Scarlet letter test Flashcards
something that is taught; lesson
lore
something producing apparently magical or miraculous affects
Talisman
to drink
Quaff
to take pace afterward
ensue
safe distance
berth
the heraldic color red
Gules
an emotion of sympathetic pity
Pathos
Building
edifice
To pretend
feign
full suit of armor, intensive array
panoply
exceedingly talkative
loquacity
expressive gesture
gesticulation
the color black;dark
sable
a medieval trumpet with clear shrill tones
clarion
court or meeting of which a trial is carried out
tribunal
to alienate the affections
estranged
The novel begins where? What is the significance of this place
The novel begins outside of the Salem Jail. The prison is symbolic for the puritanical severity of law and authority that doesn’t breathe deviance.
What is the symbol of the rose bush related to?
The rosebush is symbolic for passion and this relates to Hester’s crime because it was a crime of passion. The rosebush is also linked to the wilderness where Puritan law cannot reach.
Hester is shocked to discover who in town her first day on the scaffold?
Her husband who now goes by Roger Chillingworth
What does Roger Chillingworth vow to do? How does he plan to do this?
He vows to find out who Pearl’s father is. He plans to do this by “reading his heart” He is going to observe the townspeople and figure out who is father is by his behavior.
What are the women in the courtyard upset about?
They are upset that she stitched an elaborate letter A. The scarlet letter was not as modest as they thought it should be.
What is Hester’s punishment to be?
She has to stand on the scaffold with her baby and after that she has to wear the scarlet letter A for the rest of her life.
What is Pearl’s function in the novel? How does Hawthorne reveal this?
Pearl is an extension of the Scarlet Letter. She wears red, she says that she was plucked from a rosebush by her mother. She is also called red rose which relates back to the rose of passion that relates to her mother’s sin. She also brings her parents together like the scarlet letter.
What are the many symbols of the Scarlet letter?
Public guilt v. private guilt, punishment v. forgiveness, The Scarlet Letter “A”, Sin and Judgement, and Civilization v. Wilderness
Why is Hester’s housing choice significant?
She chooses to live in a cottage at the edge of town right next to the forest. This is symbolic for how she is in limbo. She is on the boarder of the moral world of the Puritan society and on the the immorality of the wilderness.
Explain the significance of Pearl’s name
Hester names her child Pearl because a pearl is paid for at a high price. Hester definitely paid a high price for Pearl.
What point does Hawthorne try to make with the name?
The name Pearl is misleading, she is not a beautiful person. ( She certainly doesn’t behave like her name suggests) Hawthorne points out that appearances can be deceiving.
How does the trip to the governor’s mansion further the idea of Pearl as the Scarlet Letter
She is dressed in red to match the scarlet letter. The men call her Red Rose which relates back to the rosebush that symbolizes passion and Hester’s crime was of passion. She further’s the connection by saying that her mother picked her from the rosebush outside the jail.
Why does Hester appeal to Dimmesdale? What are some things that this encounter causes?
She appeals to him because he is the father and he is a very influential minister in this puritan town. He knows her well. This encounter causes the other men to realize that he must know her more personally than they thought. Arthur Dimmesdale puts his hand over his heart because he is disturbed. Roger says that he will know the father by his heart. Pearl is affectionate to Dimmesdale and connects her mother and father. Arthur begins to acknowledge the child
Why is Chilingworth referred to as a leech? (two reasons)
Physicians were known to use leeches (notice the negative connotation of the modern usage) and he is sucking the life out of Dimmesdale like a leech.
What is the turning point for Chillingworth? Give some evidence for this
Chapter ten is the turning point. He is referred to as the devil. Pearl strengthens this connection by calling him “The Black Man” Pearl also says that Roger has a hold of Arthur’s soul. Roger Chillingworth questions the minister relentlessly about his secret. While Arthur Dimmesdale is asleep Roger feels his heart and discovers that he is the father. He smiles when he discovers this.
How does Pearl connect her parents while playing in the graveyard?
She throws burrs at both Hester and Dimmesdale. This action connects the two. This is also a visual for the pain that Pearl causes them.
How does Dimmesdale attempt to cope with his guilty conscious?
He holds vigils, he whips himself, and he fasts. He does all of this as self punishment.
When does the reader become aware that Chillingworth is powerless as to the outcome of the novel?
When the meteor in the sky leaves a letter A in the sky while Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl are standing on the scaffold one night.
What are some of the changes that occur in Hester as she moves from the passionate to logical thinker
She depends on logic rather than feelings to make decisions. She always wears her hair up in a cap. She dresses very plainly.
When confronted by Pearl about the scarlet letter what transpires? Why is it significant?
Hester tells earl that the Scarlet letter is a mark from the “Black Man.” Hester is relating the scarlet letter to a bad thing. This is significant because Pearl is an extension to the Scarlet letter. So if the Scarlet letter is bad, then Pearl is bad.
What is important about the sunshine that Pearl plays in, in the forest?
the sunshine points out that where Hester goes trouble follows.
What does Pearl point out about the suffering of Hester and Dimmesdale?
She points out that Hester’s suffering is external and Dimmesdale’s suffering is internal.
What changes follow the meeting of Hester and Dimmesdale in the woods for Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl>
Hester becomes a more passionate than logical thinker and Pearl becomes less troublesome. The minister has a new outlook on life after the meeting in the forest. The three plan to escape New England and live together as a family somewhere else.
What is the plan for escaping New England? How is it foiled?
They are planning to leave on a ship to Bristol from the Spanish main. The sailors will agree to transport them in secret. The plan is foiled when Roger talks the sailors into taking him along as medical help.
What is the importance of Mistress Hibbins in the final few chapters of the novel?
Mistress Hibbins is foreshadowing that she would have met Dimmesdale and Hester in the forest if time would have allowed it.
What causes the death of Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Hester?
Dimmesdale dies because of the culmination of guilt and stress. Chillingworth has no reason to die after Dimmesdale dies so he dies soon after. Hester dies of old age.
What are the circumstances surrounding Dimmesdale’s death?
Some people claim that he had the red letter A on his chest while others say that he had nothing on his chest. Many do not believe that he was in relation to Hester at all but he was teaching the congregation a lesson by standing up there with her.
What becomes of Pearl?
When she and Hester move away Pearl stays there for good. She does not return later with Hester. It is believed that she is married and doing well because Hester has expensive things in her cottage that we assume that come from Pearl and she is also seen sewing baby clothes that could be for Pearl’s possible baby.
