Hester Prynne's long-lost husband arrives in disguise! Once she's back in prison, he shows up and orders her to keep her mouth shut so he can carry out his Nefarious Plan of ferreting out and seeking revenge on her lover. For some reason, she agrees. Hester's husband tells the townspeople that he's a physician named Roger Chillingworth 9. Study the painting, The Scarlet Letter by Hugues Merle (), which Hawthorne considered the best visual representation of Hester Prynne's public disgrace and condemnation. Describe the artist's use of details, techniques and their affect (e.g., strong resemblance to Madonna and child, Hester's elderly husband is in the background). 9 This essay it has to be admitted is rather dry and is worth skipping and has nothing to do with the story, so do yourself a favour, ignore it and move on to the actual novel. We are transported back in time to the 17th Century, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where we meet Hester Prynne, the main character
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide
Nathaniel Hawthorne 's masterwork, hester prynne essay, The Scarlet Letter is considered one of the best novels of all time, and an exemplar of Dark Romanticism. Our study guide offers teachers and students important background about the author, hester prynne essay, particularly his own experiences at The Custom-House, where he learned to "stick it to the man" and inspired his writing of Hester Prynne's story.
Don't skip the Introduction! Hester Prynne - The woman who committed adultery with a pastor and bore an illegitimate child.
She is sentenced to wear a letter "A" on her chest as her badge of public shame in this small Puritan community in which she seeks repentance and dignity. Arthur Dimmesdale - The town's pastor with whom Hester had an adulterous affair, impregnating her out of wedlock. He does not confess to his guilt, and grows sick by his tormented conscience. Finally, he confesses in public and hester prynne essay in Hester's arms, hester prynne essay. Pearl - The "elf child" borne out of wedlock whom her mother Hester raises, but her father Arthur keeps his paternity a secret.
Pearl becomes unruly and capricious as she is raised by Hester in a cabin on the edge of town. Long-lost Husband - The small misshapen man who was Hester's husband, presumed to be lost at sea.
She spots him in the crowd at her sentencing on the public scaffold stocks. He changes his name to Roger Chillingworth and embarks on a mission to reveal the identity of Hester's adulterous partner, hester prynne essay.
Hester refuses to name her lover, he threatens Hester to never reveal his identify as her husband. He finally suspects Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl, but Dimmesdale dies before Chillingworth gets his revenge. Reverend John Wilson - A church leader who attempts to get Hester to confess her lover's identity, along with the town's minister denying his sin, Arthur Dimmesdale. Governor Bellingham - Governor of the Bay Colony, he listens to the ministers and grants Hester's appeal to retain custody of her daughter.
The story, subtitled "A Romance," is set in the Puritan town of Boston in the 17th century. It is about Hester Prynne, who conceived a child during a secret affair with a pastor, Arthur Dimmsedale, and is charged with adultery. After refusing to name her lover after repeated pressures from everyone including Dimmesdale, who is covering up his sinshe is sentenced to wear a scarlet "A" A for adultress after standing three hours on the public scaffold in quiet dignity.
Her long-lost husband appears at the sentencing, she refuses to reveal her lover, hester prynne essay, and he threatens to get revenge. After serving her prison sentence, Hester raises her daughter in a small cottage at the edge of town, church members threatens to take her away for being unruly, hester prynne essay, so Hester appeals to the ministers and Governor to let her stay.
Meanwhile, Dimmesdale hides his guilt, but is consumed by sickness for years and eventually confesses to his sin. Chillingworth who suspected him, sees a symbol representing an "A" on Dimmsedale's chest. Hester and Dimmesdale meet secretly, she convinces him to leave Boston for Europe.
After his best sermon ever delivering " a shower of golden truths upon them ," Dimmesdale climbs on the public scaffold to admit his sin, and dies in Hester's arms. Some witnesses swear they saw an "A" on his chest, but can't confirm it. When she dies, Hester is buried near Dimmesdale with the gravestone epitaph, "On a field, sable, hester prynne essay, the letter A, gules" On a field, black, the letter A, red.
Chillingworth gives up on revenge, dies, and leaves Pearl a large inheritance. Readers are encouraged to study, rather than skip over the Preface to the Second Edition and The Custom-Housewhere Hawthorne reveals his sense of romance, between materialism and "dreaminess. Hawthorne's story is in the genre of Romanticism, considered a masterpiece in the sub-genre of Dark Romanticism for its focus on sin, human fallibility, and the religious and societal institutions which enforce society's judgement and alienation of specific members of the community.
The story, written inis considered a work of Historical Fiction, set in Boston, the Puritan Bay Colony of Massachusetts between - Puritans left England for the New World to escape persecution and judgement in the hands hester prynne essay others in power. The strict religious convictions and social morays of the religion hester prynne essay conformity and cast judgement and punishment on anyone in their congregation who failed to conform to the Puritan ideals, hester prynne essay.
There were two types: "separating" Hester prynne essay, such as the Plymouth colonists, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it; and "non-separating" Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in reform, but not separation.
Most Massachusetts colonists were non-separating Puritans who wished to reform the established church, largely Congregationalists who believed in forming churches through voluntary compacts, hester prynne essay. Legacies of Puritanism include modern-day practicing Protestants which hester prynne essay Lutheran, Anglican, and Quaker denominations, and the so-called "Protestant work-ethic" which implies staunch focus of hard work and good deeds, hester prynne essay.
