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Hester Prynne is a single woman with an illegitimate child. She lives in a world that is ruled my men in a society that condemns her for her sinful act and demands that she wear a letter A on her chest to show the world her evil nature. She lives quietly on the outskirts of town with her little Pearl all the while hiding the identity of the child's father, a secret all want to know.
PREREADING DISCUSSION TOPICS
What do you know about Puritan society?
What is society's views on single mothers?
How important is the role of a father in a child's life?
Who makes decisions about your clothes? Your identity?
Do you reveal everything about your friends to your family?
Do you reveal everything about your family to your friends?
Do you hide aspects of yourself from people you know?
RESEARCH
• Research the role of Hawthorne's relative, John Hawthorne, in the Salem witch trials and discuss how this influences your interpretation of the novel.
• Read a work by one of Hawthorne's transcendentalist contemporaries (like Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature , or Henry David Thoreau's Walden ) and compare what you think to be their world view with that of Hawthorne's.
Investigate the idea of crime and/or the role of women in colonial New England and compare your findings...
IRONY
Explore the following occurrences of irony in the story. Discuss how each is ironic.
1. Roger Chillingworth is punished more than Hester.
2. Pearl is dressed as a lady of great wealth, and she eventually becomes a lady of great wealth.
3. Even though Hester could have left Boston, she chooses to remain in the town where she committed and was
punished for her sin.
4. Pearl’s name implies purity and serenity.
5. The scarlet letter gains Hester respect in the community.
6. Dimmesdale was deceived by Chillingworth because “Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his
enemy when the latter actually appeared.”
JOURNAL QUESTIONS
• Have you ever heard someone talk about being branded with a symbol? Have you ever heard of someone branding themselves with a sign or a symbol? Would you ever brand yourself? Explain.
• What is adultery? What are your thoughts on adultery and/or adulterers? Should they be punished? Why or why not?
• Do you believe humans control their own destiny (future), or are we simply
following a path that is controlled by a higher power (like God)?
• Describe a time when you felt lonely or left out.
• Describe a time you met someone who was not really what they seemed to be.
• Describe a time you pretended to be someone or something you were not.
• What are some rules society sets concerning romantic relationships. What happens when these rules are broken?
• Imagine you are any one of the characters in the story. Write a journal entry from this character’s point
of view.
Essay on Theme
Some general themes in The Scarlet Letter include revenge, women and femininity, compassion and forgiveness, sin, hypocrisy, guilt and blame, justice and judgment, isolation, the supernatural, fate and free will, man and the natural world. The novel conveys definite messages concerning each of the themes listed. Choose one general theme, and discuss what message the novel conveys regarding that theme. Discuss how each of the following literary techniques supports that theme:
figurative language,
foreshadowing, allusion,
dialogue,
description,
symbolism,
word choice,
dialect.
Essay on Symbolism
List the possible symbols you see in this story.
Trace each symbol by identifying occurrences of each in the story.
Record textual occurrences of each symbol on a three columned chart.
Describe the connotations that each textual occurrence has conveys.
Describe the effects that each textual occurrence elicits in the reader.
Evaluate all of the connotations and effects for each symbol. Determine the theme each symbol supports.
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