Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Book Report/Review Example

Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Short Answers on Quotes: Read each quote carefully and answer the questions which follow. The quotes are in chronological order. Please use the original number and letter of each question to identify each answer. 1) “Behold, verify, there is the woman of the scarlet letter, and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side. Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!” a. (i) Who is “the likeness of the scarlet letter”? (ii) How is this person “the likeness of the letter” in both the way this person looks and in what this person symbolizes? (i) The likeness of the Scarlet Letter is the little girl with the woman who is her daughter. The name of the daughter is Pearl. (ii) The little infant child in the woman’s arms is held by her near her chest close to the place where the scarlet letter is being positioned onto her gown. Thus it looks similar to the scarlet letter on the woman’s gown. Symbolically, the child is a proof of the woman’s affair with an unknown man as her husband was away for long and had been decided with consensus that he had expired. Thus the infant child in her arms symbolized her affirmation to have been an adulterer. b. (i) What group is speaking? Choose one: some women, town elders, mariners, children, or Indians? (ii) Which group thinks the woman with the letter should have received the death penalty instead? Choose one form the same list. (i) Two wayfarers were speaking. They might be Indians. (ii) Groups of few women onlookers think that the woman should have received the death penalty instead. c. (i) The speakers’ attitudes are influenced by others. Who has influenced the attitudes of the group? (ii) Explain how the speakers view the characters referred to in the quote. (i) The speakers have been influenced by the minister’s speech. (ii) The speakers view the characters referred to in the quote with extreme hatred. d. (i) Name the religion that motivates the beliefs and actions of the speakers and those who have influenced them. (ii) Also, briefly describe one of the principles or beliefs that is unique to this religion and evident in the novel. (i) The religion that motivates the beliefs and actions of the speakers is that of the Puritans. The Puritans were religious people who were not affiliated with the Church of England. Rather, they had a code of religious implications of their own. (ii)A principle that is unique to this religion and runs throughout the novel is the wearing of the letter A as a symbol of having committed adultery- a grave sin. 2) “Make my excuse to him, so please you…. I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little __________. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood!” a.Who is speaking to whom? Hester Prynne is speaking to Mistress Hibbins, who was the ill-tempered sister of Governor Bellingham. b. Who is the Black Man? The Devil was being referred to as the Black Man. c. Name the two key representatives of church and state respectively who might have taken something from the speaker. Governor Bellingwort was the State Representative and Mr. Wilson was the representative of the Church. These were the two men who might have taken something from the speaker. d. Why did they threaten to take the something away? Briefly explain what observation or incident made them consider this plan. They had decided to take Hester’s daughter away from her because they assumed that she would not be able to raise her well spiritually and that the brining up of the child by her mother who had sinned would lead to the spiritual demise of the child itself. The observation made them consider this plan was that Hester was very protective of her daughter and in order to prevent hem form taking her daughter away she frantically yelled to her pastor that he should tell the governor and the other church representative that what was truly in her heart since she had confessed in front of him. The testimony of Hester’s sincerity and sanity of willingness to raise the child properly made the governor and the church minister to re-consider their decision of taking the child away from Hester. e. What would the speaker going into the forest signify? The speaker’s going into the forest would signify that she wasn’t being responsible of her child in a true sense but was instead more inclined towards her satanic lust. f. By emphasizing the action “with mine own blood,” the speaker is showing what level of commitment? In other words, will her actions be irrevocable? Explain. The speaker is Hester Prynne and in the above statement she is committing herself to take care of her only possession that is, her daughter. She wants to show her inner commitment by stating that if she wouldn’t be taking care of her daughter who is all and everything to her then she’d rather do the Devilish act of killing herself and never coming back to life. g. Why would the speaker have taken this action “had they taken her from me”? Include in your answer a brief explanation of the speaker’s way of life at the time and the role “her” played in it. The speaker, Hester Prynne, was a lonely woman who was cursed by everyone around her. She was treated this way because she had been involved in an adulterous affair which had resulted in the birth of her daughter Pearl. She townsmen had shunned her evil act and she was forced to live seclude from them alone with her daughter. Her daughter was all and everything to her and it was only for her daughter’s wellbeing and proper bringing up that Hester had made herself get up and fight back into life despite strong opposition from everyone around her. 3) “Oh, I have much to tell thee about her! But, in very truth, she is right as regards this hateful token. I must bear its torture yet a little longer--- only a few days longer---- until we shall have left his region and look back hither as to a land which we have dreamed of. The forest cannot hide it! The mid-ocean shall take it from my hand and swallow it up forever!” a. Who is speaking to whom? Hester is speaking to the minister Arthur Dimmesdale who is the actual father of the child. b. What is “this hateful token”? The hateful token is the scarlet letter ‘A’. c. Who is “she”? ‘She’ is Hester’s daughter Pearl. d. What is being planned so that the speaker will not have to bear the “torture” much longer? It is being planned that Hester, the young minister and Pearl would silently leave Boston for some other place far away where they would not have to face the hatred of the townsmen and would be able to live together as a family finally. e. How is the “token” a “torture” on a daily basis? The ‘token’ is a ‘torture’ on daily basis because the scarlet letter that is put on the lady’s bosom stayed on her all the time. Every time she is looked on by any individual the feeling of torture and guilt reunites in her. Moreover, her daughter who lives with her all the time refuses to recognize her without the scarlet letter on her. Thus as long as the woman stays in this town she has to bear with the torment associated with it every day. f. Why must the speaker wear the token a few days longer? The speaker must wear the token for a few more days