Smarr Publishers. English for Classical Studies. A Student s Companion to. The Scarlet Letter. by Robert W. Watson

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1 Smarr Publishers English for Classical Studies A Student s Companion to The Scarlet Letter by Robert W. Watson Copyright Watson Educational Services, Inc., 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please write Smarr Publishers, 4917 High Falls Road Suite 201, Jackson, Georgia or call (678) Any edition of the text is compatible with the study guide. $9.95 IN USA

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3 Introduction to The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter / 1 N ATHANIEL HAWTHORNE is the first American writer of fiction that offers works that are more than just literary amusement. Works like his Scarlet Letter touch the deepest emotional feelings, not in a sentimental way, but in a way that demands change and action. In other words, the fiction raises the possibility of a reformation in society with a creation of new values. Early in his life, Hawthorne tried to separate himself from his ancestors. While as mayor of Salem, the founder of the family, William Hathorne (the w was added later by Nathaniel himself), ordered Anne Coleman, a Quaker, to be tied to the back of a cart and to be whipped publicly with ten stripes in Salem, with ten stripes in Boston, and with ten stripes in Dedham. Later, William s son, John Hathorne, would be a zealous judge during the Salem Witch trials. Hawthorne s father, who was a young sea captain, died, which placed the family into poverty. A recurring theme found in the works of Hawthorne is the great past as it is contrasted with the meager present. Part of Hawthorne s romanticism is the return to the past, not to glorify it, but rather to suggest that the past was inadequate, and while the present is not the promised land, it does offer hope for a better future. While a student at Bowdoin College, Hawthorne joined the progressive Athenaean literary society, which adopted the ideas of Jacksonian democracy. Hawthorne became close friends with Franklin Pierce (future president of the United States) and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a professor at the college. Oddly, Hawthorne preferred the company of men who were active, and not of the more literary and intellectual bent. While at college, Hawthorne learned to chew tobacco and was disciplined for card playing and drinking. Best that can be said of his academic career was that Hawthorne was idle. By the time The Scarlet Letter (1850) appeared, Hawthorne had enjoyed a good reputation as a writer. Even Edgar Allan Poe wrote there were no American authors worth reading except for Washington Irving, William Gilmore Simms, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The overall thesis of the novel is that sinners do not need redemption, but that people, and especially women, are victims of a social order that violates nature. Thus, the novel has a tone that is anti-biblical. The value of the novel is its study about hypocrisy and about the effects of vengeance and sin. While many Christian apologists try to make the case that Hawthorne overstates the conduct of the Puritans in the novel, historical records reveal that the author does not exaggerate. The Puritans were intolerant to other religious beliefs, were guilty of committing genocide at least twice against local Indian tribes, and were convinced that they were God s chosen people to straighten out the rest of the world. In addition to this, the Puritans had a natural inclination to rebel against established order, whether constitutional or religious. After all, the Puritans would overthrow the established order in England and behead a monarch. It would be too much to expect the descendents of such people who settled in New England to be content with the Constitution of the United States and Biblical Christianity. New England s tendency toward rebellion against both Constitutional and Biblical authority caused the Southern states to eventually leave the federal union and to establish their own country. The characterization in the novel will be hard to surpass. All of the characters are believable in the sense that they all reflect the strengths and frailties of all of us. Hawthorne uses retrospection very effectively, and develops the internal conflicts within the characters very

4 2 / The Scarlet Letter realistically. If The Scarlet Letter seems to slow down at points, Hawthorne is merely trying to have the reader reflect deeply about life and the consequences of one s actions. Of course, Hawthorne would have the reader believe that mankind s troubles can be cured with a new revelation and a new understanding about the nature of things. All of this denies the central problem with mankind which human reason cannot discover on its own. That problem is sin, and the only way that the nature of sin can be discovered and conquered is with the Bible. ROBERT W. WATSON 1.1 Vocabulary congenial adj. inauspicious adj. evanescent adj. sagacity n. The Scarlet Letter Lesson One 1.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. Finding it so directly on the threshold of our narrative, which is now about to issue from that portal, we could hardly do otherwise than pluck one of its flowers and present it to the reader. 2. [Governor Bellingham] was not ill fitted to be the head and representative of a community to the stern and tempered energies of manhood, and the sombre of age. 3. [Hester] was lady-like, too, after the manner of the feminine gentility of those days; characterized by a certain state and dignity, rather than by the delicate,, and indescribable grace,which is now recognized as its indication. 4. Before this ugly edifice, and between it and the wheel-track of the street, was a grassplot, which evidently found something in the soil. 1.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. What was considered the black flower of civilized society? 2. What other flower grew next to the prison door, which seemed to give prisoners hope and encouragement? 3. Instead of the A being sewed on Hester s dresses, one of the women in the crowd suggests that the letter should be branded where? 4. What token other than the letter revealed the shame of Hester as she walked out into the sunlight?