Read more about Puritanism in New England. Hawthorne, and many other authors who embraced the genre of Dark Romanticismcast judgement of their own on Puritans' treatment of sin, judgement, and human fallibility. Their stories often revealed the hypocrisy and dark side of these religious hester prynne essay cultural institutions to perpetuate, rather than eradicate, the sins they were trying so forcefully to admonish. A note related to the significance of Salem's Custom-House.
Both Hawthorne as a young man and Herman Melville after his writing career tapered-off took office jobs there. Operating in Salem sincehester prynne essay, its business is collecting taxes on imported cargo, first for the British, then for the American Government.
Starting init housed the U. Customs Service and impounded cargo, hester prynne essay. Hawthorne's writing was significantly impacted by this experience, as he reveals in his introductory chapter. This is where he learned to "stick it to the man. This, hester prynne essay, in fact,--a desire to put myself in my true position as editor, or very little more, of the most prolix among the tales that make up my volume,--this, and no other, is my true reason for assuming a personal relation with the public.
Dimmesdale, in the hot passion of his heart! Hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility. Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread.
Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers - stern and wild ones - and they had made her strong, hester prynne essay, but taught her much amiss. Some speculated that: "the awful symbol was the effect of the ever active tooth of remorse, gnawing from the inmost heart outwardly, hester prynne essay, and at last manifesting Heaven's dreadful judgment by the visible presence of the letter.
Be true! Show hester prynne essay to the world, hester prynne essay not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred! What does the "A" represent? What does Hester mean when she says the letter is her "passport into regions where other women dared not tread"? Why wasn't Arthur Dimmesdale punished to the same degree as Hester?
How was this a double-standard in the Puritan culture? Hawthorne's story is considered a parable, a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. What's the lesson of this story? Discuss the themes of sin and redemption, and Hawthorne's take-away lesson from this parable. Evil is found in plotted revenge of Chillingworth, not in Hester and Dimmesdale's love. Does committing adultery with a "man of the cloth" constitute a worse crime than with a layman?
How is this story representative of Dark Romanticism? Why does Chillingworth the long-lost husband assume a new identity, and threaten Hester to never reveal he is her husband in this tight-knit Puritan culture?
Explain the Biblical references in the novel, including Adam and Eve eating from the tree of knowledge good and eviland the character's namesake, Esther in The Bible. Study the painting, The Scarlet Letter by Hugues Merlewhich Hawthorne considered the best visual representation of Hester Hester prynne essay public disgrace and condemnation.
Describe the artist's use of details, techniques and their affect e. Discuss Hawthorne's use of veils in his stories. He mentions a veil in his introduction, The Custom-House : " we may prate of the circumstances that lie around us, and even of ourself, but still keep the inmost Me behind its veil " and " make its way through the veil of dim obstruction, and glimmer pleasantly upon our faces.
In its introduction, he tells of a clergyman who hid behind a black veil as self-imposed punishment for accidentally killing a friend.
How does self-imposed shaming compare to Hester's public, imposed symbol of shame? How does Hawthorne reveal himself as an author, an authentic "editor" to impart this story as it relates to The Custom-House.
How does his experience relate to understanding the novel? Compare his description of an arcane, crumbling trading port and its aging patronage powers-that-be, with the arcane institutions in the novel. Describe the significance of Hester's tombstone epitaph, "On a field, sable, the letter A, gules" On a field, black, the letter A, red.
Is she marking herself for all eternity? Speculate about the significance or symbolism of Hester naming her daughter "Pearl. Essay prompt 1 : Watch a movie: The Scarlet Letter was adapted a number of times notably, Pick a version, watch and compare it to the novel comment on the historical or cultural context of the film's year you choose.
Essay prompt 2 : In modern culture, what does it take to earn a Scarlet Letter? Is social media our current method of social shaming, calling out those who have hester prynne essay wrong?
Do you think public shaming can result in the person's reform? Compare and contrast themes and literary elements in The Scarlet Letter with another story involving Puritans:. The Minister's Black Veilhester prynne essay, the veil and the red "A" share a similar stigma of extreme social alienation, how are both "secret sin"? Lois The Witch Salem Trials of The Maypole of Merry Mountboth Puritans and Merry Mounter hippies are considered persecuted minorities in this story.
Extracts from Adam's Diarya satirical twist of perspective on The Bible story about the first man who committed sin with Eve, hester prynne essay, and can't quite come clean. Desiree's Babya white mother of a hester prynne essay child she's raising in the deep South. Teachers : Challenge students to identify and compare other stories they've read with themes involving public ostracism, sin, and redemption. History of the Puritans in North America. The Custom-House, National Historic Site.
Visit our Teacher Resources for recommended works, supporting literacy instruction across all grade levels. toggle navigation American Literature.
Hester Prynne - BlackHeart Market - Full Album
, time: 36:37The Scarlet Letter: Hester Prynne Quotes | SparkNotes
9. Study the painting, The Scarlet Letter by Hugues Merle (), which Hawthorne considered the best visual representation of Hester Prynne's public disgrace and condemnation. Describe the artist's use of details, techniques and their affect (e.g., strong resemblance to Madonna and child, Hester's elderly husband is in the background). 9 The Scarlet Letter: A Romance is a work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in Set in Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years to , the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and then struggles to create a new life of repentance and blogger.comning a number of religious and historic Essay Questions; Practice Projects; Cite this Literature Note; Book Summary In June , in the Puritan town of Boston, a crowd gathers to witness an official punishment. A young woman, Hester Prynne, has been found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet A on her dress as a sign of shame. Furthermore, she must stand on the scaffold for
No comments:
Post a Comment