Studied by 9 people
Scarlet Letter author
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Scarlet Letter publication
1850
Scarlet Letter setting (place and year)
Massachusetts (Salem/Boston area)
1642 to 1649
Which aspects of Hawthorne’s family history affected his purpose in writing the piece?
Hawthorne has a relative (Judge Hathorne) involved in the witch trials
Hawthorne changed his name so he would not be associated with it
In “The Custom House”, what story does does the narrator tell us about the letter and how it affected him?
looking through a box of old documents
comes across a piece of red fabric: worn, tattered, faded (Hester’s scarlet letter)
touches the letter to his chest, feels a burning sensation, drops to the ground
tells the story of two Hesters
Chillingworth’s relationship to nature
Dark Romanticism
perverts natures
kills the grass as he walks in it
where some of his shady actions occur
relation to “The Black Man”
Pearl’s relationship to nature
Romanticism
thrives in nature
embrace her creativity
rose bushes
the green mermaid A
sunlight
Puritans’ thoughts about nature
scary and dangerous place
a place of the devil
Romantics’ thoughts about nature
nature is a source of inspiration
a safe place
a place of magic and supernatural events
Specific troublesome events in nature
The Scarlet Letter: Dimmesdale and Hester must have met and had passionate relations in the forrest because no one saw them together in the town, Pearl is a child of the forrest so is that her origin, where the sin could’ve occurred
“The Devil and Tom Walker”: Tom’s walk through the woods to escape from his wife lead him to the swamp, he kept coming across bad things, signed the devil’s book, his wife was killed, and he was taken away by a horse
What do the Puritans call the devil, and how would someone declare allegiance to him?
The Black Man, The devil of the American forrest forrest
allegiance- signing his book
Hester Prynne’s physical appearance and the changes she experiences
appearance- shiny long hair, perfect elegance- stands out, lady like, dark eyes, strong features
becomes dull: lost her vividness and beauty bc she is a sister of mercy, lost individuality
sunlight and darkness- doesn’t have any sunlight to give pearl, when takes off A sunlight comes around her
adulteress to helpful- rejected in the community at first and the she becomes like a “nurse” and a seamstress
Hester’s treatment by others in the town
many avoid her and condemn her because of her sin
she is an outcast
town’s gossip- judged
Why did God give Pearl to Hester?
to redeem herself of her sin of adultery by raising her well, but also as a punishment
“consecration all of its own”
I have no clue what this even means
love between Hester and Dimmesdale?
Hester’s transformation to a respected member of the community
at first she is seen as an adulteress and not respected what so ever
her actions and dedication to pearl change peoples minds
becomes known for charitable acts and willingness to help. admired for strength and resilience
seamstress and nurse
Dimmesdale’s physical appearance
melancholy eyes, pale, delicate, handsome, reserved, shy, nervous, weak- because he won't confess
changes- becomes very ill because of guilt, physical symbol on his chest
hypocrisy, physical illness, emotional strain of Dimmesdale
hypocrisy- forcing Hester to confess and punishing her with ignominy when he has done the same, preaching to follow God’s commandments when the has not done so
his guilt of not confessing his sin is inflicting illness and pain upon hisself
emotional strain from keeping the guilt in
Dimmesdale and Chillingworth relationship
leech and host- CH is leech D is host
the leech cannot survive without attaching itself to the host and sucking the life out of it
as they begin to live together D slowly becomes more ill by the day, CH is seeking him as revenge
is CH haunting D?- rumor
Dimmesdale’s triumphant ignominy of his confession
confessed at the last possible moment- before his death- good with God before he died, but Hester wishes that she could’ve gotten better from him
Pearl’s physical appearance
unique: unlike the other kids, wild and untamed
dark unruly hair, bright eyes, roses complexion
reflection of her mother’s spirited and independent nature
treatment of Pearl by society
treated as an outcast: isolated and excluded because she is seen as strange
How is Pearl a scarlet letter?
she is one of the results of Hester’s sin
blessing-
curse-
!!!!I NEED TO FIND THE ANSWER!!!!!!!!
Why is Hester allowed to have custody over Pearl?
while at the governors mansion Dimmesdale stands up for Hester’s right to custody- she needs Pearl to redeem herself and to keep her doing good
Questions Pearl asks her parents
why does H where the letter
is the letter related to D
why does D touch his chest
why do people stare at us and whisper behind our backs
What Pearl says when he asks where she came from
I was picked from a rose bush
How does Dimmesdale’s confession and Chillingworth’s death effect Pearl
confession- Pearl is relived and she accepts Dimmesdale
death- Pearl can finally embrace her father and have a com complete sense of freedom
Roger Chillingworth
Scholar, physician, botanist-chemist - perversion of herbs learned from captivity
Roger Chillingworth physical appearance
deformed and misshapen figure, wrinkled, his appearance reflects his inner darkness
Chillingworth connection to the Black Man
Chillingworth is associated with evil and the devil
Black Man- what Puritans call the devil
attitudes toward Pearl, Hester, Dimmesdale
P- treats her with a cold calculating demeanor, observes her to find out who her father may be
H- treats her with bitterness and is resentful, he feels betrayed by her and wants her to suffer, emotionally torments her
D- CH is driven by revenge to expose his guilt, torments and manipulates him in the position of his “doctor”, takes pleasure in his anguish
CH does all of these things to seek revenge and enjoyment in their pain
significance/symbol of rosebush
symbol for freedom, romantic aspiration, and all the things that Puritan society is not
locations of rosebush
outside of the prison and at the governors mansion
Hester’s A
beautiful red with gold embroidery, stands out
symbol of her ignominy and her sin which caused it
green A
Pearl’s mermaid/seaweed A
symbol that she is associated with nature
Dimmesdale’s A
bloody scourge, in the flesh
from self harm?
he is privately suffering cause of his sin
meteor A
appears in the sky when Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold at night
A for able
as the way the community views Hester changes, they see her scarlet letter as a symbol for her ability to be a “doer” and help the community
A reflected in the armor at the governor’s mansion
covers Hester’s whole body in the reflection, makes her wonder if that is all the governor will see in her
Note 
Flashcard (52)