5 The Scarlet Letter / 3 5. While on the scaffold, Hester recalls her past and those who were a part of it. What is the relationship that Hester has with the misshapen scholar? 6. In chapter 3, the reader learns that the setting of The Scarlet Letter is in what New England town? 7. Why is the allusion to Daniel appropriate when the townsman converses with the stranger? 8. What four words does the stranger repeat that indicates he has taken a vow to find the father of the baby? 9. Who was given the task of getting Hester to reveal who the father of her child was? 10. What was the topic of the discourse that Rev. Wilson delivered to the by-standers? 1.5 Critical Thinking Hawthorne notes that the mildest and the severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and awful. Reread the open paragraph of chapter 2. Which punishments do you believe to be unjust? Is there Biblical authority for such punishments? From the perspective of a holy God, all sin is wicked. However, from a human point of view, which sins are more wicked overt sins of the flesh like that committed by Hester Prynne, or the hidden sins of the heart like those of the women in the crowd? Consider Hosea 6:6. Discuss the devices that Hawthorne uses to evoke pity for Hester Prynne. The Scarlet Letter is rich in symbolism. What symbols are revealed in today s reading? 1.6 Bonus Thoughts Symbolism: The Scarlet Letter is one of the best literary works that uses extensively the literary device called the symbol. As a term, a symbol can be anything that represents something else. Thus, technically, a word is a symbol. However, in the context of literature, a symbol is a word that represents a reference beyond itself. In The Scarlet Letter, you should note the use of symbols such as the scaffold, the forest, and the scarlet letter. Characters are also symbols. Determine what each of the characters represent, such as Mistress Hibbins representing evil. Utopia: The word utopia was coined by Sir Thomas More from his book, Utopia. Literally, utopia means no place. The word has become to mean any ideal place where all social and political spheres are perfect. In the United States, there have been several unsuccessful schemes to create utopian communities, the best-known being Brook Farm, where Hawthorne spent less than a year and invested over a $1000, and New Harmony. All of these communities tried some form of socialism, which by its very nature must fail. Socialism discounts the sin nature of men, thinking all that is needed is the proper education to raise one s base selfishness. Hawthorne realized that men are given over to a fallen nature, and thus rejected the socialism of his day.

6 4 / The Scarlet Letter Ann Hutchinson: As an outspoken woman who challenged the Puritan hierarchy, Ann Hutchinson was condemned and banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony in The Puritans insisted that there were certain visible signs that indicated whether a believer was of the elect. On the other hand, Hutchinson taught women in her own home that the true believer cannot go astray, because God dwelled inside the believer. According to Hutchinson, laws and ordinances were for those who were not guided by inward holiness; however, the believer did not need laws to guide his conduct. After being banished from the colony, Hutchinson moved to present-day Rhode Island, and then settled in New York. While in New York, Ann Hutchinson and some of her family were killed by Indians. Capital Punishment and Adultery: In today s reading, one of the women in the crowd remarked that the Bible authorized capital punishment for adultery. While such a penalty seems overly harsh by modern standards (if there are any standards), some Christians argue that under both the Old and New Testaments, adultery is a capital offense. The purpose for God s commandment that prohibits adultery is for protecting the institution of marriage. Even the Lord Jesus Christ sanctions the use of capital punishment for adultery, when He stated, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. If the Lord meant any sin, then the expression becomes meaningless, especially when He tells the woman to go and sin no more. However, anyone that condemned adultery certainly could do so (John 8:3 11). Yet none of the accusers did, because they were convicted by their own conscience. The reason that the Lord could not condemn the woman is because cases for capital punishment under the law required two or three witnesses. However, the body of Christ is not under the Jewish law today. The teachings of Paul explain how we as Christian, who are saved by grace, are to respond to adultery. Read the fifth chapter found in 1 Corinthians. Paul says nothing about executing the young man. The Puritan women were getting their doctrine from the wrong part of the Bible.

7 The Scarlet Letter / 5 The Scarlet Letter Lesson Two 2.1 Vocabulary peremptory adj. lurid adj. sumptuary adj. ascetic adj. 2.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. Hester sought not to acquire any thing beyond a subsistence, of the plainest and most description, for herself, and a simple abundance for her child. 2. Then, [Hester] was supported by an unnatural tension of the nerves, and by all the combative energy of her character, which enabled her to convert the scene into a kind of triumph. 3. His first care was given to the child; whose cries, indeed, as she lay writhing on the trundlebed, made it of necessity to postpone all other business to the task of soothing her. 4. [Fine articles of clothing] were readily allowed to individuals dignified by rank or wealth,even while laws forbade these and similar extravagances to the plebeian order. 2.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. Why was Hester closely watched in prison? 2. Why was Roger Chillingworth staying at the prison? 3. According to Chillingworth, what hungry dream did he feed his best years of his life? 4. What secret does Chillingworth ask Hester to keep? 5. According to the author, the reason for Hester s staying in New England was half a truth and half a self-delusion. What was Hester s reason for staying? 6. What dwelling did Hester find in order to live in? 7. Even though the simplicity of Puritan life generally excluded fancy needle-work, why was Hester s craft in demand?

