scarlet letter 9-16 Flashcards
Chillingworth presents himself as a __
Physician
The word leech has a double meaning. Explain
A bug that sucks blood; leech can also be used to describe Chillingworth because he sucks the life out of Dimmesdale when he’s trying to heal him.
Chillingworth chose __ as his spiritual guide
Dimmesdale
At first, people believed that __ had sent Chillingworth to help Dimmesdale
A learned doctor trained at a German university
What has become Dimmesdale’s “constant gesture”?
To put his hand over his heart
when he put his hand over his heart, blushed and then with a paleness that suggested pain
Describe the living arrangements of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth.
They live together in a house near a cemetery. Chillingworth has a sophisticated laboratory and Dimmesdale has a room with all Protestant books
What are the two topics of the tapestries on Dimmesdale’s walls?
They told the biblical story of of David and Bathsheba and Nathan the Prophet
Over time, suspicions arise about Chillingworth’s past. Describe these suspicions.
- some had spoken to a handyman that said he had seen the doctor in the company of Dr. Forman, who murdered Sir Thomas Overbury
- Two or three people hinted that the doctor, during his captivity, had learned spells from the Indian priests
- Many reasonable people said that Roger Chillingworth had undergone a great physical change during his time in the town, particularly since he started rooming with Mr. Dimmesdale
Chillingworth’s “aspect” has changed from….to….
calm, meditative, scholar-like (thoughtful and studious)
to his ugly and evil face
Some people believe __ is satans emissary
Roger Chillingworth
Describe the light in Chillingworth’s eyes.
a light glimmered in the doctor’s eyes, like the reflection of a furnace, or those terrifying lights that shined onto the pilgrim’s face from Bunyan’s awful
hillside doorway.
Where did Chillingworth find the Herb with “the dark flabby leaf”?
in the graveyard; he found them growing on a grave that had no tombstone or marker
Where is Pearl and what is she doing?
she was in the nearby graveyard, skipping from one grave to another
What does she do with the burrs?
she decorated them around the scarlet letter that her mother was wearing
What does Chillingworth tell Dimmesdale about “bodily disease”?
A bodily disease, which we think of as self-contained, may after all be merely a symptom of some spiritual ailment.
Describe what happens when Dimmesdale is sleeping?
Roger Chillingworth, with no special care, came into the room. The doctor walked right up to his patient, laid his hand on his breast, and pushed aside the robe that had always hid his chest from the doctor’s eye.
What do you think Chillingworth saw?
he might have seen a scarlet letter; he realized he is the baby’s father
How does Dimmesdale’s congregation feel about him?
dimmesdale had gained popularity through his ministry while suffering with his bodily disease. his popularity was due in great part to his sorrows;
they imagined him to be the spokesman of Heaven delivering messages of wisdom and the ground he walked on was holy. older people wanted to be buried near the pastor’s grave, young women swooned when he came near struck by his passion
How does Dimmesdale feel about “public veneration”?
it tortured him; he wanted to tell them that he was a completely corrupt fraud
When Dimmesdale makes confessions about his unworthiness, the people react….
it only increased their admiration. They never imagined the true meaning lurking behind his words of self-condemnation
what does Dimmesdale keep locked in a secret closet? What does he do with it? Why?
A bloody whip, he whipped himself and fasted as an act of penance, until his knees trembled beneath him
Dimmesdale stand in the dark….(where?)
the platform where hester prynne had first been publicly shamed.
When Dimmesdale shrieks, ________ and ________ look out the window
governor Belligham and Mistress Hibbins
__________ passes on his way home, but he does not see Dimmesdale.
Reverend John Wilson
Dimmesdale asks ______ and ______ to join him on the platform.
hester prynne and pearl
When does Dimmesdale say he will do what Pearl wants him to do?
at the great judgement day; when they are before the throne of judgement
Who does Pearl point to in the shadows? Why was he out tonight?
Roger Chillingworth, and he was out because he was on his way home from being with governor Winthrop when he saw a light
What appears in the sky? Be specific.
A meteor cast, a red A
The Sexton returns Dimmesdale’s ________. Explain
Black gloves, the sexton said that Sagan had dropped it there was a joke
When the Sexton asks about the light in the sky last night, Dimmesdale says….
he had not heard about that
The Sexton’s theory about the light is….
a great red letter A appeared in the sky which stood for angel; since governor winthrop had died that night and became an angel, it is fitting that there should be some sign to mark the event
How old is Pearl
7
“she never battled with the public, but submitted…” explain
uncomplainingly to its worst usage; She did not claim that the public owed her any compensation for her suffering. She never begged for sympathy.
what act of charity/ mercy does Hester perform?
she gave to the needy and poor and helped the sick
instead of the scarlet letter’s “original signification” many now say it means,,,
She was so helpful, with so much power to aid and to sympathize, that many refused to recognize the A for its original meaning. They said that it stood for “able,” so strong a woman was Hester Prynne.
when the townspeople brag about “the town’s own Hester” to strangers, they also tell the strangers…
The scandals of her past
“even the attractiveness of her person had undergone a similar change” explain how hester has changed
Her hair was cut off or hidden by her cap, her firm evoked no passion, and her bosom incited no thoughts of affection
the narrator compares Hester with ___, a female religious leader during the Puritan period.
ann hutchinson
Who does Hester see in the forest? Why is he there?
roger chillingworth; he stooped along the ground, searching for roots and herbs with which to make his medicines.
chillingworth tells Hester the council debated whether or not to remove the scarlet letter. Hester says it is not their decision to make; when the time comes, the scarlet letter will…
it would simply fall away—or be transformed into something that would convey a different message.”
Explain the significance of the references to fire
there was a constant red light in Dimmesdales eyes, as if the old man’s soul was on fire. It seemed to smolder and smoke in his breast until some passing wind of passion ignited it into a brief flame. He would put out that fire as quickly as possible and attempt to look as though nothing had happened.
Chillingworth tells Hester she had no choice but to keep his identity a secret because
“If I had pointed my finger at Dimmesdale, he would have been thrown from his pulpit into prison—and perhaps from there to the gallows!”
when chillingworth seeks revenge and acts to punish he is acting like _____ (who should judge? who should punish?)
devil
chillingworth blames ___ for the fact that he has become a “fiend”!
Hester
why does Chillingworth say he never sought revenge against Hester?
because the scarlet letter was enough
“It is our fate, let the black flower blossom as it may” What core Puritan belief is similar to Chillingworth’s description of “fate”?
2nd core belief, in which puritans believed in original sin. The fall of adam and eve from God’s Grace meant all people were born sinful and were more likely to be inclined toward evil than good
who does Hester say she hates? Why do you think she feels this way?
roger chillingworth; “He betrayed me! He has done worse to me than I ever did to him!” and he’s torturing dimmesdale
What does Pearl do with eel grass?
she Pearl took some eelgrass and imitated on her bosom, as best she could, the decoration that she was so used to seeing on her mother’s. the letter A—but green instead of scarlet.
What questions does Pearl repeatedly ask Hester?
a.
b.
c.
What does the letter mean, mother? And why do you wear it? And why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?”
when Hester becomes angry with Pearl, she threatens to..
shut you away in the dark closet!”
Who might Dimmesdale have visited among the Indian converts? Apostle _____
Apostle Eliot
Pearl wants Hester to tell a story about…
story about the Black Man Tell me how he haunts this forest, carrying a big, heavy book, with iron clasps. Tell how this ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to everyone who meets him here among the trees. Tell how they write their names with their own blood, and then he sets his mark on their chests.
Hester says she met him (#2) once and…
This scarlet letter is his mark
how does the minister look?
worn and weak
