Townsend Harris High School

Sarkar
English Band 3

Afrin Khatun, Shirley Lin, Jhumpa R

June 2013
Major Works Data Sheet

Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Date of Publication: 1850
Genre: Historical Fiction and Romance
Historical Information about the Period of Publication: The novel was published in 1850 and
in that time much was happening. The Compromise of 1850 was passed, which admitted
California as a free state. Also during that time, there was the Transcendentalist Movement, a
philosophical and religious movement. It originally developed in the late 1820s but continued on
to 1850s. The Transcendentalist Movement emphasized the power of the human mind to shape
and determine experience. The Transcendentalists had a personal view on religion and believed
they could have connected with God directly. Hawthornes book The Blithedale Romance, is a
satire on the movement. Other authors also wrote novels and stories with elements that showed
their dislike for the movement. Such as Edgar Allen Poe in Never Bet the Devil Your Head.
Biographical Information about the Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804
in Salem, Massachusetts. Originally the family name was Hathorne, but he added the letter w
in order to differentiate himself from John Hathorne, a judge in the Salem witch trials. He
graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825 and while studying there he became friends with future
President Franklin Pierce. He settled in Salem after college. In 1842, he married Sophia Peabody
and moved to Concord, Massachusetts. Hawthorne sketched The Scarlet Letters background in
an essay The Custom House. A year later, the novel The House of the Seven Gables was
published. Hawthorne had another books published later, The Blithedale Romance in 1852. In
1853, Hawthorne was appointed to a four-year term as U.S. Consul in Liverpool, England. Then
in 1857, he lived in Italy and back in England before he returned to Concord in 1860. In that
same year he published The Marble Faun. Four years later, Hawthorne died at Plymouth, New
Hampshire.
Characteristics of the genre: Novels that are considered to be in the genre of historical fiction
are set in the past. Often there are historical characters, however the main characters are usually
fictional. The author writing a historical fiction novel attempts to recreate all the customs and
conditions of that time period. Romantic novels center around a love relationship. The
relationship may end with a happy ending but it may also have a tragic ending. The characters in
romantic novels surround the idea of falling in love or being in it.
Plot Summary: The story takes place mid- 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony. The novel
begins with Hester Prynne, who is an adulteress, being released from prison with her infant child,

Pearl. She is in front of a crowd of people and is given the punishment of wearing the scarlet
letter "A" as a reminder of her sin. Her husband has been away for two years. Hester refuses to
give the name of Pearl's father to protect him. Hester's long lost husband, Roger Chillingworth,
shows up and is seeking revenge. Hester hides the identity of her husband and her husband
pretends to be a physician. Eventually Chillingworth realizes that the father is none other than
Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester reveals the true identity about Chillingworth to her
paramour. Together Hester and Dimmesdale plan to leave the town and creating a new life
together in England. Eventually Dimmesdale confess his sin to the townspeople on the scaffold
and reveals the mark on his chest. After revealing his sin to everyone and being free of guilt
Dimmesdale dies. A year later Chillingworth dies and Pearl inherits all of his money and
property. Hester and Pearl leave town and Pearl marries an aristocrat.Years later, Hester returns
to the colony, wearing the scarlet letter A, and when she died, she was buried near the minister.
Describe the authors style: Nathaniel Hawthornes works belong to the style of dark
romanticism, which are tales that suggest guilt, sin, and evil being natural qualities of humanity.
He developed a style of romance fiction representative of his own beliefs. His works revolved
around the themes of psychology and human nature through the use of allegory, metaphors, and
symbolism. Hawthorne explored human psychology through exploration of the dark side of
human realization. He wrote length visual descriptions and dialogues. His use of vivid
descriptions guides the readers to imagine what the setting appears to be. The use of formal
dialogue focuses more on a characters inner struggle than on heated encounters between
characters. Hawthornes writing is very descriptive and lengthy that it takes the reader time to
fully understand what is going on. For his style of writing, you dont really fully understand what
he is trying to say until reading the passage over again and thinking about it. There also tends to
be a lack of character confrontations and prolonged descriptions of characters, settings, and
themes. His writing shows the theme of human nature being full of wickedness, especially in The
Scarlet Letter.
An example that demonstrates the style: Doomed by his own choice, therefore, as Mr.
Dimmesdale so evidently was, to eat his unsavory morsel always at another's board and endure
the lifelong chill which must be his lot who seeks to warm himself only at another's fireplace, it
truly seemed that this sagacious, experienced, benevolent old physician, with his concord of
paternal and reverential love for the young pastor, was the very man, of all mankind, to be
constantly within reach of his voice.