8 6 / The Scarlet Letter 8. While her dresses were common, made of the coarsest materials, what was the one thing that she wore that was of a fantastic ingenuity? 9. While she could have spent more time creating more fashionable items to sell, Hester would sew for many hours making what for the poor? 10. According to the common people, what was the scarlet letter made of? 2.5 Critical Thinking In chapter 4, Hester is afraid of being poisoned by Chillingworth. Do you agree that Chillingworth s allowing Hester to live rather than poisoning her would have been a greater revenge? Why or why not? Is there an inconsistency in the Puritan society that sought Hester s skill for the government, for the military, or for the ministry, but not for marriage? Is government, the military, or the ministry less noble and pure than the institution of marriage? Discuss. Hawthorne writes, Like all other joys, [Hester] rejected it as sin. Does the Bible teach that anything that brings joy to the soul is sin? What does the Bible say about expressing joy? Discuss. The Puritans treatment of Hester does not seem to be of a behavior that is Christian. How should Christians treat a person who has fallen into sin? On the other hand, argue that the A convicted the people of their own hidden sins and, thus they avoided and shunned Hester in order to be not reminded of their own sin. 2.6 Bonus Thoughts Alchemy: As a pseudo-science, alchemy is the attempt to produce gold from common elements, a panacea for curing all diseases, and an elixir for long life. Obviously, the alchemists experimented with many different materials, chemicals, and minerals, leading the way for the science of chemistry. However, alchemy is also a philosophy, having several different forms found in both western and eastern thought. I know not Lethe nor Nepenthe : This expression is an allusion to Greek mythology. Both the Lethe and nepenthe are connected with forgetfulness. The Lethe is one of the five rivers in Hades and is indeed the river of forgetfulness. On the other hand, nepenthe is mentioned in the Odyssey, being a drug to help a person to forget sorrow and pain.

9 The Scarlet Letter / 7 The Scarlet Letter Lesson Three 3.1 Vocabulary efficacy n. mutability n. inalienable adj. imperious adj. 3.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. This outward indicated the various properties of her inner life. 2. Man had marked this woman s sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous that no human sympathy could reach her. 3. Often, nevertheless, more from caprice than necessity, she demanded to be taken up in arms, but was soon as to be set down again. 4. All this enmity and passion had Pearl inherited, by right, out of Hester s heart. 3.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. Why did Hester name her child, Pearl? 2. After trying to discipline Pearl with the rod and with smiles, Hester learns that molding Pearl s character was beyond her skill. What does Hester decide to do? 3. Hester would imagine that Pearl s behavior resembled not of a human nature, but of a what? 4. How does Pearl react to the taunting and reviling of her and her mother by the children in town? 5. As an infant, what was the first thing that Pearl was drawn to that belonged to her mother? 6. During the summer, Pearl would amuse herself by gathering flowers and throwing them at what? 7. What were the two purposes of Hester s going to the mansion of Governor Bellingham? 8. When Hester arrived at the mansion, the servant states the governor was being visited by whom?

10 8 / The Scarlet Letter 9. When Hester looked into the polished breastplate, what was magnified greater than all of her features? 10. What did Pearl want to have in the garden, which her mother had forbidden? 3.5 Critical Thinking Consider the games the Puritan children played: going to church, beating Quakers, fighting Indians, and imitating witchcraft. Are these wholesome activities? Why do you suppose the Puritan children engaged themselves in such activities? Do the games that children play reflect the society in which they live? Some critics charge that Hawthorne s description of Pearl in chapter 6 is unrealistic, since the child seems to possess supernatural qualities. Do you agree? Does it matter if these supernatural qualities are the product of Hester s imagination, rather than fact? Discuss the irony in the Puritans treatment of Hester and God s treatment of her. In chapter 7, discuss how the scarlet letter is symbolized in both Pearl and in the breastplate. 3.6 Bonus Thoughts Allusions to Greek Mythology: Once again, Hawthorne reaches in the vast stores of Greek mythology in today s reading. The Dragon s teeth is a reference to the legend of Cadmus. Coming into a foreign land (after being directed to follow a cow, which led him to the land), Cadmus ordered his servants to get some water. Unfortunately, a dragon lived in the land and killed the servants. With his javelin and spear, Cadmus successfully kills the dragon and avenges his servants. However, Cadmus hears a voice instructing him to take the dragon s teeth and sow them upon the soil. Up from the teeth arose fierce warriors who began to fight with each other. All were killed except for five warriors. Finally, one of the warriors tossed aside his weapons and convinced the other four that they should live in peace. These five men joined Cadmus, and they became known as the Five of Thebes. The tale of the Labyrinth, a very intricate maze, is quite interesting. The Labyrinth is prominent in both the tales about Theseus and Daedalus. The half-man, half-bull known as the Minotaur was placed in the Labyrinth and Athenian girls and boys were sacrificed to it. However, Theseus rescues the last group from being killed and slays the Minotaur. The designer of the Labyrinth was Daedalus, who lost favor with Minos, who was the King of Crete and where the Labyrinth was located. Daedalus and his son, Icarus, were both put into the Labyrinth to die. But, being of an inventiveness mind, Daedalus created a pair of wings for himself and Icarus. Father and son were able to escape the Labyrinth by flying out. However, Icarus flew too close to the sun, the wax melted from his wings, and he fell to his death. Incubus: An incubus is a nocturnal demon, which was part of the Roman Catholic folklore during medieval times. Reportedly, the incubus would have intercourse with women while they slept. The most famous offspring of the union of an incubus and a woman is none other than Merlin of King Arthur s court. Indentured Servant: We learned that Governor Bellingham had an indentured servant. Many colonists began as indentured servants, since oftentimes they did not have the wherewithal to pay for their passage to the New World. An indentured servant was a slave, which was an arrangement that conformed, for the most part, with the Bible. Although

