[PDF] Townsend Harris HS Jada Allred, Angelika Narewski, Dayana Tavarez English 6 Band 1 June 10, Major Works Data Sheet - Free Download PDF (2024)

Townsend Harris HS English 6 Band 1

Jada Allred, Angelika Narewski, Dayana Tavarez June 10, 2014

Major Works Data Sheet

Title: The Scarlet Letter Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne Date of Publication: 1850 Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Biographical information about the author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. He was a descendant of a long line of Puritan ancestors including John Hathorne, who took part in the Salem witch trials. In order to distance himself from his family’s shameful involvement, he changed his name to Hawthorne. Growing up, Hawthorne was overly shy and studious, which molded his life as a writer. Shortly after graduating from college, Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to Sophia Peabody the following year. Five years later, he began to work at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. Hawthorne died on 1864 in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

Historical information about the period of publications The time period of the mid-1800’s was filled with great change in history. It was widely known as the Pre-Civil War era, or the Antebellum Period, but many important eras and movements also occurred during this time period. Most importantly, the Second Great Awakening and a new revival in religion started to spread throughout the United States. This religious revival was seen as a backlash to the period of Enlightenment and the enlightened thinkers. It was mainly characterized by preachers who presented sermons and set up revivalist camps, which were areas that attracted new converts. Religious revivalism and the Second Great Awakening served as an inspiration to Hawthorne in his publication of The Scarlet Letter during the Romantic era.

Characteristics about the genre The Scarlet Letter falls under many genres, but the most important ones are historical fiction and romance. However, the romance genre is not the one about falling in love, but instead the literary sub-genres Romanticism and Dark Romanticism. Historical fiction is defined as books or stories that blend historical facts with fiction. The characteristics within this genre being that the setting must take place in an authentic time period and a real historical place, and the setting is considered the most important aspect. Characters, dialogue, and plot may not have to be completely historically accurate, but they must contain elements that are authentic and pertain to the time period. Romanticism is defined as simplistic with a preference to nature and love of feelings. Most Romantic literature includes nature scenes and a respect for the country life and simple things. Dark Romanticism, which characterizes most of The Scarlet Letter, is characterized with guilt, sin, and criticisms of humanity and their inherent evils against God.

Plot Summary: The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a Puritan woman, Hester Prynne, who has to endure the punishment of adultery, which is to wear a scarlet ‘A’ on her chest and stand on a scaffold everyday so the rest of the Puritan community may shame her. Her act of sin is made worse by the fact that she had a child through this adultery, named Pearl. Hester endures the shame and humiliation at the hands of the Puritan community in part to protect her lover, ironically the most pious minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. However, as each day passes that Arthur Dimmesdale’s sins go unpunished, his guilt eats away at his conscience and causes him to become the most passionate minister within the Puritan community. The pain that Dimmesdale feels due to his guilt is only exacerbated by the meddling of Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, who made it his goal in life to see that the minister is constantly suffering from his act of sin. Eventually, the scarlet ‘A’ causes Hester to become an upstanding thinker and break away from the traditional Puritan roles with her generosity and kindness. The novel ends predictably with Dimmesdale confessing to his sin in front of the Puritan community and dropping dead soon afterwards, along with Roger Chillingworth, whose chase for revenge turned him into a grotesque figure. Hester matured from the beginning of the novel into an independent thinker who differs from the typical Puritan mold.

Describe the author’s style:

An example that demonstrates the style:

Hawthorne’s writing style is noted for being very dark and depressing and most of his work falls under dark romanticism, a genre that focuses on sin, guilt, and the belief that all humans are inherently evil. His writing style in The Scarlet Letter utilizes complex vocabulary, multiple compound-complex sentences, and periodic sentences. Also, Hawthorne’s writing in the novel is rich with themes, symbolism, and allegory. Although Hawthorne’s writing style seemed outdated compared to modern literature, the overly formal dialogue was exclusive to the time period and accurately depicted themes and emotion within the novel.

“It is to the credit of human nature, that, except where its selfishness is brought into play, it loves more readily than it hates. Hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility.”

Memorable Quotes Quotation:

Significance:

“But she named the infant ‘Pearl’, as being of This quotation reveals the severity of what Hester greater price - purchased with all she had - her has lost from being alienated from the rest of the mothers only pleasure.” Puritan community. She never says it for herself throughout the novel but this quote shows that Pearl is really all she has left.

“No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.”

This quotation both foreshadows and explains what happens to Dimmesdale throughout the book. The act of him keeping quiet about what he has done and pretending to still be a pure Puritan while on the other hand being a unconfessed sinner tears him apart ultimately leading to his death.

“She had wandered, without rule or guidance, into a moral wilderness... Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods... The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers— stern and wild ones—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.”

This quotation illustrates that the scarlet letter served as an enlightening figure for Hester as through the shame and humiliation of her punishment she was able to grow as a person and also a thinker. The scarlet letter allowed her to think independently and realize the things amiss within the Puritan community.