Memorable Quotes
Quotation
"Be not silent from any mistaken pity and
tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester,
though he were to step down from a high
place, and stand there beside thee, on thy

Significance
In this quote Dimmesdale is talking to Hester
about revealing his name to the society.
Dimmesdale cannot take hiding his sin
anymore. He wants to show the true self to

pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than

to hide a guilty heart through life. What can
thy silence do for him, except it tempt him-yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy
to
sin?".

everyone in the society because he feels

guilty. He wants Hester to reveal him because
he doesnt want to be compelled to hide his
son anymore.

Here, she said to herself, had been the scene

of her guilt, and here should be the scene of
her earthly punishment; and so, perchance, the
torture of her daily shame would at length
purge her soul, and work out another purity
than that which she had lost; more saint-like,
because the result of martyrdom.

In this scene the magistrates are punishing

Hester for her sin. They force her to wear a
scarlet letter on her bosom. Hester makes the
decision of following her punishment and
staying in the society. This shows how brave
Hester is and how she is staying instead of
running away from her punishment. She
proves to be a type of woman who faces the
consequences rather than ignoring it.

On the outskirts of town, within the verge of

the peninsula, but not in close vicinity to any
other habitation, there was a small thatched
cottage. It had been built by an earlier settler,
and abandoned because the soil about it was
too sterile for cultivation, while its
comparative remoteness put it out of the
sphere of that social activity which already
marked the habits of the emigrants. It stood on
the shore, looking across a basin of the sea at
the forest-covered hills toward the west.

In this quote we see Hester being isolated

from the society. Hester lives on the outskirts
of town, excluded from everyone else. She
becomes an outcast and famous throughout
the society for her sin. Even though she is
isolated from the community she still does
good deeds for her community. She tries to
show everyone how even though she has
committed a sin she can do good deeds. In this
quote, we see how Hawthorne describes the
cottage and its location. He is very descriptive
and paints vivid images for us to image to the
setting in the readers mind.

Thou shalt forgive me! cried Hester,

flinging herself on the fallen leaves beside
him Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!.

Here Hester is demanding for forgiveness.

She doesnt ask for forgiveness. Hester argues
and wants Dimmesdale to forgive her. She
doesnt want Dimmesdale to be like the rest of
the community, who are all mean and cruel to
her. She is demanding to be forgiven because
humans are meant to forgive one another.

Characters
Name: Hester Prynne
Role in the story: Hester is the protagonist of the novel. Her affair with Reverend Dimmesdale,
results in the birth of their daughter, Pearl. As a punishment for the adultery she committed, she
must wear a scarlet letter A on her breast which also includes public shaming. Hester proves
herself in a Puritan society as a single mother.
Significance: Hester goes through a transformation when she reevaluates human nature, morals,
and society. After her transformation, she takes control and begins to perform good deeds. She
cares for the old and poor. That causes the townspeople to change their view on her and the
scarlet letter A no longer stands for adultery, but able. The shame that the scarlet letter carried
was gone and she became a respectable and well known person in town. Hester is a great
example of how to overcome an asperity, make changes to better life, and earn respect of others.
Adjectives: Compassionate, independent, strong, intelligent, caring, able
Name: Pearl
Role in the story: Pearl is the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale. She is the constant reminder
of the affair of Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl is a clever child and very smart for her age. She
figures out that Dimmesdale is her father. Pearl brings Dimmesdale and Hester closer. She brings
awareness to crucial matters, such as Hester and Dimmesdales relationship. She questions many
of the adults into revealing the truth and the meaning behind it.
Significance: Pearl represents Hester and Dimmesdales sin. She is called a demon child and to
have elfish qualities because she is the result of a sin. Pearl is not only a punishment to Hester,
but a treasure, a gift, and Hester paid a great price for her. She is capable to see the true colors of
people. When Dimmesdale dies, Pearl is said to be human at that moment. She is no longer a
demon child because the sin was confessed.
Adjectives: Beautiful, wise, elfish, graceful, curious, ill-mannered, mischievous, demon child,
Name: Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale
Role in the story: Reverend Dimmesdale is the beloved reverend in town. Dimmesdale is
respected and praised for his sermons. The father of Pearl and a fellow sinner.
Significance: Dimmesdale is a conflicted man: he isnt sure whether he should confess to his sin
and be punished publicly, or keep his sin a secret and self-punish himself. The town thinks
Dimmesdale is a great man and flawless. However, he is a flawed man and he acknowledges that
he deserves to be punished for his sin. He suffers from guilt and becomes weak from all the self
harm he does to himself.
Adjectives: Hypocrite, sincere, spineless, guilty, cowardly, weak
Name: Robert Chillingworth
Role in the story: Robert Chillingworth was originally Roger Prynne. He is Hesters real
husband, who arrived to see his wife standing on the platform with a scarlet letter A on her

