Study Guide: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. Write the work's (a) title, (b) author, (c) period, (d) genre (e) date of first publication/ performanceThe Scarlet Letter; Nathaniel Hawthorne; American Romantic novel; 1850-51.

2. (a) Name the protagonist; (b) write a description of him/her – 6 or more sentences.Hester Prynne is the protagonist. She appears to be a conformist, but she is not. She refuses to reveal Dimmesdale’s name in the first scaffold scene. She is beautiful and strong, and loves Pearl, going to the Governor’s mansion to protest their tentative plan to take Pearl from her. She believes that one should follow one's heart--natural love, but the Puritans believe one has to follow man's laws and God's laws.  The Puritans make Hester stand on the scaffold, wear the A, be the sermon topic, live in isolation, be buried without recognition.  Hester's view is to follow her heart and she refuses to reveal Dim's name on the scaffold, refuses to tell Chill. who her partner was, thinks heretical thoughts for which, had the Puritans discerned them, they would have punished her, goes to the forest and removes her cap, her A, and lets down her hair.  When she tosses off the letter, she commits heresy in the forest by saying that the removal of the stigma is the same as the removal of the sin: "‘With this symbol, I undo it all and make it as it had never been!’" She believes that women should be men’s equals. She returns to Boston to atone for her sins, but is buried in an unnamed grave—the Puritans can’t let go of the notion that sin is permanently warping.3. (a) Name 2 (or more) significant major characters; (b) write a description of each -- 5 or more sentences per character.Arthur Dimmesdale is the weak, hypocritical minister who wants to do good works, but fails. He loves his job and his parishioners. He loves Hester in his own weak way. Above all, he longs to be forgiven for his sins—and that demands public confessions. He is present at all 3 scaffold scenes. He is Hester’s lover and Pearl’s dad, succumbing to Hester’s charms in the forest and agreeing to run away to Bristol England with her and be a family abroad. However, he changes his mind and publicly confesses just before he dies on the scaffold. He needed to give a public confession to feel he had met his earthly obligations. He fears and loves God at the same time.

Pearl is Hester’s beloved daughter. She is amoral and an allegorical character, pushing her parents to do what the Puritans consider right. She is a trial to her mother, refusing to answer Rev. Wilson’s questions about her origins and throwing a major tantrum when Hester removes her letter in the forest. The Puritans (young and old) think something is amiss with her—a “witch-baby,” but Hawthorne didn’t intend that. They just can’t understand her. When Dim and Hes. stand united on the scaffold—scaffold scene 3—she gets her wish, he kisses her, and she becomes “humanized,” indicating that she can now lead a normal life and stop her allegorical role.

4. (a) Name 2 (or more) significant minor characters. (b) Write a description of each in sentences and (c) note his/her main contribution to the work – 4 or more sentences per character.

Rev. Wilson is an important minor character. He is a grandfatherly type, but he can be stern and firm when warranted. He also asks Hester (scaffold 1) to reveal her lover’s name, which Hester refuses to do. At the Governor’s mansion, it is he who questions Pearl. He is good and righteous—a true Puritan. His function is to set up a contrast between him and Dimmesdale, and also indicate some of the positive aspects of Puritanism.

Mistress Hibbins is a witch. She is the governor’s sister and a temptress. She cackles and talks about the Black Man and mysterious rituals in the forest. She wants Hester to join her in meeting the Black Man, and asks her to accompany her as Hester and Pearl are leaving the Gov’s mansion. Because Hester was allowed to keep Pearl, Hester declines. Her function in the novel is to represent evil and temptation. She tempts both Hester and Dimmesdale.

5. Write the point of view (not applicable to most plays)3rd person narrative, intrusive narrator

6. List four or more central themes of the work. Consult your notes; don't make them up.From the themes handout:Truth themes:

1. Only in truth is there a measure of freedom. ("Be true! Be true! Be true!" exhorts the narrator (175); each major character's life of hypocrisy is a life severely limited.)

2. Appearances are deceptive, often hiding the reality beneath them. (Note the Puritans' confidence in their interpretations of appearances . . . and their frequent errors.)This and no. 1 might also be defined as hypocrisy themes.

3. Some humans discover their true natures only through sin. Themes concerning sin [see also #5]:4. Sin begets sin, especially if the individual fails to deal with her/his sin effectively.

5. [However,] good can come from evil/sin.

6. Artistic inspiration and artistic expression are related to sin (and to those passions that lead one to sin).

7. The greatest human evil is the willful violation of another. (Such a violation may be achieved, as with Chill., or merely attempted, as with Mistress Hibbins.)