11 The Scarlet Letter / 9 considered as voluntary servitude usually for seven-years duration, many indentured servants were sold into slavery by their families (a practice still occurring in India today). These servants were often poorly treated and frequently did not receive anything more substantial for their years of labor than a ticket to the New World. The servants endured the hardships knowing that they would soon become landowners and begin to make a life for themselves. Not infrequently, the contract (indenture) was part of a master-apprentice relationship, where the master would teach the apprentice his skill until he was fully trained. The servant did not have a choice in what trade or profession he would practice. The Pequot (Pequod) War: Involving the Pequot Indians and the settlers of the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Pequot War was fought in The Pequot was a strong tribe with its only rival in the area being the Narragansett tribe. Several conflicts arose between the colonists and the Indians, including disputes over property, colonists livestock damaging Indian crops, hunting, the selling of alcohol to Indians, and dishonest traders. Besides these, the English Puritans believed that they were called of God to build a New Jerusalem in the wilderness. The Puritans were inflexible and believed that the Indian, as savages, must conform to their way of living. Nevertheless, while the Indian tribes were constantly suffering at the hands of the Puritans, they were at the same time growing more dependent on the trade goods of the colonists. The Pequot was weakened by two things. First, the tribe was divided with half being pro- Dutch and the other half being pro-english. Due to this division, the pro-dutch faction left the tribe and formed the Mohegan tribe, becoming an enemy to the Pequot. Second, the English brought with them smallpox, which became an epidemic in , killing nearly half of the Pequot tribe. Finally, the Indians had enough, and on 20 July 1636, John Oldham, who reportedly was a dishonest trader, was killed by the Pequot. The Massachusetts Bay Colony raised a small company of ninety men under the leadership of John Endicott. This troop landed on Block Island and killed 14 Indians before they burned the entire village and crops. Endicott then went to Saybrook where they demanded tribute from the Pequot village there. The Pequots managed to flee the village before the Massachusetts troops arrived, who then burned the village. Leaving a Connecticut garrison at Saybrook, which felt the continued wrath of the Pequot, Endicott returned to Massachusetts. The Pequot tried to enlist allies against the English. However, both the Narragansett and the Mohegan refused to side with the Pequot tribe. This was due to previous hostilities by the Pequot and to the influence of Roger Williams. While the Narragansett, and many smaller tribes, remained neutral in the conflict, the Mohegan and the Mohawks joined the English against the Pequots. In May 1637, a military troop attacked the Pequot village located near New Haven, Connecticut. The village was destroyed and over 500 Indians killed. The Pequot leader, Sassacus, was captured in July Those who survived the war were sold in the West Indies as slaves, which will be repeated in another Indian war, King Philip s War in Sassacus was executed by the Mohawks and the few Pequots who were able to escape the English, fled to surrounding Indian tribes and were assimilated. The Pequot tribe, once a powerful Indian nation, had ceased to be.

12 10 / The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter Lesson Four 4.1 Vocabulary apparition n. bedizen v. mountebank n. erudition n. 4.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. Prithee, young one, who art thou, and what has ailed thy mother to thee in this strange fashion? 2. The pale clergyman piled up his library, rich with parchment-bound folios of the Fathers, and the lore of Rabbis, and monkish of which the Protestant divines, even while they vilified and decried that class of writers, were yet constrained often to avail themselves. 3. There used to be a swarm of these small (s), in holiday-time; and we called them children of the Lord of Misrule. 4. I feared the woman had no better thought than to make a of her child. 4.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. Who had become the close friend of Rev. Dimmesdale? 2. Why does Mr. Wilson suggest that Pearl should be called Ruby or Coral? 3. What is the significance of Governor s Bellingham s remark correcting Hester with Babylon? See Rev. 17:4. 4. When asked from where she came, what answer did Pearl give to Mr. Wilson? 5. What were the conditions that Hester had to follow in order to keep Pearl? 6. Where does Mistress Hibbins invite Hester to come when she and Pearl left the governor s mansion? 7. What is the other profession of the only surgeon in Boston?

