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The Scarlet Letter
A
at
a man
at
a woman
adult= a grown up woman or a man, independent person taking responsibility, being in charge of himself or herself ('vuxen')
adults= more of the same, plural of adult, Swedish 'vuxna'
adultery= voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and any other than the lawful spouse
Aids to Reading The Scarlet Letter,
the story by N. Hawthorne
Here are some questions on some of the chapters
Chapter 2
Why is Hester Prynne interesting?
How is the market-place arranged?
What is the market-place like?
What happens when /while Hester Prynne is in the market-place?
What does the scene look like?
How does Hester Prynne treat the infant?
Chapter 3
Describe the man who stood next to the Indian.
What happened to Hester?
Describe Governor Bellingham.
Chapter 5
Explain
the following words:
annihilate, burden, compel, confinement, contagious,
dwelling, dwell, enable, grief, honourable, ignominy, inscrutable,
marvelloous, invisible, ordeal, remoteness, reveal, Rocky Mountains, serpant
Chapter 6
Why was the infant named "Pearl"?
In what way did Pearl turn out to be "strange" even at an early stage of her life?
What was Pearl's relation to the other children like?
Why did Hester never feel safe when Pearl was awake?
What did the rumors among the townspeople tell (say) about Pearl?
Chapter 7 - The Governor's Hall
Why is Hester going to the mansion?
How is Pearl described?
What happens when Hester and Pearl reach the town and meet the children of the Puritans?
What does the dwelling of Governor Bellingham look like?
How does Hester feel when she sees Pearl in the mirror?
Chapter 8 - The Elf-child and the Minister
Who is little Pearl?
What did Hester say to make the men change their minds about taking Pearl away from her?
Who is Mistress Hibbins?
What happened to her a few years later?
Chapter 10 - The Leech And His Patient
Describe Roger Chillingworth!
Chapter 10 - The Minister's Vigil
Why did Mr Dimmensdale go up the steps of the scaffold?
What is the scaffold used for?
What did Mr Dimmensdale do on the scaffold?
Why did Mr Dimmensdale want Hester and Pearl to join him on the scaffold?
How do you interpret the portent that was seen that night?
How did Mr Dimmensdale and the sexton interpret it?
Chapter 12
Explain
the following words:
abase, ancient, badge, calamity, cherish, clergy,
clergyman, concoct, embroidered, gleam, inclined, inmate, lunacy, mutual,
reckon, requital, seclusion, strenuous, throb, verge
Chapter 15
What did Hester imagine would happen to Roger Chillingworth when he was gathering herbs?
How did Hester try to overcome her hate against Roger Chillingworth?
Did she succeed in doing so?
What had Pearl been doing when Hester had spoken to Roger Chillingworth?
How is Pearl's character described?
Chapter 16
Who is Pearl?
What did Pearl run away to catch?
What did the Black Man do with his pen?
Did Hester send away her child when the minister came?
Where did the minister hold his hand?
Chapter 17 - The Pastor and his Parishioner
Was Arthur Dimmesdale surprised when he saw Hester?
Why?
Why has none of them found peace?
Who was the enemy who dwelled with Arthur?
What relation did Hester have to this enemy?
What did Hester suggest Arthur Dimmesdale to do?
Why?
How did he reply to her suggestion?
Why do you think H. added the Custom house introduction ?
H. never explicitly states the significance of the letter A.
What different meanings does the letter assume ?
What role does Nature play in the story?
What does H's attitude towards it seem to be?
What was the attitude of the Puritans?
What effect does sin have upon Hester Prynne?
What effect does sin have upon Arthur Dimmesdale?
What is Chillingworth's basic sin?
What does he have in common with literary figures like Faust, Mephistopheles, Greek mythology's Hephaistos (Roman: Vulcan ), Satan ?
What is a leech?
How do you interpret Pearl's behavior?
Does she seem to represent morality, immorality, or amorality ?
What if Pearl had never been born ?
How does H use the colors black and red ?
How does H use sunshine ?
TEACHER'S SAMPLE
Aids to reading The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne
Why do you think H. added the Custom house introduction?
To give the historical and trueful view of the Puritan era.
H. never explicitly states the significance of the letter A.
What different meanings does the letter assume?
ADULTERY or ARTHUR
What role does Nature play in the story?
What does H's attitude towards it seem to be?
Puritans followed only the laws of men
(they were absurd in relation to NATURE ).
What was the attitude of the Puritans?
What effect does sin have upon Hester Prynne?
What effect does sin have upon Arthur Dimmesdale?
They both consider God's opinion and Arthur D. in addition considers the Puritans' codes as well.
What is Chillingworth's basic sin?
Leaving his wife to go to the U.S. without following.
What does he have in common with literary figures like Faust, Mephistopheles, Greek mythology's Hephaistos (Roman: Vulcan), Satan?
Planning horrible revenge, worse even than death.
What is a leech ? Sw: 'blodigel'
archaic: heal cure
How do you interpret Pearl's behavior?
PURE
Does she seem to represent morality, immorality, or amorality?
What if Pearl had never been born?
How does H use the colors black and red?
Symbolic: Black = Evil
How does H use sunshine ?
As a smile from Heaven, Love
On Reading The Scarlet Letter
Hints & questions by K. WRIGMAN