The Scarlet Letter - Chapter 2

8/10/2019 The Scarlet Letter - Chapter 2

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The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne (adapted to modern English)

CHAPTE !" THE #A$ETPLACE

One summer morning in the early seventeenth century, a large number of Boston residents were

gathered in front of the prison, staring at its oak door. In another place or time, the grimfaces of these

good people would have suggested a terrible event, such as the impending execution of a criminal so

notorious that the courts verdict merely confirms what the community already knows. But given the harsh

Puritan character, one could not be so sure about the cause for this scene. Perhaps a lay servant or

rebellious child was about to be publicly whipped. !aybe a religious heretic was to be beaten out of town

or an Indian, drunk on the settlers whiskey, was to be lashed back into the woods. It could be that a witch

like old !istress "ibbins, the foul#tempered widow of the local $udge, was to be hanged. %hatever their

reason for being there, the crowd gathered on that morning was &uite solemn. 'his cold demeanorsuited a

community in which religion and law so intermixed in the hearts of the people that mildpunishments were

$ust as terrifying as the serious ones. ( criminal could expect little sympathy on his execution day. Back

then, even a light penalty)the sort that might be laughed off today)was handed out as sternlyas a deathsentence.

It should be noted that on the summer morning when our story begins, the women in the crowd

seemed especially interested in the forthcoming punishment. 'his was not a refined age. *o sense of

impropriety kept these women from elbowing their way to the front, even at a hanging. In their morals as

in their bodies, these women were coarser than women these days. 'oday, six or seven generations

removed from those ancestors, women are smaller and more delicate in frame and character. But the

women standing in front of that prison door were less than fifty years from the time when manly +ueen

liabeth was the model for femininity. Being the &ueens countrywomen, these women were raised on the

same nglish beef and ale, which combined with an e&ually coarse moral diet to make them who they were.

-o the bright sun shone that morning on a group of broad shoulders, large busts, and round, rosy cheeks

that were raised on nglish stock and not yet made pale or thin by the *ew ngland air. 'he bold and

frank speech of these women would also startle us today, both in its meaning and its volume.

/adies,0 said one hard#faced woman of fifty, Ill give you a piece of my mind. It would serve the

public good if mature, church#going women like us were allowed to deal with h%ssieslike "ester Prynne.

%hat do you say, ladies1 If the five of us passed $udgment on this sl%t, would she have gotten off as

lightly as she has before the magistrates1 I dont think so.0

People say,0 said another woman, that the 2everend !aster 3immesdale, her pastor, is very grie&ed

that a scandal like this has occurred in his congregation.0

'he magistrates may be 4od#fearing, but they are too merci'%l)and thats the truth50 added a

middle#aged woman. (t the very least, they should have branded "ester Prynnes forehead with a hot

iron. -he would have wincedthen, for sure. But)the dirty whore)what will she care about something

pinned to her dress1 -he could cover it with a brooch or some other sinful $ewelry and walk the streets as

proud as ever.0

%ell,0 interrupted a young wife, holding her child by the hand, she can cover the mark however she

likes, but it will still weigh on her heart.0

%hy talk about marks and brands, whether theyre on her gown or the skin of her forehead10

shouted another woman, the most ugly and merciless of this sel'righteo%s6and $udgmental group. 'his

17onfident of ones own righteousness, especially when moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.


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woman has brought shame8to all of us, and she ought to die. Isnt there a law that says so1 'here truly is,

in both the Bible and the statutes. 'he magistrates will have only themselves to thank when, having

disregarded these laws, they find that their wives and daughters are sleeping around.0

"ave mercy, maam,0 shouted a man in the crowd. (re women only virtuous when they fear

p%nishment19'hats the worst thing Ive heard today5 +uiet now, you gossips.:'he prison door is opening.

"ere comes !istress Prynne herself.0

'he prison door was flung open. 'he town beadle;appeared first, looking like a black shadow emerging

into the sunlight. "e was a grim figure, with a sword by his side and the staff of office in his hand. 'he

beadle represented the laws of the Puritans, and it was his $ob to deliver the punishments they re&uired.

"olding the official staff in front of him with his left hand, he laid his right on the shoulder of a young

woman. "e led her forward until, on the thresholdntil that

moment, it had only known the dim,?gray light of the prison.

%hen the young woman @the childs motherA stood in plain view of the crowd, her first instinct was to

clasp her baby tightly to her chest. -he seemed to do so not out of motherly affection but rather to hide

something attached to her dress. 2ealiing, however, that one shameful thing would not hide another, she

took her baby on her arm. %ith a burning bl%sh, but a proud smile and eyes that refused to be

embarrassed, she looked around at her neighbors. On the front of her dress, in fine red cloth embellished

with gold thread, was the letter (. 'he piece was so artistically done that it seemed like the perfect final

touch for her outfit)an outfit that was as rich as the tastes of the age but far fancier than anything

permitted by the sumptuary laws of the colony.

