Scarlet Letter Review Questions

1. Hester Prynne’s sin was her adultery. She slept with another man (Mr. Dimmsdale) while her husband was not around. The consequence was that she had to walk around with a red letter “A” for adulterer on her chest. She also received a living scarlet letter, her daughter Pearl which reminds her everyday of what she truly has done. Minister Dimmsdale was the one who slept with Hester Prynne and he is at fault about this as well. Even though he did not have a wife, he still had sex before marriage, a sin. He also lived in a contradicting life since he was a minister who sinned so wrongly. This pained his heart so unbearably, that he killed himself.

Chillingsworth’s sin was revenge. Vengeance is not the right thing to look for even at such a serious betrayal against him. Thinking of harmful things or ways to get back at people is a bad thing. It is not only a sin but a sickness that can take over you and eventually lead to your downfall. His consequence was his loss of life, both literally and figuratively. Once he could not seek his revenge he lost all means of living. He soon died afterwards, and was only mentioned as a footnote throughout the rest of the book. This proves that revenge gets you nowhere.

2. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a wide variety of literary terms in his writing. One of these terms is imagery. On nearly every page Hawthorne describes something; he gives vivid detail that paints a perfect picture of what is going on. “…She took off the formal cap that confined her hair; and down it fell upon her shoulders, dark and rich, with at once a shadow and a light in its abundance, and imparting the charm of softness in her features. There played around her mouth and beamed out of her eyes a radiant smile that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood…Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty, came back,” (Hawthorne 185-186). Is this not a brilliant description about the appearance and expression Hester must have had? He also went on to speak about the gloomy forest they were in becoming radiant and beautiful. This not only paints a picture but adds possibly a movie clip to your mind, viewing all of this happen. It is said that Hawthorne does this (thanks to Todun) because there was no good quality pictures he could print with his book. So he decided to paint pictures of his own.

Another good quality in his writing is his diction. This is probably obvious since it is an older book and English was different then as it is now. Words like effervescence (enthusiastic or excitement) and jollity (merriment) add a very unique twist on Hawthorne’s work (Hawthorne 208-209). This is one book that you would want to read near a dictionary (or the internet)! He also uses symbolism in his story. These things are everywhere; one of them is the comet that Mr. Dimmsdale saw fly through the sky, looking like a big A. This symbolized his guilt as well as foreshadowed him as the other adulterer. Pearl’s name is also a symbol of how much Hester treasures her despite her origin. She cared for Pearl even though she is a living scarlet letter herself (another symbol).

3. Although Hester was a disloyal spouse, she was widely known around the town and not because of her sin. She actually was better than most other women because, despite her sin and mistakes, she still acted as a noble woman or at least tried to the best of her ability. It was hard at first, but she accepted her sin and went on with her life. She could have easily run away, but she didn’t. “It may be marvelous, that, with the world before her…free to return to her birthplace, or to any other European land…this woman should still call this place her home,” (Hawthorne 73). Although there was nothing binding her to that place and there was so much shame she could have avoided, she stayed there and accepted her punishment. This is not only a true woman, but a powerful woman. She also took care of the daughter she made during her sin and this little girl was a handful! She kept taunting her mother with the scarlet letter and teasing her, as if its existence could be removed without a second thought and her mother was dumb enough to wear it. She wouldn’t even let her daughter get taken away from her. She accepted her punishment entirely.
She also began giving back to society. “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it.” (Hawthorne 78). Even though she felt like she never belonged to society, she still helped people out. Also you notice this early within the book, not near the end as some sudden realization. She did even more service to the community at the end. As the book concluded it said, “Women…came to Hester’s cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy!” (Hawthorne 239). Even after it was all said and done, she passed on her stories to those who needed guidance. She surely gave back so much that some thought that the scarlet letter be removed from her bosom. This sin had the consequence of death and she was let go with a pardon, and now they thought it should be gone altogether? She must been a very acceptable person for a thought even to cross their minds! Hester proved that even with such a heavy burden, you can still turn your life around. Hester proved herself, through much persecution, a true woman.

4. The second scene on the scaffold is the biggest part of the story. It is when the truth is yet revealed about everything. Dimmsdale tells the public that he is Pearl’s father; he is the one that slept with Hester Prynne. Dimmsdale was considered a perfect person almost. He was a minister that everybody loved and had a lot of credibility as both a minister and a trustworthy person. He had a lot going on for himself. He threw all of that away (along with his life) when he confessed his sin. There was also the sense that he was dying. Hawthorne kept describing him as pale, old, sickly, as if he were going to die and death jumps out at everybody as something exciting, sad or not.
Also everyone else had a drastic change in their lives. Chillingsworth could not get revenge, so his life seemed to fade away. That’s all that he lived for and since the secret was out, he couldn’t use it against him. Everyone that admired Dimmsdale was now dumbfounded because he was an adulterer. Hester now lost her beloved Dimmsdale and had no other secrets now that he was gone, and Pearl’s purpose was served. When the truth was revealed she became the innocent girl she always appeared to be and no longer mocked the scarlet letter. The title served every purpose it could as The Revelation.

5. Pearl’s name is symbolic due to the fact that she was made based off a sin and although this was true, as well as her being a living punishment Hester, still kept her as her prized possession. This showed the determination of Hester living with her punishment and accepting, but also about Pearl being the most valuable thing in her life. Dimmsdale came to the conclusion of being a dimwit because of his thought of Chillingsworth not wanting revenge. I also believe he is a bit stupid for committing adultery with Hester and he is supposed to be a minister. That is not a smart move.

Chillingsworth, I had two thoughts for. One of them was the fact that he scared (sent chills) just about everyone around him since he entered the book. An entrance as an old man dressed in savage clothes and with an Indian will creepy a few people out. I also thought since he pretty much acted like a jerk throughout the book (and aggravated me) he was a worthless person besides the fact he was Hester’s former husband. His life wasn’t worth a single chilling to me.

6. Throughout the story Hester somewhat grew into her character. At the beginning she was very passive (at least more in the beginning than in the ending). She did not walk away from her deed; she accepted it, but was still submissive towards everyone, even her daughter. As time progressed she became more in tune with the “cult of true womanhood” in a few aspects. She took more care for her daughter and stood her ground as a mother. In other words she did not let Pearl push her as hard as she had been.
She was also helping people more and acting more as a true woman. This made some people disregard her scarlet letter and possibly (if it wasn’t embroided on her chest) forget it altogether. She was the strong woman that endured her sin and was getting along with people well. This sent a message to the reader as well as the people. She was able to fit back into society despite her mistake. This gives the heartwarming message that anyone can do it as well.