Characters
This character is Hester Prynne's daughter, known for her wild and mischievous nature.
Who is Pearl?
The novel is set in this New England colony in the 1600s.
What is Massachusetts Bay Colony?
The scarlet letter 'A' initially stands for this word.
What is adultery?
The 'A' Hester wears is originally meant to symbolize this.
What is shame?
"On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A."
What is the scarlet letter?
The man Hester Prynne has an affair with, but his identity is kept secret for most of the novel.
Who is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale?
Hester is publicly shamed and forced to stand on this structure as punishment for her sin.
What is the scaffold?
This theme is explored through Dimmesdale’s internal suffering and guilt.
What is the conflict between public punishment and private guilt?
Pearl is often seen as a living representation of this.
What is Hester’s sin?
"Thou hast escaped me!"
Who is Roger Chillingworth?
This man, Hester's estranged husband, seeks revenge after discovering her affair.
Who is Roger Chillingworth?
Dimmesdale does this secretly in the middle of the night to atone for his sin.
What is stand on the scaffold?
Hester's growth throughout the novel turns the scarlet letter into a symbol of this trait.
What is strength or resilience?
This object in the Governor's mansion distorts Hester’s image, making the 'A' seem larger.
What is the suit of armor?
"She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom."
Who is Hester Prynne?
The Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who questions Hester about Pearl's upbringing.
Who is Governor Bellingham?
Hester and Dimmesdale make plans to escape to this country together near the end of the novel.
What is England?
This theme is shown by how society isolates Hester for her sin.
What is alienation?
This natural object grows beside the prison door and symbolizes nature's sympathy.
What is the rosebush?
"He did not send me!" Pearl’s statement regarding her father.
Who is Arthur Dimmesdale?
This woman is a symbol of public punishment and scorn, forced to wear a scarlet letter 'A'.
Who is Hester Prynne?
This event finally leads to Dimmesdale’s public confession of his guilt.
What is the Election Day sermon?
Chillingworth embodies this destructive emotion throughout the novel.
What is revenge?
Dimmesdale’s mysterious mark on his chest is often interpreted as a symbol of this
What is his hidden guilt?
"I am a man more sinned against than sinning."
Who is Arthur Dimmesdale?