13 The Scarlet Letter / What was the popular rumor about Chillingworth s purpose for being in the New World? 9. What scene was on the tapestry that adorned the apartment of Rev. Dimmesdale? 10. After Roger Chillingworth and Rev. Dimmesdale moved into the same house, what becomes the opinion of some about the purpose of Chillingworth? 4.5 Critical Thinking Acting in the role of civil government, Governor Bellingham believed that Pearl would be better cared for if taken away from Hester. Is it the role of government to determine who make desirable parents? According to the Bible, who is responsible for raising children? In chapter 8, what evidence suggests that Rev. Dimmesdale may be the father of Pearl? Discuss. How is evil represented through Roger Chillingworth and Mistress Hibbins? Discuss. 4.6 Bonus Thoughts Salem Witch Trials (1692): The events leading up to the Salem Witch Trials is rather involved, yet makes for interesting research. The Puritans were unfortunately a very superstitious lot; however, they were merely reflecting the beliefs of their times. Several girls were telling fortunes and relating stories that they had read from popular books of the period. Tituba, a slave belonging to Rev. Samuel Parris, the pastor of a local congregation, would join the girls and tell them stories about her homeland, Barbados. Soon, Tituba and eventually well over 100 men and women, both free and slave, were accused of witchcraft. Of those accused, nineteen were hanged with up to another seventeen dying while in prison. One unfortunate victim, Giles Corey of Salem Farms, was pressed to death. Nathaniel Hawthorne s great-grandfather, John Hathorne was one of the magistrates that presided over the trials. Hawthorne added a w to his last name in order to distance himself from John Hathorne. Sir Kenelm Digby ( ): Sir Digby was a true Renaissance man, being a military officer, a diplomat, a scientist, an adventurer, and a writer. Being a Roman Catholic, Digby was banished by the Long Parliament from England and lived in France for awhile. Nevertheless, Digby became intimately acquainted with Oliver Cromwell. His claim to scientific fame was the discovery that oxygen was necessary to plant life.

14 12 / The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter Lesson Five 5.1 Vocabulary ominous adj. inimical adj. palliate v. machination n. 5.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. Mr. Dimmesdale, whose sensibility of nerve often produced the effect of spiritual intuition, would become vaguely aware that something to his peace had thrust itself into relation with him. 2. Sometimes, a light glimmered out of the physician s eyes, burning blue and, like the reflection of a furnace. 3. While given over to the (s) of his deadliest enemy, the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale had achieved a brilliant popularity in his sacred office. 4. There had been nothing in the physician s words to excuse or. 5.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. What metaphor is used to describe Chillingworth s investigation of Rev. Dimmesdale? 2. What did Chillingworth have, which he said he found on a grave and were the result of unconfessed sins? 3. What does Pearl do when she came upon a grave with a broad, flat, armorial tombstone? 4. What did Pearl arrange upon the scarlet letter of Hester? 5. When Pearl asked her mother to come away, or the Black Man will get her, to whom was she calling the Black Man? 6. According to Chillingworth, Rev. Dimmesdale cannot be cured of his physical illness until the minister does what? 7. While Rev. Dimmesdale was soundly sleeping, what did Chillingworth do after walking up to the minister? 8. Even though Rev. Dimmesdale had an increasing distrust and disliking for Chillingworth, to what did the minister attribute his feelings toward the physician?

15 The Scarlet Letter / What was ironic about Rev. Dimmesdale declaring to his congregation that he was utterly a pollution and a lie? 10. What Roman Catholic practice did Rev. Dimmesdale use upon himself, but with no avail to his inner sufferings? 5.5 Critical Thinking Rev. Dimmesdale remarks that confessed sin gives joy and relief to the sinner. Do you agree? Does the minister s concept of confession agree with the Bible? According to the Bible, to whom should sinners confess their sins? Is it proper, or even advisable to confess one s sins to a minister or to a priest? Why or why not? What evidence shows that Chillingworth is not completely evil? Argue that Chillingworth did not choose the path of evil, but his desire for discovering the truth was of necessity. 5.6 Bonus Thoughts The Apple of His Eye: This cliché is quite ancient. The ancients believed that the pupil of the eye was solid, taking the form of an apple. Since it was necessary for sight, the pupil was very precious. The expression is found in the Bible (Deuteronomy 32:10). Today the cliché means a cherished person or object. Foreshadowing: Chillingworth s discovery of something on Rev. Dimmesdale s chest is an example of foreshadowing. As a literary device, foreshadowing offers an indication to the reader of something that will be revealed more fully later in the literary work.

16 14 / The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter Lesson Six 6.1 Vocabulary expiation n. decorous adj. scurrilous adj. austerity n. 6.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. [The change in Hester s beauty] might be partly owing to the studied of her dress, and partly to the lack of demonstration in her manners. 2. Satan dropped it there, I take it, intending a jest against your reverence. 3. While standing on the scaffold, in this vain show of, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart. 4. The whole tribe of personages, who had never heretofore been seen with a single hair of their heads awry, would start into public view, with the disorder of a nightmare in their aspects. 6.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. Why was there no fear of discovery of Rev. Dimmesdale s being on the scaffold? 2. According to Hawthorne, what is the sister of Remorse? 3. Who held a lantern, passing by the scaffold, yet not seeing Rev. Dimmesdale? 4. Who later comes by and accompanies Rev. Dimmesdale on the scaffold? 5. As a meteor lit up the sky, what does Rev. Dimmesdale imagine the meteor made? 6. What does the sexton find that belonged to Rev. Dimmesdale on the scaffold? 7. After seven years of wearing the scarlet letter, Hester had earned the respect of the townspeople, and they began to say the scarlet letter stood for what? 8. According to local legend, what happened with an Indian shot an arrow at Hester? 9. What is meant, The scarlet letter had not done its office?

