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Paula Olive
Ms. Thompson
English 12
The Scarlet Letter AP Critical Analysis
1. Title-The title of the book, The Scarlet Letter, is significant to the conspicuous scarlet letter

itself. It portrays the idea of the story as the plot line is laid upon or based upon the scarlet letter

upon Hesters bosom. The titles significance is displayed upon every chapter of the book, as the

scarlet letter is displayed in many forms. Hester is made to wear the scarlet letter on the bodice

of her dress as a public acknowledgment of her adultery.

2. Author and Publication-Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850
3. Characters A. Hester Prynne- Hester Prynne is the main character in the novel. Her ideal

struggle throughout the story is living with the stigma that follows her shame upon the scaffold.

Hester is passionate but also strongshe endures years of shame and scorn. She equals both her

husband and her lover in her intelligence and thoughtfulness. Her alienation puts her in the

position to make acute observations about her community, particularly about its treatment of

women.
B. Pearl-Pearl is the daughter of Hester. She is ayoung girl with a moody, mischievous spirit and

an ability to perceive things that others do not. For example, she quickly discerns the truth about

her mother and Dimmesdale. The townspeople say that she barely seems human and spread

rumors that her unknown father is actually the Devil. She is wise far beyond her years, frequently

engaging in ironic play having to do with her mothers scarlet letter.

C. Dimmesdale- Reverend Dimmesdale is the townspeoples reverend and their role model. He

gives encouraging, uplifting, and inspiring sermons about repentance, love, and forgiveness

while he is ironically the ambiguous father of Pearl. He struggles with feelings of guilt and

sorrow as he keeps his secrets hidden. These overwhelming feelings wear down his spiritual,

emotional, and physical being to the point of his death upon the scaffold.
D. Chillingworth-As Hesters husband, Chillingworth sent her to America two years prior and

tarried in England. Upon his arrival to Hesters shaming upon the scaffold, he is seen emerging
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from the forest dressed as an Indian on the outskirts of the crowd. In the prison, he visits Hester

to inform her of his plans to seek out the father and destroy him. As the story progresses, his

physical being become worn down as he destroys Dimmesdale from the inside. He is the

embodiment of evil and is known to have affiliations with the Black Man.
E. Townspeople/Puritans- The rigorous and harsh puritan society in which Hester resides. These

people confide their secrets and darkest sins and shame those who acknowledge them. They act

as the suffocating society in any circumstance and this becomes evident through Dimmesdales

struggle to confess. Dimmesdale wishes to confess but is because of the townspeople that he has

such a hard time. Ironically, these townspeople have their own hidden sins and secrets. Hester is

able to see these sins through her scarlet letter that acts as a sixth sense.
5. Symbols A. The Scarlet Letter-Like Pearl, the letter functions as a physical reminder of

Hesters affair with Dimmesdale. But, compared with a human child, the letter seems

insignificant, and thus helps to point out the ultimate meaninglessness of the communitys

system of judgment and punishment. The child has been sent from God, or at least from nature,

but the letter is merely a human contrivance. Additionally, the instability of the letters apparent

meaning calls into question societys ability to use symbols for ideological reinforcement.
B. Pearl- Pearl is a sort of living version of her mothers scarlet letter. She is the physical

consequence of sexual sin and the indicator of a transgression. Yet, even as a reminder of

Hesters sin, Pearl is more than a mere punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing. She

represents not only sin but also the vital spirit and passion that engendered that sin. Thus,

Pearls existence gives her mother reason to live, bolstering her spirits when she is tempted to

give up.
C. The Meteor-To Dimmesdale, the meteor implies that he should wear a mark of shame just as

Hester does. The meteor is interpreted differently by the rest of the community, which thinks that

it stands for Angel and marks Governor Winthrops entry into heaven. But Angel is an
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awkward reading of the symbol. The Puritans commonly looked to symbols to confirm divine

sentiments.
6. Allusions A. The Black Man-The Black Man is a biblical illusion to Satan as he compels

individuals to do evil through signing their names in the book. He is a supernatural evil force that

is the constant temptation to the townspeople. In the forest is where he is known to reside and

has been supposedly spotted many times. He seems to be associated with witchcraft as secret

meetings are held in the forest with Mistress Hibbins and her secret combinations.
B. Hester and Dimmesdale-Ambiguously, Hester and Dimmesdale are an allusion to King David