Characters

Name

Role in the story

Hester Prynne

- Protagonist of the novel - The wife of Robert Chillingworth - Committed adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and from this union had their baby Pearl - Wears a red A everyday as punishment for what she did

- Goes against the Puritan beliefs revealing the faults in their community along with their treatment of women - Keeps the secret of who her lover is - Forms her own opinions about life based on her own thoughts while being alienated

- Passionate - Strong-willed - Rebellious - Independant - Compassionate - Maternal - Intelligent

- Love child of Hester and Dimmesdale

- Provokes her mother, father and other adults in the novel to point out truths they try to ignore

- Mischievous - Moody - Perceptive - Intuitive

- Hester’s husband who is significantly older than her in age - A scholar that pretends to be a doctor in order to stay in town to find out who the other adulterer is

- Seeks revenge on the man, Dimmesdale, who impregnated his wife and is set in torchering him - After Dimmesdale’s death Chillingworth has nothing else to live for and dies as well

- Revengeful and consumed by it - Determined - Monstrous

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale

- Father of Pearl and a theologian in the Puritan community - His position in the Puritan community is highly respected

- Doesn’t admit his crime to the Puritan community and it causes him to be overwhelmed with his guilt - Punishes himself physically leading to a heart condition that ends his life

- Intelligent - God-fearing - A compassionate leader - Powerful speaker - Remorseful

Governor Bellingham

- A wealthy man high up in the Puritan community - Brother of Mistress Hibbins

- He strictly adheres to Puritan law but is easily blinded not realizing that Dimmesdale has sinned and his sister is a

- Stern - Dignified - Wise

Pearl

Chillingworth

Significance

Adjectives

witch Mistress Hibbins

Reverend John Wilson

- Widow who lives with her brother, Governor Bellingham, and is rumored to be a witch

- Reminds readers about the hypocrisy and evil in the Puritan society

- Bitter-tempered - Sour - Discontented

- Elderly clergyman that preaches about hellfire and damnation

- Strictly follows Puritan law but is also blinded by who Dimmesdale is to realize he sinned

- Wise - Stern - Divine

Setting

Significance of opening scene

The Scarlet Letter takes place in the mid 17th century in a Puritan community of Boston, known back then as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Even though Hawthorne placed the setting of the story during the Puritan time period, in actuality it was written in the Romantic era. Because the novel was written during the Romantic era, The Scarlet Letter includes many scenes where the characters are located in the wilderness and among nature, since the Romantics thrived upon the idea of nature. Also, the scaffold is an integral part of the setting as it is where many important scenes in the novel take place and where the story begins, advances, and ends.

The opening scene of the novel introduces the idea of sin. There is a throng of Puritans gathered outside the door of a prison. The door of the edifice is studded with iron spikes and it is heavily timbered with oak. The one incongruity in the otherwise dull scene is the single rosebush next to the prison door. The fragility of the soft and vibrant colors of the rosebush contrasts to the strict and dark colors of Puritanism. Then, the narrator tells us that he wants to pick a flower from the rosebush and give it to the reader. This allows the reader to feel relief in “the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.”

Symbols Pearl Pearl, the result of Hester’s adultery, is a constant reminder of her warring spirit and wrongdoing. Hester names her daughter Pearl “as being of great price – purchased with all she had – her mother’s only treasure!” (79). The name Pearl represents something of great value, in this case Hester’s virtue and place in society. Hester was forced to give up her “treasure” or her reputation as a chaste woman for her daughter, the living embodiment of her Hester’s sin. Pearl is a symbol of both the sign of Hester’s shame and her greatest treasure.

Significance of closing scene

In the closing scene, the narrator discusses the events that happen after Dimmesdale’s death. The reader learns that the people who witnessed the death do not know what they saw on his chest, but most think that it is a scarlet letter. It is also learned that Chillingworth dies after a year, and he leaves all of his estate to Pearl. After disappearing for several years with Pearl, Hester returns to live the rest of her life in her cottage performing good deeds. Pearl eventually gets married and moves to Europe. When Hester is buried, she shares a headstone with Dimmesdale, The Scarlet Letter which bears the symbol of the scarlet letter ‘A.’ The adultery Hester committed when her The final scene is essential because it describes husband was thought lost at sea leads the Puritan the lives of the characters after the significant community to brand her with the red ‘A’ upon events and its affect on their lives. her chest. Like Pearl, the letter functions as a physical reminder of her actions. The scarlet letter, which is meant to be a symbol of shame, was done with such care and fine skill that it caused the community to make disparaging comments and reprimand her for it. Hester fully accepts her sins and faces the humiliation that comes with it, but all the while remains a woman of great probity, as she never ceases to lose her sense of pride. The scarlet letter seems to declare that she is proud rather than ashamed. As time passes, the letter’s meaning becomes a powerful symbol of Hester’s identity. It eventually came to stand for “Able.” She served as a fine example for her community and was able to atone for her wrongdoing. The Meteor The meteor affects the setting by illuminating the dark sky as Hester, Pearl and Dimmesdale stand holding hands. As God sheds light on this relationship, it urges Dimmesdale to confess, foreshadowing the absolution that will come with confession. The community, however, has interpreted it to stand for “Angel” and take it as a sign of the death of Governor Winthrop.

Possible themes - Topics of Discussion 1. Sin and the human condition- Throughout the novel, Hester is being openly punished for the sin she committed while Dimmesdale continued to live his life. Although his sin wasn’t publicly reprimanded for, he still wore a scarlet letter on his chest. Dimmesdale realizes that everyone sins and although they aren’t all displayed they all do sin even in the Puritan community, secret sin is everywhere.

2. The dangers of revenge- We watch Chillingworth grow from an old man to a monstrous creature feeding off the life of Dimmesdale. After spending countless amounts of days with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth is able to slowly help him lose his mind. When Dimmesdale finally dies Chillingworth dies right after him because he was so caught up in his revengeful mind that he had nothing else to live for after.

3. Gender roles within society- Hester Prynne was expected to become a typical, submissive Puritan woman after her punishment, but instead she was able to grow out of the typical Puritan mold to evolve into a thinker that transcended society’s values. She was able to prove many of her fellow community members wrong by overcoming her obstacles and becoming a stronger, more well rounded person all the while raising a child by herself.