Student Name: Chrystelle Angerville

The Gothic Americans Module Review 
   
DIRECTIONS: As you review the lessons in this module, answer each of these questions. 

Master of Horror 
1. Identify a symbol in “The Raven,” and explain the symbol’s significance in the poem.  Then, 
identify a symbol in “The Masque of the Red Death,” and explain its significance in the 
story.  
 
A symbol that is commonly known in "The Raven" is the raven in which the poem is
 
named after. Its symbolism is significant to the poem because it symbolized
 "mourning, never-ending remembrance," in which it drove the narrator to sanity
 when it revealed to him that his love had no hope of returning to him (huge
 contribution to driving the plot of the poem).
 
 A symbol that is significant to the story "The Masque of the Red Death" is the
 ebony clock. Its symbolism is significant to the story because it symbolizes the
 constant reminder of death, in which it revealed to the characters of the story no
 one had the means to stop it, for it determined how much longer they all had to live
 (moves plot towards climax all the way to the resolution).
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 
Student Name: Chrystelle Angerville

The Gothic Americans Module Review 
   
Sin and the Sinner 
1. List at least four precise adjectives (words or phrases) that describe each of the four main 
characters from The Scarlet Letter: Chillingworth, Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl.  
 - Chillingworth: single-minded, lewd, troublesome, corrupt
 
 - Hester: independent, considerate, brilliant, fervent
 
 - Dimmesdale: shameful, deteriorating, emotional, manipulative
 
 - Pearl: inquisitive, affectionate, playful (naughty), freewheeler
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 
Student Name: Chrystelle Angerville

The Gothic Americans Module Review 
   
Into the Woods 
1. Because Hester lives with the shame of the scarlet letter and is separated from others in the 
community as a result, she is able to think outside the rigid confines of the Puritan 
establishment.  Provide examples from the text that illustrate how Hester’s thinking is 
different from others in the Puritan community where she lives. 
  Hester's thinking differs from that of the Puritan community where she lives by
  illustrating how she is willing to leave her life in Massachusetts behind for the sake
  of her youthful freedom  and reuniting with her daughter/lover in England, showing
how she prioritizes these aspects instead of prioritizing her faith/the church as the
Puritan community does. Even after the community shames her into staying, Hester
still prioritized her values of assisting others in need and her talent of sewing
instead of surrounding her entire life around the Puritan church.

 
Student Name: Chrystelle Angerville

The Gothic Americans Module Review 
   
Far from Free 
1. Textual ambiguity abounds in The Scarlet Letter, especially in how its central characters are 
developed and described.  How is Hester portrayed as both a noble woman and as a sinner? 
 Hester is portrayed as a noble woman by being the local seamstress for the town,
 as well as always volunteering to aid others in the town with everyday affairs. Helen
 is portrayed as a sinner due to the fact that she committed adultery and as a
 consequence gave birth to an illegitimate child (Pearl), in which she hides the
 identity of the father.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Hawthorne portrays Dimmesdale good and evil; therefore, most readers are unsure how to 
interpret the character.  Find an example of when Dimmesdale is portrayed and evil and an 
example of when he is portrayed as good.   
  Dimmesdale is portrayed as evil when he left the forest, having found his new
sense of freedom. He portrays his evil thoughts as he finds urges to speak cruel
words to those whom he condemns, like saying the girl should start going to church
when he knows it may come off as judgmental/harsh.
"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to
the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true."

Dimmesdale is portrayed as good when admitting his sins and claiming his identity
as Hester's lover and Pearl's father in front of the Puritan community, knowing that
doing so would alleviate Hester and Pearl of the condemnation and judgment they
have been facing from the Puritan community for all these years.
"'Thou hast escaped me!...Thou hast escaped me!' said [Dimmesdale] after he
admits to his sins."