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The Scarlet Letter Study Guide
Chapter
1 “The Prison Door”
- What
colony is the setting for the novel?
- Where
in the colony does the opening chapter take place?
- For
what 2 “practical necessities” did the new colony set aside land?
- Who
is Anne Hutchinson? How does
Hawthorne
feel about her?
- What
2 possible symbols does the rose have for the reader?
Chapter
2 “The Market-Place”
- Name
3 crimes and the punishments that the Puritans might witness.
- What
is the relationship between religion and law in Puritan New England?
- Describe
the Puritan women. Use one quote
from the book to support your answer.
- What
punishments would the Puritan women have given Hester Prynne if it were left
to them?
- Describe
the appearance of Hester Prynne.
- What
is Hester’s sin? Punishment?
- What
is astonishing about the “A” on her bodice?
- Why
is Hester taken to the scaffold in the market-place?
- What
things does Hester think about while she is on the scaffold?
- How
old is her baby?
- What
detail is given to suggest the baby was born in jail?
Chapter
3 “The Recognition”
- Describer
the man who is standing on the outskirts of the crowd.
- What
prior reference was made in Chapter 2 that reminds the reader of this man?
- What
gesture does he make to Hester that suggests he knows her?
- What
does the stranger learn from the townsman next to him?
- Who
is the father of Hester’s baby?
- What
is the usual punishment for adultery? Why
is Hester’s punishment less severe?
- What
are Hester’s feelings toward the stranger?
- Who
is
Bellingham
?
John Wilson?
- What
do
Bellingham
and
Wilson
want Hester to do?
- Describe
Dimmesdale.
- What
is his relationship to Hester? What
does he ask her to reveal?
- Why
won’t Hester name the child’s father?
Chapter
4 “The Interview”
- How
does Hester act when she returns to prison?
- Why
does the jailer call a doctor?
- What
is the doctor’s name?
- Where
did the “doctor” learn his skill?
- Quote
2 lines that indicate the doctor and Hester know each other before this
meeting.
- What
is the relationship between Chillingworth and Hester?
- Why
should Hester’s marriage be a failure?
- Did
Hester ever love her husband? Quote
Hester to support your answer.
- What
does Chillingworth vow to do?
- What
secret does Chillingworth ask Hester to keep?
- What
symbol is introduced for Chillingworth in Hester’s final lines in this
chapter?
Chapter
5: “Hester at Her Needle”
- What
“general symbol” has Hester become?
- Give
at least 2 reasons why Hester does not leave the colony.
- Describe
Hester’s home.
- What
talent did Hester use to support herself and
Pearl
?
- What
garments is Hester not allowed to sew?
- Why
type of dress did Hester wear?
Pearl
?
- What
does Hester do that shows she has a charitable nature?
- How
did the poor, the ladies of
Boston
, the clergy, and the children treat
Hester?
- What
special knowledge does Hester feel the Scarlet Letter gives her?
Chapter
6: “
Pearl
”
- Why
did Hester name her child “
Pearl
” ?
- Give
at least two reasons why Hester does not leave the colony.
- Describe
Hester’s home.
- What
talent did Hester use to support herself and
Pearl
?
- What
does the Scarlet Letter mean to
Pearl
?
- What
did the townspeople say about
Pearl
?
Chapter
7: “The Governor’s Hall”
- Name
2 reasons Hester visits Governor Bellingham.
- How
are the Scarlet Letter and
Pearl
alike?
Chapter
8: “The Elf and the Minister”
- Who
are the other visitors at the Governor’s house?
- How
much time has elapsed since the opening scene?
- With
what creatures of fantasy is
Pearl
continually compared?
- How
has Chillingworth changed since Hester last saw him?
- Why
does John Wilson question
Pearl
?
- How
has Rev. Dimmesdale changed since Hester’s public humiliation?
- Who
pleads successfully for Hester to keep her child?
- To
which visitor does
Pearl
respond
to lovingly?
Chapter
9: “The Leech”
- What
new identity has Chillingworth assumed in
Boston
?
Why is he successful?
- To
whom in the colony does Chillingworth attach himself as a medical advisor?
- Describe
Dimmesdale’s health. See p.
123-124.
- What
gesture has become Dimmesdale’s habit?
- Quote
a sentence from this chapter that associates Chillingworth with evil.
- What
two opposing views do the townspeople hold about Roger Chillingworth?
Chapter
10: “The Leech and His
Patient”
- What
“investigation” consumes Chillingworth?
- Who
is Chillingworth’s main suspect and victim?
- What
is a leech? What double meaning
does the world “leech” have?
- What
secret does Chillingworth believe is buried in Dimmesdale’s heart?
- Why
would Dimmesdale live with guilt and not confess his sin openly?
- What
reaction does
Pearl
have to
Chillingworth when she sees him with Rev. Dimmesdale?
- What
discovery does Chillingworth make when Dimmesdale “fell into a deep, deep
slumber”?
Chapter
11: “The Interior of a Heart”
- What
effect does Reverend Dimmesdale’s guilt have upon his popularity in the
colony?
- What
practices does Dimmesdale begin as a result of his guilt?
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide Ch 12-20
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