17 The Scarlet Letter / What does Hester decide is the best course of action to help Rev. Dimmesdale? 6.5 Critical Thinking Today s reading is very psychological, that is, the reader is able to get into the mind of Rev. Dimmesdale. The minister s guilt and cowardice are central to Dimmesdale s mental and physical health. According to the Bible, does guilt occur as a violation of the conscience or as a matter of hearing the word of God? Discuss. Discuss how the letter A is used as a symbol in chapter 12. Notice the explanations for the strange appearance of the meteor and for the sexton s finding Rev. Dimmesdale s glove on the scaffold. Are there Biblical precedents for these explanations, or are they merely superstition? Discuss. Hawthorne states, Every thing was against [Pearl]. The world was hostile. What world is Hawthorne referring to? Does Hawthorne exploit the idea that Boston represents evil and hypocrisy, while seclusion in the countryside presents good and peace? Discuss. 6.6 Bonus Thoughts Sexton: A sexton is an employee of a church, who cares for and maintains the building and churchyard. Oftentimes the sexton s duties include ringing the church bells and digging graves. The Enlightenment (Age of Reason): Hawthorne notes that Hester assumed a freedom of speculation. Even though the Enlightenment was an eighteenth-century philosophical movement, which examined past beliefs and traditions through reason, Hawthorne makes Hester a harbinger of the coming new thinking. Of course, Hawthorne is a product of the Enlightenment, and it is only natural that he would let Hester become a prophetess of the new order, even though she is out of place and ahead of her time. Indeed, Hester will eventually assure the women in the colony that at some brighter period, when the world should have grown ripe for it, in Heaven s own time, a new truth would be revealed, in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on a surer ground of mutual happiness. While it is true that truth is reveal, this revelation is through an understanding of the Bible, and not through the agency of human reason, which is corrupted by sin.

18 16 / The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter Lesson Seven 7.1 Vocabulary propinquity n. deleterious adj. precocity n. scintillate v. 7.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. But it was the constant shadow of my presence! the closest of the man whom he had most vilely wronged! 2. But now the idea came strongly into Hester s mind, that Pearl, with her remarkable and acuteness, might already have approached the age when she could make a friend. 3. Or might it suffice Chillingworth, that every wholesome growth should be converted into something and malignant at his touch? 4. Pearl did actually catch the sunshine, and stood laughing in the midst of it, all brightened by its splendor, and (ing) with the vivacity excited by rapid motion. 7.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letters, chapters Recall Questions 1. According to Chillingworth, what was the council of magistrates considering to do regarding Hester s punishment? 2. According to Chillingworth, why did he not avenge himself on Hester like he was doing with Rev. Dimmesdale? 3. When Hester asks her husband to pardon her, Chillingworth claims that he is unable to do so because of what? 4. As Hester observes her husband s gathering of herbs after their conversation, what does she express as her feelings toward Chillingworth? 5. While playing on the seashore, what did Pearl make out of eel-grass for her dress? 6. Pearl is persistent in asking what question to her mother? 7. Who was the Apostle Eliot? 8. According to Pearl, why was the sun frightened away?

19 The Scarlet Letter / Hester tells Pearl that she had met the Black Man once in her life and that she received what mark from him? 10. According to Hester, Rev. Dimmesdale did not seem to be suffering physically at all, except for what gesture? 7.5 Critical Thinking Is the context of Romans 12:19 applicable in the case of Roger Chillingworth? Is there ever an appropriate occasion to avenge a wrong committed against you personally? against a nation? Discuss. What evil has Chillingworth committed against Rev. Dimmesdale? Does your posing as a friend, when actually you are an enemy, make you a fiend? Why or why not? Has Hester yet to repeat for her sin of adultery or ask for God s forgiveness? What evidence in today s reading suggests that she has not? Chapter 16 is rich with symbolism. What are these symbols and what do they mean? Discuss. 7.6 Bonus Thoughts Impersonal Fate: Chillingworth states, Ye that have wronged me are not sinful, save in a kind of typical illusion; neither am I fiend-like, who have snatched a fiend s office from his hands. It is our fate. Chillingworth falls back upon his religion and belief that God has ordained the events to occur. The Puritans accepted Calvinism as their systematic theology, which allows very little free-will, except the will to sin. Even though Hester and Dimmesdale had a choice to obey God, their wills chose to sin, and now the events have been set into motion, which cannot be altered. Calvinism is often described as a form of fatalism. However, this is not accurate. Fatalism is driven by impersonal forces, whether by chance or by design. On the other hand, Calvinism recognizes that God is sovereign over His creation, and that He is able to do as His wishes with His creation, including human beings. Hornbook: A hornbook was an early primer used to teach children to read. The book consisted of a single page that was covered with a very thin, transparent sheet of horn. Praying Indians: The Indian converts to Christianity were called Praying Indians. Some of the converts were trained as preachers and went into Indian villages to preach the gospel. However, the Indians distrusted the converts, believing them to be English spies (which proved to be true in several cases), and the Puritans distrusted the Praying Indians, often keeping them in guarded camps during Indian uprisings. Scrofula: Hawthorne makes an error when he says scrofula is hereditary. Scrofula is a form of tuberculosis, which is most common in children and is usually spread by milk that had not been pasteurized from infected cows. Apostrophe: In chapter 16, Pearl directly addresses the brook. This is an example of the apostrophe, a direct address either to an absent person, to an abstract entity, or to an inanimate object. The apostrophe belongs to the class of figures of speech called rhetorical figures. Also included with rhetorical figures are the invocation, the rhetorical question, the chiasmus, and the zeugma.

