The Scarlet Letter

Teacher Notes



Themes
Guilt/unconfessed sins destroy soul

Hester confesses, pays price, survives with inner spirit in tact
Punishment by ourselves worse than that from others
Hester's partner, Dimmesdale, doesn't confess, denies Pearl as daughter > pays price with guilt and self-condemnation - falls apart mentally and physically > in end admits guilt (at scaffold where book starts) and gains inner peace > then he dies
True repentence lies in yourself
To what extent caused by Puritan heritage


Conflicts

Fate vs. Free Will
Self-Fulfillment vs. Accommodation
Individual vs. Society
Individual vs. Own Inner Demons

Sense of determinism/predestination - humans do control their own fate

Alienation - caused by society, self, or both

Initiation - person actively tries to get rid of negativity

Effect of sin

Lead sorrow filled lives
Consequences greater in Puritanical society

People can be both good and evil

Cowardice

Dimmesdale can't tell congregation > justifies it would prevent him from doing God's work
Eats away at him
Realizes he's a hypocrite
Must have courage to be true to self


Adultery really isn't a theme - it has already occurred

Strength of human spirit > Hester won't let society bring her down

Hester rises above town ridicule
Dresses daughter in elaborate clothing/begins to help others

Revenge destroys seeker and seeked

Conflict between law and one's own belief system

Mood

Dark/Gloomy

Dimmesdale/Chillingworth - note the names - embody depression
Pearl opposite - represents joy and happiness/free-spirit > has nothing to confess
Hester - goes back and forth between gloom and joy > able to because she has confessed

Language

Narration - Common to language of Hawthorne's 1850
Puritan speech - common to that of King James Bible
Notice length and use of commas

Symbolism

The Scarlet Letter

What might Scarlet Letter be in today's world? What are some student crimes?
Pretty obvious, however meaning changes throughout the novel
A originally stands for adultery for Hester/Stands for ability at the end < due to all her goodworks
Stands for agony for Dimmesdale and Chillingworth
Dimmesdale's hand on heart - symbolizes his own invisible scarlet letter

Pearl's Name

Embroidery

Meteor

Indians

The brook

Scaffold

God's Judgement
Dimmesdale confesses first under cover (hiding from God), then in public

Prison

Isolation/Alienation - unable to live happily within society (does anyone live happily in Puritan society?)...better word - at peace

Forest

Nature - lightness and darkness/freedom
Notice how brightness changes with Dimmesdale/Hester scene in forest

Colors

Dull - those imprisoned by the rules of Puritan society
Bright - Pearl - those who have kept their free spirits
Scarlet/Red - the Devil
Green - color of life/color of Pearl's letter
Black - Black Magic/Black Man > identified as Chillingworth by Pearl


Ojbects

Burning
Law
Red
Truth
Wild

Irony

Who's punished more - Chillingworth/Hester
Pearl's dress foreshadows future status
Hester stays in Boston
Hester gains respect through her scarlet letter

Ambiguity

Hawthorne leaves many questions unanswered

Who is Mistress Hibbins? What is her role? She was accused of witchcraft in real life
Meaning of "A" in the clouds - adulterer, angel
Is Chillingworth a witch?
Why does Dimmesdale keep relationship with Chillingworth?
What is on Dimmesdale's chest when he reveals it to crowd?

Assignments

*** Note: These assignments are taken from the web pages of other teachers. Please look at the parenthesis following the assignment for the source. More detailed information can be found on the web site link.

Pre-reading

Create documentary to discuss Puritan migration to America (Teacher Vision)
Assume characteristics of Puritans and take part in a panel discussion (Teacher Vision)
What is a witch? (LB)

While Reading

Create own Scarlet Letter/brainstorm crimes/wear to school/joural entry reactions (Dr. G.)
Research aspect of life in Puritan society (Dr. G.)
Take on personality of Puritan character/Write all entries in character (Dr. G.)
Respond to Puritan-style punishments passed out in 20th century (Dr. G)
Contrast today's view of witchcraft and that 400 years ago (Discovery)
Symbols worn today that show self-pride (Discovery)
Compare today's children with Pearl, forced to grow up early, mature (Discovery)
Create drama scene where law and morality conflict (Discovery)
What actions would threaten school community? (Discovery)
Compare Puritan speech patterns to that of King James Bible (Teacher Vision)
Keep list of amusing, impressive, interesting words/phrases (Teacher Vision)
Make list of Hawthorne's Words of Wisdom (Teacher Vision)
Journal - Guess who's Pearl's father. Record reasons (Teacher Vision)
Keep journal as one of the characters and record feelings, thoughts, interpretations (Teacher Vision)
What does each character's name imply (Teacher Vision)
Young Goodman Brown enters forest. What is the psychological effect of being aware of reality? (LB)
Use school's online magazine directory to find modern articles regarding the Scarlet Letter

After reading

Create summary of plots and character using ABC's (N.B.)
What happened to Pearl? (Discovery)
Draw or paint a scene/Make a Map (Teacher Vision)
Other definitions of the letter A not mentioned, but applicable (Teacher Vision)
Find literary allusions to The Scarlet Letter (Teacher Vision)
Nightline news story (Teacher Vision)
Write a parody - similar to The Classics Reclassified (Teacher Vision)
In looking at Hester Pyrne, what is Hawthorne's view of women? (PAL)
Does Hawthorne criticize or embrace the Puritan world? (PAL)
Describe life of a Puritan child? (PAL)
Put Hester on trial (LB)
Essay Topic: What does the Scarlet Letter say about the division between what is public and what is private? (Hey)

Nathaniel Hawthorne

(July 4, 1804 - May 19, 1864)
Dad - naval captain - died when 4 (Nathaniel was 4 that is)
Widowed mom became recluse
Family moved in with family
Nathaniel injured - spent a lot of time indoors reading
At 17 > Sebago Lake, Maine and attend Bowdoin college
Moved to Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Mass (home to Transcendentalists)
Wasn't really impressed by people living there, left after few years
Moved to Salem, travelled around New England/New York
Met Sophia Peabody (pronounced like So-Fy-Uhh P-Biddy)
Wrote Twice-Told Tales
Moved to Concord, next to Henry David Thoreau

Ancestral connection to Salem

Judge Hathorne - Salem Witch Trials 1692

Lived in Salem as a child
Believes in Devil

Believes in determinism/controlling one's own fate