Reading Assignment Topics

Nathaniel Hawthorne II

Instructions: Write a page (minimum) in response to each of the following topics. Be as detailed and as
thoughtful as you can. This is not a research exercise. The aim is to encourage close reading and specific
thinking about the texts as part of your preparation before coming to class. You must be clear and coherent,
but thought, attention to detail, and willingness to play with reasonable possibilities of meaning will all
count more than either “expression” or “correctness.” Handwritten responses are acceptable. Late
responses will not be counted.

1. In the Chapter “Another View Of Hester” how has Hester changed? Specifically what does
Hawthorne mean when he says, “The scarlet letter had not done its office”?

2. When Hester and Arthur meet in the forest, what seems to be Hawthorne’s attitude toward
Nature? In those scenes, does he suggest a view of Nature consistent with that of Emerson and
Thoreau?

BONUS (not required):

3. In the ¶ that begins “She took her mother’s hand in both her own, ...” (Chapter XV), what is Hawthorne
suggesting about Pearl’s potential social role as a grown-up and the relation of that role to the sense of her as
a “demon child”?

4. What are the specific qualities that make Dimmesdale an effective minister?

Due: Monday, November 9