The Scarlet Letter

1. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about a woman named Hester Prynne. The story takes place in seventeenth century Boston. Hester is sent to America by her husband who is supposed to meet her there but when he doesn’t arrive, it is believed that he was lost at sea. Hester then has an affair with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and becomes pregnant. Hester is punished publicly for her affair and is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on all of her clothing. She refuses to give away her lovers identity so he will not be publicly disgraced as well, although Arthur punishes himself mentally and physically. Hester’s husband arrives in town and is defiant on getting revenge. Hester and Arthur plan to leave to Europe with their daughter Pearl so they can have a family, when Arthur joins Hester and Pearl and publicly reveals himself Pearl kisses him and he drops dead. Hester and Pearl leave and no one knows what happened to them. Later on Roger Chillingworth passes away and Hester returns home and lives in her old little cottage. Pearl married in Europe and continued to live there with her family. Hester eventually dies and is buried next to her love Arthur.

2. The theme of the novel is human nature and how the effects of how other people view someone can ruin them. Hester stayed strong while being scorned by the entire town for doing the human thing, looking for love after her husband was believed to be dead. Arthur Dimmesdale struggled under the guilt he felt for not coming forward and facing the disgrace with Hester and paid for it in many ways.

3. The tone of the novel is honest and makes a point. You know what the characters mean when they speak.

a. “Better had he died at once! Never did mortal suffer what this man has suffered”
Chillingsworth is speaking to Hester about how Arthur would be better off dead then what he put himself through in his guilt.

b. “Let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart”
A woman speaks of Hester, she makes the point that Hester will always have to live with what she did, so why broadcast it to the world.

c. “God gave her into my keeping,” repeated Hester Prynne raising her voice almost to a shriek. “I will not give her up!”
Hester believed it was God’s will for her to have Pearl and was not going to let anyone take her child from her.

4. Symbolism: The rose bush that grew outside the church stood for survival.
Irony: Arthur Dimmesdale is punished more then Hester, just in a different way.
Style: Hawthorne’s style is strait forward and helps readers comprehend what they are reading.
Imagery: descriptiveness helps paint a picture of what is meant by an author. “A bodily disease, which we look upon as whole and entire within itself, may, after all, be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part."
Metaphor: Hawthorne helps the reader relate to what is being said by comparing it to something else.