and Bathsheba in the bible. David was one of Gods most esteemed servants and honorable

apostles. One day, David stood upon his balcony and his eyes rested upon a woman bathing. He

sought to immediately have an affair with her through placing her husband in the front line of his

army to die. In Hester and Dimmesdales case, Dimmesdale is a highly honored reverend who

fell for a common woman and indulged in sexual transgression with her.
C. Chillingworth-Chillingworth alludes Nathan the prophet of the Bible in this dramatic love

triangle of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Nathan the prophet was the only person who

knew King Davids secret. In this case, Chillingworth knows Dimmesdales secret and seeks to

destroy him by assuming the role as his friend and physician.

7. Language Use and Style A. Diction-Hawthornes diction and word choice in The Scarlet

Letter is very formal, complex, and biblical. He often runs long sentences and seems to have an

obsession with the comma. His word choice challenges the intelligence of the reader and adds a

complex, more dramatic meaning to the work. Occasionally, he alludes biblical characters and

historical figures.
Tone-The overall tone of the story is complex, skeptical, detached, and moralizing all of these

tones are packed into this one novel and become evident in different scenes or chapters. The

narrator is very detached. He/she does not show any conspicuous feeling toward these Puritans

one way or another, although over time we get the sense that he sees some problems with their
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community. It's also extremely complex writing, with lots of clauses and modifiers. Part of that

complexity comes from the hint of wryness or skepticism that he can't help using.
Mood-In the very first chapter, Hawthorne sets the mood for the "tale of human frailty and

sorrow" that is to follow. His first paragraph introduces the reader to what some might want to

consider a major character of the work: the Puritan society. What happens to each of the major

character results from the collective ethics, morals, psyche, and unwavering sternness and

rigidity of the individual Puritans, whom Hawthorne introduces figuratively in this chapter and

literally and individually in the next.

8. Plot Structure and Narrative Techniques A. Suspense-Hawthornes use of suspense is one

that keeps a reader on the edge of their seat. With his formal word choice, it is easy to feel

excitement or suspense as he seems to build this very technique in every sentence. Especially in

the forest, suspense is created as a sense of darkness and shadows follow.

B. Foreshadowing-The use of foreshadowing is quite conspicuous throughout the story. In the

very first chapter, Hawthorne introduces the mood of frailty and sorrow. This mere introduction

foreshadows the dramatic pain and sorrow the characters will feel later on in the story. For

instance, as Chillingworth uncovers Dimmesdales chest, what he sees astonishes and shocks him

but the reader is left in the dark.

C. Surprise Ending-The surprise ending in the Scarlet Letter is comprised into Dimmesdales

confession upon the scaffold. This comes as such a shock because all the events of the story

seem to lead up to this very moment. Of all places, Dimmesdale chose to confess upon the

scaffold with Hester and Pearl at his side as he gave his final breath. The reason why this comes

not only as a coincidence, but a shock, is because there were only two other scaffold scenes. The

first was Hesters and the second was in the middle of the night as the A meteor shot across the

sky.
9. Point of View-The Point of View that Hawthorne uses is third person omnipotent. The

narrator remains constant through the story and we are able to know the characters thoughts.
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Hawthorne comprises this whole story of finding the documents and the letters in the custom-

house, so The Scarlet Letter is supposed to be a kind of history. But it's not just any kind of

history; it's the history of two people caught up in religious and social forces way, way outside of

their control. It may be about individual sin, but it's also about the epic conflict of different

worldviewsso, it needs a narrator who's not afraid to get epic.

10. Archetypes A. Hester-Hester is seen as the divine mother in some chapters and the hero in

others. She is a heroine in her actions to confide Dimmesdales identity and engage in charitable

acts. She rescues those in need by providing them with a shoulder to lean on and someone to find

peace and comfort in. Dimmesdale describes her a woman of strength with the ability to seek out

those in need through her sixth sense.

B. Dimmesdale-Dimmesdale undergoes the trial and archetype of sin, crime, and sorrow. This is

pretty obvious as we all know that he is the father of Hesters child. He is overwhelmed with

sorrow through his not-so-subtle physical fails. His sin and confession has taken a toll on his

body and spiritual being. This is evident to the very point of death upon the scaffold.
C. Chillingworth-Chillingworth assumes the role of the revenge archetype. He seems to actually

become the embodiment of not only evil but revenge. Revenge has also taken a toll on his

physical being. He is frailer and obtains an evil gleam in his eyes that digs into the souls of

others. This is obvious as Hester converses with him on the beach.