because this would be the time that would be required to plan their trip to Europe and would enable them to leave when a ship leaves for Europe. g. Just prior to speaking this quote, an incident occurs concerning the scarlet letter and its misplacement that indicates to the speaker that the “forest cannot hide it.” Explain this incident that triggers the quote. Minister Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne are indulged in a conversation in which they finally decide to flee away from Boston and live together elsewhere. Hester is so very satisfied and excited at the thought of the minister coming along with her that she instantly clutches the Scarlet letter on her gown with her hands, pulls it off and thrown it on the autumn leaves that lay on the floor nearby. The clearly is clearly evident even though it lay on a forest floor. Pearl refuses to recognize Hester without the letter on her and she is forced to put it on her gown in order to make her daughter come to her. Thus she says that even the throwing of the letter into the forest could not hide it away from her and she was forced to take it back. 4) “Hadst thou sought the whole earth over… there was no one place so secret --- no high place nor lowly place where thou couldst have escaped me--- save on this very scaffold!” a. Who is speaking to whom? Chillingworth, the husband of Hester Prynne is speaking to minister Dimmesdale who is the father of Hester’s daughter. b.Why is the scaffold the only place the hearer could go to escape the speaker? He meant to say that confessing in front of the public was the only resolution that would have kept Cillingworth from laying his hands directly on Dimmesdale. c. What does the hearer do on the scaffold and how does this action help him attain salvation? The hearer, Reverend Dimmesdale confesses to have had an affair with Hester Prynne and states that he is the real father of Pearl. He confesses even though he had repented to God in solitude. This act enables him to attain salvation both in the eyes of God and the townsmen as he was sick and was about to die. II. Miscellaneous short answers. Read each question carefully; answer in complete sentences. 1) Name three different objects and/or aspects of nature that are used as symbols in the novel, and briefly explain what each symbolizes (be as specific as possible), in at least a sentence on each one. Symbolizations within the novel are: The Letter A. Symbolized twice during the novel. First symbolized as ‘Adulterer’ for the woman who had committed the sin and then as ‘Able’ for the same woman when she had begun to be a little tolerated by the residents of the town in which she lived. It was then that she had begun to help others around the town. Pearl. It an object but in the novel it was the name of an illegitimate child. This child has two faces. She acts like a symbol of the sin committed by her mother and also acts like a source of blessing to her keeping her away from satanic influences. Meteor. A meteor in the sky symbolized the scarlet letter A for Hester whereas for the townsmen it was a representation of ‘Angel’ somewhat confirming the governor’s entry into heaven. 2) Name three minor characters and identify each one’s position in society and/or occupation in at least one sentence; then briefly describe the significance of each one for Hester and/or Pearl (give the impact of each character on them) in at least one other sentence on each character. Names of the three minor characters were: Minister Wilson: Was a minister at the Church of the Puritans in Boston. He initially was influenced by the Governor and had agreed to the taking away of Pearl from Hester but later on got convinced and decided otherwise. Mistress Hibbins: She is the sister of the governor Bellingham. She is known for her wickedness and was later on labeled as being a witch. She wanted to incite Hester to be negligent of her daughter and to enjoy in the forest with her. Governor Bellingham: Was the State appointed Governor. He believed that Hester’s bringing up of Pearl would ruin the child spiritually. 3) Describe in at least a couple of sentences what Dimmesdale does (that is, what he said in words and/or act out in behavior) in each scaffold scene that is different from the other two scenes? First scaffold scene. Minister Dimmesdale is pushed to persuade Hester to reveal the name of the father of Pearl. She refuses to do so and he conveys that to the public placing his right hand on his heart. His words included the following statement: “thou hearest what this good man says, and seest the accountability under which I labor. 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!” (3:4) Second scaffold scene. The second scaffold scene is when Dimmesdale sits on the scaffold one night and repents that he should have disclosed his sin seven years ago when Hester was accused of her sin. The pain he feels for not repenting is so severe that he screams. Third Scaffold Scene In the third scaffold scene Dimmesdale confesses that he was the father of Pearl and he was just as much a sinner as was Hester. He then dies on the scaffold after confession. 4) What is the standard meaning or symbolism of the scaffold in the town in this story? Explain how it changes in meaning for Dimmesdale. The symbolism of the scaffold in the story is that of a place where sin was acknowledged and repentance was sought. For Dimmesdale the first instance of scaffold is very painful for him when he is pale with unrest and feeling of guilt. He is pushed to ask Hester the name of the person who is the father of her illegitimate daughter. In the second instance Dimmesdale sits on the scaffold alone on one night and repents not confessing for his sins seven years earlier when Hester was forced to confess on the same scaffold. In the third instance the scaffold finally becomes the place of confession for Dimmesdale where he confesses of adultery and fatherhood and then expires. 5) Name and explain in at least two sentences the actions of Hester in later years (some ten years after Dimmesdale’s death) that would be the greatest evidence for the view that Hester finally repented. Hester did not escape the town but decided to stay back and repent. She could have easily fled to a new town where no one would have known of her sin and she could have lived a life on anonymity away from feelings of guilt. 6) (i) Briefly describe in a few sentences the important moral difference between Dimmesdale and Chillingworth as each approaches death. (ii) Briefly describe in a few sentences an important similarity with regard to secrets from the town. Dimmesdale approaches death having the feeling of repentance while Chillingworth approaches death having lost his objective of hatred, that is, Dimmesdale. (ii) Both Dimmesdale and Chillingworth both held their respective secrets from the town. Dimmesdale had kept from the townspeople that he was the man who was the father of Pearl and that he had had an affair with Hester. Chillingworth kept from the townsmen that he was the original husband of Hester who was long gone. He was thought to have lived in England and since he had been away for very long he was thought to have expired. WORKS CITED: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print. Read More