The Scarlet Letter and Hester - 5407 Words

A CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER READING GUIDE FOR THE SCARLET LETTER A 1636 Plymouth Colony law required anyone convicted of adultery to wear two Capital letters viz AD cut out in cloth and sowed on theire uppermost Garments on their arme or backe; and if att any time they shallbee taken without the said letters whiles they are in the Govrment soewarn to bee forthwith taken and publickly whipt.[1] Other Massachusetts colonies had their own versions of this law. In fact, The Capitall Lawes of New-England, as they stand now in force in the Common-wealth, by the Court, in the years 1641, 1642, established within the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, proclaim that if any person committeth adultery with a married or espoused wife, the†¦show more content†¦Why does he want her to live? 4. Upon whom does Chillingworth put the blame for Hesters sin? How much is her fault? How much is his own? 5. How much revenge does Chillingworth plan to get on Hester? (A particular line in their conversation tells us exactly.) Who is the real object of Chillingworths revenge? 6. The paragraph beginning Never, sayest thou? if read well, can reveal exactly what kind of person Chillingworth is. Read it with a touch of villainy in thy voice and thou must needs quake with fearfulness at the plan this mis-shapen scholar. (Do you see how easy it is to get carried away?) 7. Hester says something interesting about how a persons words may lead to one interpretation of his character and his actions may lead to another. How do Chillingworths words present him? His actions? 8. What request does Chillingworth make of Hester? What is his reason? Chapter 5—Hester at Her Needle How does Hester feel upon leaving prison? What does the future have in store for her? You might wonder why Hester doesnt leave Boston, since it is only in Boston that she must wear the scarlet letter. What are her reasons? Be sure not to overlook the most important of them. What features of Hesters home seem most appropriate? How does Hester make a living? In what ironic way does she advertise her skills? 5. Who were the only ones who made no use of Hesters services? Why? 6. What does Hester do with the extraShow MoreRelatedHester Prynne : The Scarlet Letter841 Words   |  4 PagesJessica Alvarez Period 3 Ap English Lit. Hester Prynne: The Scarlet Letter In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is committed of adultery and has a baby as a result. Throughout the story she refuses to give the name of her lover, Reverend Dimmesdale. Temptation got the best of both of them and a child was created, Pearl. Although Hester was married to Roger Chillingworth from the beginning, she felt no love since he left her in New England. The main traits Hester displays are: proudness, honesty, andRead MoreLetter And Symbols In Hester Prynnes The Scarlet Letter963 Words   |  4 Pagesintroducing Hester Prynnes young daughter, Pearl. The elaborate language can cause confusion and the sentences seem drawn out, but the author manages to tell the horrid story of a woman shunned because she committed adultery beautifully. There are many symbols in the novel. The most obvious one being the letter itself. While the letter clearly represents the sin Hester committed, it later begins to represent a persons ability to change the meaning behind a terrible mishap. The scarlet letter is so beautifullyRead MoreHester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter Essay906 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"On the Scarlet Letter,† criticizes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Lawrence finds fault in how Hester’s sin of adultery is glorified in the novel. D.H. Lawrence argues that Hawthorne mischaracterizes Hester Prynne as a heroine by using choppy syntax, biblical allusions, and a sarcastic tone. One rhetorical device Lawrence effectively uses to argue that Hester is mischaracterized as a heroine is choppy syntax. This is evident when Lawrence mocks Hester by accusingRead MoreComparing The Scarlet Letter By Hester Prynne853 Words   |  4 Pages From sex addict to anger issues and everything in between we all have our faults. Hester Prynne`s, well she was an adulterer. Yet, what makes her fault unique is that she was forced to expose this truth to the entire world, through the Scarlet Letter exposed on her chest and the child beared through her adulterous relationship. As an a experiment the majority of the junior class was presented the challenge to present their faults to the public. While most accepted the challenge, others denied themselvesRead MoreQuestions On Hester s Scarlet Letter985 Words   |  4 PagesHester’s wearing of the scarlet letter differs from Dimmesdale’s struggling? In The Scarlet Letter, Hester wears the scarlet letter as a sign of shame for committing adultery when her husband was lost at sea. By wearing the scarlet letter, Hester shows that she accepts the sin that she has committed. Even after Chillingworth allows Hester to remove the scarlet letter, Hester still wears the scarlet letter. By continuing to wear the scarlet letter, Hester accepts the scarlet letter as her reminder of herRead MoreA Summary Of Hester Prynnes The Scarlet Letter1135 Words   |  5 PagesThe Scarlet Letter is solely revolved around this red letter that the main character Hester wears. The letter â€Å"A† that is pinned to Hester Prynne originally stands for adultery, but as Hester becomes more involved in the community, much of the town forgets Hesters original crimes and claims that it stands for angel instead. Everyone has their own take on Hester and her letter. The letter â€Å"A† has different connotations for different characters and evolves th rough the novel. The Scarlet Letter isRead MoreSummary Of The Scarlet Letter By Hester Prynne882 Words   |  4 PagesThe moment Hester Prynne walked out of the prison door wearing that scarlet letter, she was doomed to be labeled as an Adulterer for the rest of her life. Because of this, the reader associates Hester with the letter A which originally means adulterer. Up until chapter 13, titled â€Å"Another View of Hester,† our protagonist, Hester, was thrown into this box labeled adulterer, where people would stand on the outside, looking down on her from their pedestal of puritan purity. Even the young children ofRead MoreThe Character Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter782 Words   |  4 PagesHester Prynne is the main character in The Scarlet Letter because she has the most internal and external change, and she has the most strength in the story. In the book The Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are four characters that are most seen in the story; Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Hester, and Pearl but I think Hester is the most important. Hester is the most important because of her internal and external changes and she remains strong throughout the story. Hester is physically describedRead MoreAnalysis Of Hester s The Scarlet Letter 1874 Words   |  8 Pagesironically people may not even recognize their differences. Hester, at a glance suffers from a literal scarlet letter, but an imprint on her brain may exist as well. Irrational actions, sudden emotional episodes, and destructive thoughts can only prevail for so long following sin; Hester’s persona has branches of self-defeating personality disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. No one of her time, however, will bring the issue to light, Hester will be left known as the mistress, a witch, or â€Å"A,†Read MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter By Hester Prynne1930 Words   |  8 Pagesacknowledged that Hester and Dimmesdale have committed a crime together. It also shows us that after her encounter with Dimmesdale on the scaffold, Hester sees that she must help him. She is acknowledging that he can not live with the crime in the same way that she can. â€Å"They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman s strength.† This quote is very important to the book as it explains that the town’s perception of Hester is changing. It displays to us that the letter rather than