breast. Before Hester committed her sin, she was living with Chillingworth. He didnt give
Hester the love she wanted and focused on his work a lot. He came to the Puritan town as a
doctor.
Significance: Chillingworth chose the profession doctor which was also referred to as a leech.
Like an actual leech, he feeds off of peoples life. Once he knew Dimmesdale was the lover in
Hesters affair, he began to suck the life out of Dimmesdale. He made Dimmesdale a miserable
man by playing tricks on his mind. Chillingworth wanted revenge. Shortly after the death of
Dimmesdale, Chillingworth also passes away. Chillingworth is a symbol of evil. But
Chillingworth does one good thing at the end. Pearl is not his biological daughter and she denies
him a kiss in the forest, yet he left all of his fortunes to Pearl. She became the richest heiress of
her day in the New World.
Adjectives: Twisted, cruel, sinister, wicked, pernicious, heartless, leech, evil
Setting: The Scarlet Letter takes place during the 17th century in Boston, Massachusetts. It takes
place in a Puritan community where strict rules are enforced for proper prosperity of this
religious town.
Symbols:
The Scarlet Letter- this symbolizes the shame that sinning brought upon Hester. She bears the
Scarlet Letter on her bosom and it serves as a constant reminder of her sinful adultery. However,
as time progresses, the A changed from meaning adultery to able because she was able to
give back to society while she was isolated.
Pearl also represents a constant reminder to Hester and Dimmesdale of their adultery. That is
because she is the product of their sin. However, even though Pearl stands as a mere punishment
to her mother, she is also a blessing. Pearl is the reason why Hester is able to better herself for
the society to see.
The forest- this symbolizes freedom and a place ruled by the natural world rather than the strict
rules of the Puritan society. The forest is a place where Dimmesdale is able to speak of his sin
freely.
Significance of the opening scene: In the opening scene of the novel, the elements of a Puritan
society are laid out. In this society, a prison is considered a necessity because of the strict
enforcement of laws and the punishment of anyone who break the laws. However, Hawthorne
contracts the cruelty of the prison by stating that on one side prison door grows a wild rosebush.
The wild rosebush is delicate, possesses a unique fragrance, and emits fragile beauty. It is ironic
how such a beautiful thing can end up in the wrong place and grow in such a gruesome setting.
Overall, the significance of the opening scene is to set the scene for the novel and introduce one
of the many symbols in the book.
Significance of the ending/closing scene: In the end of the novel, Dimmesdale courageously
confesses his sin to the public. His action ends the publics view of him as a god-like minister

and eventually leads to his death. On the bright side, Pearl kisses Dimmesdale on his lips and
finally accepts Dimmesdale as her father. After Dimmesdales death, Chillingworth seems to
have lost purpose in life because he can no longer seek revenge on Dimmesdale anymore. Also,
Hester goes back to Boston. The last scene of the book shows Dimmesdales and Hesters grave
next to each other.
Possible Themes Topics of Discussion:
1. Revenge: Roger Chillingworth pertains to this theme. He makes his purpose of life solely on
trying to ruin Dimmesdales life. This takes a toll on Chillingworths character and makes him
the villain of The Scarlet Letter. Chillingworth spends about seven years trying to
psychologically torture Dimmesdale for his sin. However, revenge strips humanity from
Chillingworth and he did not live happily ever after.
2. Isolation from society: Due to Hester Prynnes sin of adultery, she was isolated from society as
an ideal punishment. However, she takes this opportunity to better herself by helping people.
3. Private sinner vs. Public sinner: In the Scarlet Letter, it is evident that the private sinner,
Dimmesdale, suffered a whole lot more than the public sinner, Hester. Even though the private
sinner suffered physically and publically, the private sinner suffered emotionally and this takes a
toll on the private sinners health. The guilt that the private sinner has caused him to become
psychologically unstable.
Bibliography
Clendenning, John. Nathaniel Hawthorne. PBS. PBS, Mar. 2007. Web. 06 June 2013.
<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/hawthorne.html>.
European Graduate School. Nathaniel Hawthorne- Biography. Nathaniel HawthorneBiography. European Graduate School, 2012. Web. 06 June 2013.
<http://www.egs.edu/library/nathaniel-hawthorne/biography/>.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Signet Classics, 1959. Print.