at the end of chapter 13?

she wants to meet up with her former husband and she finds it sad how much he's changed because he once was a good honest man and now he's being controlled by this anger

what does hester finally realize about chillingworth?

she realizes that he's a greater sinner and that he's a liar who's continuously tarnishing Dimmesdale's mental health. she realizes she was loyal to the wrong person and she hates him

why does Hester ask Pearl about the scarlet letter? what does pearl say?

she wants to know what pearl interprets it as. Pearl says that she doesn't really know and just relates it to dimmesdale putting his hand on his heart

what does the sun symbolize when it doesn't shine on hester?

it symbolizes that hester is still hiding something and the sun is a symbol of truth

what answer does Hester give Pearl when she asks if Hester has met the Black Man?

she says she has and that the scarlet letter is the mark of him

how does dimmesdale react when hester reveals chillingworth's true identity?

he blames her first and is really angry. he makes a statement that he is never going to forgive her, but after she begs he forgives her.

what does hester suggest to dimmesdale that they do?

she suggest that they run away and start a new life and change their names.

why does hester visit governor bellingham's mansion?

to try to keep her daughter because she heard rumors that they were thinking of taking away Pearl and she wants to verify them

what reason does hester give for her to keep pearl?

she says that Pearl is her daily reminder of her sin and that she both loves Pearl but is also tortured by her because of the reminder. she can also teach Pearl what not to do and learn from her mistakes

who supports Hester in keeping Pearl? what is the argument?

Dimmesdale supports her and says that pearl is hester's salvartion because a bond between a mother and daughter can help save someone. he says God obviously gave hester pearl for a reason and there's a spiritual meaning

how does pearl behave toward dimmesdale in the governor's garden?

she acts sweet and kind towards him. she seems very connected towards him and loving

how did roger chillingworth come to be dimmesdale's personal physician?

he saw how he was ill and became attached to him and said that he could make him better and decided to live with him in order to watch over him

how has roger chillingworth changed?

he went from calma dn scholarly to evil and dark. he got uglier physicall

what does chillingworth say is the cause of dimmesdale's suffering?

a hidden secret and a hidden sin