7. In a few sentences, retell the climax of the work. Explain in a few more sentences what makes that scene the climax. Some tests to apply: in the latter 1/3 of the work. It revolves around the protagonist. The protagonist has an ah-ha moment and comes to some realization(s)

The climax is in the forest—the meeting between Hester and Dimmesdale. Here she clearly reveals her heresy, her past struggles, and her deep love of Dimmesdale. She removes her letter and her cap. She feels that these actions remove the sin—but Puritans believed that sin was permanently warping—her heresy. She is more than ready to abandon Boston and her sin for love—following her heart, rather than man’s or God’s laws. She subscribes to nature’s laws.

8. Write down in their entirety three or more quotes you have accurately memorized. Try to select either important statements made by or about the protagonist that would be useful in timed writings. Draw from the work's climax, as well as other sites. (Quotes are soooo impressive on timed writings!)

“‘He has violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so!’” (Hawthorne 133)

“‘What we did had a consecration of its own. We felt it so! We said so to each other! Has thou forgotten it?’” (Hawthorne 133)

"‘Let us not look back. The past is gone! Wherefore should we linger upon it now? See! With this symbol, I undo it all and make it as it had never been!’" (Hawthorne 137)

9. List and briefly provide an example from the text (no sentences required) all(a) techniques, (b) terms, and (c) vocabulary we've learned in conjunction with the play or novel (e.g. foil, dramatic irony, catharsis, hubris, romantic comedy, Expressionism, penance, etc.) You need at least 9 relevant terms here. The term must be relevant to the work being studied.

1. imagery - all of the details that create sensory impressions in the reader. Imagery can appeal to any (or all) of the senses. There is also internal sensory imagery. Most imagery is visual and can involve sun and shadow, light and dark, colors, all that one perceives with the eyes. Imagery demands reader involvement through the imagination and through reader experience. Imagery is also organic and kinesthetic -- 7 types. Hawthorne uses a lot of nature imagery, esp. regarding Hester and Pearl in the forest—Pearl and the sunshine; Hester without the can and the scarlet letter

2. symbolism - that which exists unto itself and then has a second deeper meaning. Look for symbolism especially when ordinary things receive repeated emphasis from an author. Of course the A in The SL is deeply symbolic on many levels, but the A on Hester's bosom is also a tangible A pinned to her dress.

3. allegory - a narrative or description and sometimes a character which has a second meaning beneath the surface; the allegory often involves religion and may be didactic (morally instructive). Pearl is an allegorical character; she strives to teach both of her parents lessons. Hes. needs to feel bad for the adultery, and Dim. needs to publicly confess his sins.

4. allusion - a reference to something well known by the literate public that will enhance the reader's appreciation of and understanding of what he is currently reading if he recognizes the allusion. The most common sources of allusion are the Bible and Greek mythology, but allusions are not limited to these sources. There are allusions in GE which are explained in notes at the back of the book. Hester’s name is an allusion to Esther in the Bible.

5. The name convention -- assigning names to characters for their symbolic or denotative meanings. Hawthorne and Dickens both use this. Note Chillingworth—he is chilling—he deliberately harms Dim—“violates” his heart on purpose, and Dim –mesdale—he is sickly and pale—his star is dim.; also the biblical allusions in Hester to Esther, the wife of King Ahasuerus) and Pearl (allusion to Matthew and the Pearl of great price).

6. recurring events—all four main characters appear on/near the scaffold for the 3 scaffold scenes.

7. contrasting settings as characteristic of one’s nature: town of Boston—prim, proper, dominated by a prison, scaffold and cemetery; where Hes is punished in the opening scaffold scene.; forest—wild, natural, untamed, adheres to nature’s laws, rather than man’s laws. Hes and Dim can love each other in the forest;8. Comparable characters- Hes., Dim. and Ch. as artists, to investigate nature of the artist 9. Contrasting characters- Hes./Dim. and Dim./Ch. to investigate the nature of human wickedness & the consequences of sin - Hester/ Mistress Hibbins: Mistress Hibbins embraces sin, while Hester unwittingly sins.

10. dramatic irony – the definition of this is the character is sincere and he does or says something which is “grossly inappropriate” for the actual circumstances. There is dramatic irony when the sexton returns Dimmesdale’s glove to him after Dim. dropped it on the scaffold during the midnight vigil.

10. OPTIONAL: List and define all important place names (settings), any significant odd or unique or special characters' names not already cited above-- either those who actually appear in the work or those who are merely mentioned, any other bits of information from the work that would be useful to have readily at hand. *Check the spelling of all characters' names-- be accurate.* Boston!penance—punishment for wrongs; penitence—feeling truly sorry for one’s wrongs. Dim has punished himself, but doesn’t feel truly sorry.