'he young woman was tall and elegant. "er thick, dark hair gleamed6Cin the sunlight. "er beautiful

face, with well#formed features and perfect complexion, was impressive in a way that young faces rarely

are. -he held herself in a stately and dignified manner, like upper#class ladies of that time, not delicatelike women are today. (nd "ester Prynne had never appeared more ladylike than when she stepped out

from that prison. 'hose who knew her and expected to see her diminished by her circumstance were

startled to find that her beauty radiated like a halo to obscure the clouds of misfortune that surrounded

her. ven so, the sensitive observer might have detected something ex&uisitely painful in the scene. "er

outfit, which she had fashioned for the occasion while in her cell, was extravagant in a way that seemed to

reflect her rec*less66 mood. But all eyes were drawn to the embroidered68 scarlet letter, which so

transformed its wearer that people who had known "ester Prynne felt they were seeing her for the first

time. 'he letter had the effect of a spell, removing her from ordinary humanity and placing her in a world

by herself.

-hes certainly good with a needle,0 commented one female observer, but did a woman ever parade

her skill in the way this harlot has today1 4irls, she is laughing in the faces of our godly magistrates and

proudly 'la%nting69the symbol they intended as a punishment50

23isgrace, ignominy.3( penalty inflicted for an offence, fault, etc.4( person given to idle talk or rumor.5( parish officer having various subordDnate duties, as keeping order during services, waiting on the rector, etc.6'he sill of a doorway.7'o look with the eyes partly closed.8*ot brightE obscure from the lack of light.9

( reddening of the face.102adiateE glimmer.11(dventurous, thoughtless.12'o produce or form in needlework.13Parade or display defiantly or boldly.

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to $oke about the matter. (nd even if they had wanted to laugh, the presence of the governor and his

advisers, a $udge, a general, and the towns ministers standing in the church balcony would have kept them

&uiet. %hen important men like these could participate in this kind of event without risking their

reputations, it signified that these sentences were a serious matter. 'he crowd was fittingly solemn, and

the unhappy criminal handled herself as best a woman could with a thousand merciless eyes fixated on her

bosom. 'he situation was nearly intolerable. Impulsive and passionate by nature, "ester Prynne had

prepared herself for the stings and stabs of public scorn, which might come in any variety of insult. Butthe gloomy, serious mood of the crowd was much worse. -he wished that everyone would laugh and shout

at her instead. If they had only laughed, "ester Prynne could return a bitter, disdainful smile. But under

the heavy weight of their solemnity, she felt at times that she would either cry out with all her might and

hurl herself off of the platform or else go mad.

But at other times the entire scene, in which she played the largest part, seemed to vanish before

her eyes or flicker like a ghostly vision. "ester Prynnes mind and memory were hyperactive. -he kept

recalling8Cscenes far removed from this small town on the edge of the wilderness and faces other than

those glowering at her now. 'he silliest and slightest memories came back to herH moments from her

infancy, childhood, and the early days of her adulthood all came flooding through, mixed up with moreserious and more recent memories. ach memory was as vivid as the next, as if they were all e&ually

important or all e&ually unreal, like scenes in a play. !aybe her spirit was instinctively relieving itself from

the cruelness of reality by showing her these fantasies.

Be that as it may, the scaffold now revealed the path of "ester Prynnes life. -tanding on that

unhappy stage, she saw her hometown in ngland and the home in which she grew up. 'hat crumbling house

of gray stone looked poor, but the half#visible coat of arms that hung over the doorway indicated a former

nobility. -he saw her fathers face, with its bold forehead and venerable white beard flowing over an

liabethan ruff. -he saw her mothers face too, with its look of anxious and earnest love, which had

served as a gentle guide to "ester even after her mothers death. "ester also saw her own face glowing

with girlish beauty, lighting up the mirror into which she had often gaed. But she saw another face in

that mirrorH the pale, thin face of a man whose years had worn on him, the weary face and bleary eyes of a

scholar86who had read many books. Jet those same bleary88eyes had a strange, penetrating power that

could see into a human soul. "ester Prynne couldnt help but remember this monkish figure, slightly

deformed with his left shoulder a touch higher than his right. 'he next image that came to her mind was

of a continental city, with intricate, narrow streetsE tall gray housesE huge cathedralsE and ancient public

buildings. ( new life had awaited her there, still connected to the misshapen scholar)a new life, but one

that fed off of the past, like a tuft of moss on a crumbling wall. Ginally, in place of these shifting scenes,

came the image of the primitive marketplace of the Puritan settlement, where all the townspeople had

gathered to point their stern gaes at "ester Prynne. -he stood on the platform of the pillory, an infanton her arm and the letter ()surrounded in scarlet and wonderfully embroidered with gold thread)upon

her bosom5

7ould this really be happening1 -he clutched the child to her breast so fiercely that it began to cry.

-he looked down at the scarlet letter and even touched it with her finger to be sure that the infant and

the shame were both real. 'hey were real, and everything else had vanished5

202emembering.21( learned or erudite person, especially one that has a profound knowledge of something.22Blurred or dimmed, as from sleep or weariness.

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+CA-.LA/0

A0 The conte1t in which a word appears is &ery %se'%l to determine its meaning0 Here yo% ha&e some

new words 'rom page 2 o' the story0 #atch the words on the le't with their de'initions on the

right0

6. grim

8. harsh9. demeanor

:. mild

;. stern

The Scarlet Letter - Chapter 2

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