11. Major Themes A. Identity and Society-After Hester is publicly shamed and forced by the

people of Boston to wear a badge of humiliation, her unwillingness to leave the town may seem

puzzling. She is not physically imprisoned, and leaving the Massachusetts Bay Colony would

allow her to remove the scarlet letter and resume a normal life. Surprisingly, Hester reacts with

dismay when Chillingworth tells her that the town fathers are considering letting her remove the

letter. Hesters behavior is premised on her desire to determine her own identity rather than to

allow others to determine it for her. To her, running away or removing the letter would be an
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acknowledgment of societys power over her: she would be admitting that the letter is a mark of

shame and something from which she desires to escape. Hester is strong enough to keep

identities secret and this starts upon Chillingworths appearance at her shaming: "When he found

the eyes of Hester Prynne fastened on his own, and saw that she appeared to recognize him, he

slowly and calmly raised his finger, made a gesture with it in the air, and laid it on his lips."

Chapter III, 'The Recognition'

B. The Nature of Evil-Characters in the novel frequently debate the identity of the Black Man,

the embodiment of evil. Over the course of the novel, the Black Man is associated with

Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Mistress Hibbins, and little Pearl is thought by some to be the

Devils child. This confusion over the nature and causes of evil reveals the problems with the

Puritan conception of sin. The book argues that true evil arises from the close relationship

between hate and love: "If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly

punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name

of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer!" (3.26)

12. "Yea, woman, thou sayest truly!" cried old Roger Chillingworth, letting the lurid fire of his

heart blaze out before her eyes. "Better had he died at once! Never did mortal suffer what this

man has suffered. And all, all, in the sight of his worst enemy! He has been conscious of me. He

has felt an influence dwelling always upon him like a curse. He knew, by some spiritual sense,

for the Creator never made another being so sensitive as this,he knew that no friendly hand

was pulling at his heart-strings, and that an eye was looking curiously into him, which sought

only evil, and found it. But he knew not that the eye and hand were mine! With the superstition

common to his brotherhood, he fancied himself given over to a fiend, to be tortured with frightful

dreams, and desperate thoughts, the sting of remorse, and despair of pardon; as a foretaste of

what awaits him beyond the grave. But it was the constant shadow of my presence!the closest
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propinquity of the man whom he had most vilely wronged! and who had grown to exist only

by this perpetual poison of the direst revenge! Yea, indeed!he did not err!there was a fiend

at his elbow! A mortal man, with once a human heart, has become a fiend for his especial

torment!" (14.18)
This excerpt is from Hester and Chillingworths conversation on the beach. Chillingworth has

made his very reason to live which isnt good for his longetivity. Chillingworth is not a Puritan.

While he was a captive of the Indians for "upward of a year," he did not judge them as heathens

and infidels, and, unlike the Puritans, he did not seek to convert them. Instead, as the scholar, he

studied their knowledge of herbs and medicines to learn. He has, indeed, spent his life as a lonely

scholar, cutting himself off when necessary in the quest for knowledge from the world of other

men. This study of herbs and medicines later links his work to the "black medicine" and helps

him keep his victim alive. Hawthorne further develops this "other world" involvement

whether fate or predetermined by some higher power when he describes the physician's

appearance as being just in time to "help" Dimmesdale. The Puritans believed that the hand of

God, or Providence, was in every event. So Hawthorne skewers their belief in mentioning

Chillingworth's arrival when he states, "Individuals of wiser faith, indeed, who knew that Heaven

promotes its purposes without aiming at the stage-effect of what is called miraculous

interposition, were inclined to see a providential hand in Roger Chillingworth's opportune

arrival." When Chillingworth arrives in the colony and learns of Hester's situation, he leaves her

alone nearly seven years as he single-mindedly pursues Dimmesdale. He does, however, see his

role in her downfall. Because he married her when she was young and beautiful and then shut

himself away with his books, he realizes that their marriage did not follow "the laws of nature."

He could not believe she, who was so beautiful, could marry a man "misshapen since my birth
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hour." He deluded himself that his intellectual gifts dazzled her and she forgot his deformity. He

now realizes that from the moment they met, the scarlet letter would be at the end of their path.