20 18 / The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter Lesson Eight 8.1 Vocabulary contiguity n. misanthropy n. trammel v. denizen n. 8.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. At the head of the social system, as the clergymen of that day stood, [Rev. Dimmesdale] was only the more (ed) by its regulations, its principles, and even its prejudices. 2. In the of her own trouble, [Hester] left the minister to bear what she might picture to herself as a more tolerable doom. 3. The very of his enemy was enough to disturb the magnetic sphere of a being so sensitive as Arthur Dimmesdale. 4. The small of the wilderness hardly took pains to move out of [Pearl s] path. 8.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, Recall Questions 1. When Hester asks whether the knowledge of his being admired by his congregation helped his finding peace, what did Rev. Dimmesdale state regarding how this knowledge affected him? 2. Why does Hester desperately try to get Rev. Dimmesdale to forgive her for her not telling him about Chillingworth? 3. Upon whose strength did Dimmesdale rely when he learned about Chillingworth? 4. What do Hester and Dimmesdale plot to do together? 5. What is the significance of his saying when Dimmesdale said he could not venture forth alone? 6. How does Dimmesdale justify the fact that he never transgressed the received laws of his society, even though he committed adultery with Hester? 7. What does Hester do with the scarlet letter?

21 The Scarlet Letter / When Hester wants Dimmesdale to meet Pearl, what does the minister confess about his feelings toward the child? 9. According to a tale, what wild animal approached Pearl to have its head petted? 8.5 Critical Thinking Rev. Dimmesdale remarks that his torment is partially due to his having to speak the truth to his congregation, while he knows of his own hypocrisy. Are ministers of the Gospel to have a higher standard of conduct than other Christians? Consider 1 Timothy 4:1 7. In what ways did Dimmesdale violate these verses? Is running away from a problem ever a good solution to the problem? In the case of Rev. Dimmesdale, did he have a better solution for avoiding his tormentor? Why was Dimmesdale reluctant to openly confess his love for Hester as well as his sin with her? [Remember what the penalty for adultery was.] Explain how it is revealed that Hester and Dimmesdale are still passionate lovers, even after seven years? 8.6 Bonus Thoughts Casting Away the Scarlet Letter: Hester s tossing the scarlet letter aside is rich in meaning. Hester never did fit in Puritan society, because she is not a Puritan, but a freethinker. The scarlet letter represented conformity to man s law, viewed as harsh and joyless, but in the forest, Hester was under the law of nature, portrayed as benign and liberating. Man s law restrains and restricts; thus, without the scarlet letter, Hester was free of being confined and could be herself. However, the purpose of law is to restrain the natural tendencies to sin, although one could argue that the law failed in the case of Hester and Dimmesdale, since their passions were not guarded. It is significant to note that the forest accepts Pearl, who was a child born of natural passions, and not born in conformity to law that governed the Puritans.

22 20 / The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter Lesson Nine 9.1 Vocabulary inure v. caprice n. duplicity n. jocularity n. 9.2 Vocabulary Recognition 1. All such professors of the several branches of would have been sternly repressed, not only by the rigid discipline of law, but by the general sentiment which gives low its vitality. 2. Hester Prynne, who, however (ed) to such behaviour on the elf-child s part at other seasons, was naturally anxious for a more seemly deportment now. 3. In order to free his mind from this indistinctness and of impression, which vexed it with a strange disquietude, [Rev. Dimmesdale] recalled and more thoroughly defined the plans which Hester and himself had sketched for their departure. 4. Whether influenced by the jealousy that seems instinctive with every petted child towards a dangerous rival, or from whatever of her freakish nature, Pearl would show no favor to the clergyman. 9.3 Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. Why did Dimmesdale feel alarm whenever Pearl was by his side in the town? 2. Before Pearl would come to her mother, what did she require of Hester to do? 3. After Dimmesdale kisses Pearl on the forehead, what does the child do and why is her action significant? 4. Where did Hester and Dimmesdale agree to go after leaving Boston? 5. As Dimmesdale ventured back into the town, how was he affected when he saw familiar people? 6. Whom does Dimmesdale meet in the street, who seemed to know where he was? 7. What is ironic about Chillingworth s stating, The people look for great things from you; apprehending that another year may come about, and find their pastor gone?

