major concepts such as guilt, the nature of evil, and the power of an individual explored with in the novel
What are themes?
100
author of the novel
Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne?
200
continually places his hand over his heart when overcome with emotion
Who is Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale?
200
a sign of unconfessed guilt
What is the black weed?
200
the object Pearl is most attracted to INSIDE the governor's mansion
What is the suit of armour?
Remember the reflection of the suit amplifies Hester's A. Pearl seems to take delight in reminding her mother of her sin (perhaps because she is inextricably twined with it) but the fact that it is all that can be seen initially also mirrors the townspeople's initial view of Hester -- they have to learn to see beyond it.
200
Hawthorne's mention in Chapter One and in Chapter Thirteen to Ann Hutchinson
What is an allusion?
200
Both the author and the narrator worked here
What is The Custom House
300
leaves Pearl a generous inheritance
Who is Chillingworth?
300
a sign of hope and compassion
What is a rosebush?
300
means of penance which fail to ease Dimmesdale's guilt
What are prayer vigils, fasting, and scourging (whipping)?
300
placing the rosebush right outside of the jail in order to emphasize the contrast between the two
What is juxtaposition?
300
the reason the author included The Custom House introduction
What is realism? The narrator suggests the novel should be considered historical fiction rather than mere fiction as he claims to have actually found the scarlet letter and documents pertaining to Hester's ordeal. Hawthorne may have done this to augment his belief that we share characteristics with those characters in the story and thus can learn from them.
400
moves away from Boston and, seemingly, lives happily-ever-after
Who is Pearl?
Consider why Hawthorne has this occur. What do you think this action suggests?
Also, why does Hester not do the same?
400
a place of freedom for Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl
What is the forest?
Note: the town views the woods in a completely different light -- as the dangerous, uncivilized domain of the devil
400
a place of punishment
What is the scaffold?
400
the reoccurring contrast between civilization (the town) and the wilderness (the woods)
What is a motif?
Note: In The Scarlet Letter, the town's view of the woods does not always align with that of the main characters'. In fact, they are symbolic of different concepts for each. Explain.
400
the group of people who settled in this community
What are Puritans?
500
the man who dies on the night of Dimmesdale's vigil
Who is Governor Winthrop?
500
a supernatural sign of Dimmesdale's guilt -- or the governor's passing through St. Peter's gates
What is a meteor shower?
500
the first two things establish in the town
What is the jail and the graveyard?
500
point of view
What is omniscient third person?
What's awesome about our narrator is he doesn't just give us the facts but the emotions of the characters. He definitely understands that showing is so much more powerful than telling.
500
the genre dealing with internal truths or truths of the heart and that often contains unrealistic or supernatural elements