23 The Scarlet Letter / What does Rev. Dimmesdale do with the copy of his election sermon that he had started? 9. According to Hawthorne, since the second generation of Puritan wore the blackest shade of Puritanism, what was darkened by this shade? 10. What does the captain of the Spanish Main reveal to Hester in the marketplace? 9.5 Critical Thinking Is Pearl s forcing Hester, an adult and her mother, to wear the scarlet letter unrealistic? Consider the explanation of Hester regarding the thinking of children. Hawthorne writes, No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true. How does this statement apply to Rev. Dimmesdale? 9.6 Bonus Thoughts Election Sermon: The use of the Election Sermon was not only to remind the Puritans about their errand into the wilderness, but also revealed to the outside world the New England Way. The election sermon is unique to New England with Connecticut having them from 1674 through 1830, New Hampshire from 1784 through 1831, Vermont from 1777 through 1834, and Massachusetts from 1634 through Election Day was the most important holiday of the year for New England, since new assistants were elected to help the governor. After the delivery of the sermons, they were published and quickly distributed at home and abroad, and can rightly be called the first voice of America. Indeed, the influential leader, John Winthrop, saw the New England colony as an experiment of how Puritanism can work on a small scale, and then it would be a guide for old England as it applied the lessons on a grander one. Winthrop stated, We shall be as a city upon a hill. Puritanism and Jocularity: Many critics, particularly Christian scholars, suggest that Hawthorne overstates the lack of joy in Puritan New England. However, with the takeover of the government by the Puritans, many of the amusements and diversions common in England were outlawed both in England and in the colonies, such as the Christmas celebrations and plays, especially Shakespeare. However, the Christmas celebration in England was nothing more than a drunken revelry and did not conform to Biblical standards of conduct. The notion of celebrating the birth of Christ with the giving of gifts is distinctly American. Nevertheless, one of the primary reasons for the English desiring a king once again and doing away with the Puritan republic was to participate in their amusements.

24 22 / The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter Lesson Ten 10.1 Vocabulary plaintiveness n. indefatigable adj. languid adj. nugatory adj Vocabulary Recognition 1. It indicated the restless vivacity of her spirit, which to-day was doubly in its tiptoe dance, because it was played upon and vibrated with her mother s disquietude. 2. Majestic as the voice sometimes became, there was for ever in it an essential character of. 3. According to these highly respectable witnesses, the minister had desired, by yielding up his breath in the arms of that fallen woman, to express to the world how utterly is the choicest of man s own righteousness. 4. The inhabitants of the town (their own interest in the worn-out subject (ly) reviving itself, by sympathy with what they saw others feel) lounged idly to the quarter Reading Assignment: The Scarlet Letter, chapters Recall Questions 1. According Hawthorne, in the early colonial days, how did the people select their statesmen and their governors? 2. As the procession passed by the marketplace, who speaks with Hester and Pearl? 3. What does the captain of the Spanish Main throw to Pearl? 4. What is the significance of Hester s standing by the scaffold and Dimmesdale s standing in the church? 5. How did the audience interpret the occasional pathos found in Rev. Dimmesdale s sermon? 6. Why does Rev. Dimmesdale pause in front of the scaffold during the march to the banquet? 7. According to Chillingworth, where was the only place on earth that Rev. Dimmesdale could escape the physician s presence? 8. What does Dimmesdale reveal to the crowd after pulling his clothing away from his chest?

25 The Scarlet Letter / To whom did Roger Chillingworth bequeathed property in both England and the colonies? 10. After leaving New England with Pearl, Hester later returns alone to her cottage several years later. Hester was no longer in demand as a seamstress, but as a what? 10.5 Critical Thinking Some public schools have banned The Scarlet Letter in the libraries and in the classrooms. Supposedly the censors claim the novel glorifies adultery. Do you agree with this claim? Socialists always have an official reason for doing something, which is never the real reason. In the case of the banning of The Scarlet Letter, what do you suppose is the real reason for its ban? Is The Scarlet Letter an allegory, or in other words, do the places, events, and characters represent more than a literal meaning, but have a secondary, broader meaning? If so, what are the broader meaning of characters like Governor Bellingham and Rev. Dimmesdale or places like the forest? Compare and contrast the three scaffold scenes in The Scarlet Letter. Was Hester Prynne a Puritan, or was she merely conforming to the mores of society in which she lived? Discuss Bonus Thoughts Knights Templars: The greatest of the military orders spawned by the Crusades was the Order of the Temple, its members being warrior-priests. In 1119, several knights went to Jerusalem for the purpose of protecting pilgrims in the Holy Land. The knights resided in a building near the place of Solomon s Temple. Thus, the knights became known as Knights Templars. By the mid-12th century, the Templars had established themselves in nearly every country in western Europe. Eventually, the Templars became very wealthy and organized banks throughout Europe. The greatest banking institution in the world at this time was the Temple of Paris. Most of the monarchs in Europe were in debt to the Templars, and it was only a matter of time before the Templars assets would be coveted. During the reign of Philip IV of France ( ), the Templars fell victim of the king s greed (and debt). The Templars were officially accused of sodomy; the actual reason was Philip IV was broke and needed money. The Templars were arrested, tortured, and executed. With the help of Pope Clement V, who was a Frenchman, the order was abolished, and all of the Templars property was seized. Some of the property was transferred to another military order, the Hospitalers. However, most of the confiscated wealth and lands were taken over by the monarchs in the countries where the property was located. On a Field, Sable, The Letter A, Gules: The single tombstone shared by Rev. Dimmesdale and Hester was made of slate. The colors of sable and gules are terms used in heraldry, which are black and red respectively. Thus, the motto is Hawthorne s last use of symbolism in his novel. With such a dark background, the only thing that offered any brightness was the scarlet letter.