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The scarlet letterquestions

In this novel Hester Prynee is represented in severaldifferent ways. Before this story starts she was sent toBoston by her husband (Roger Chillingworth) who was supposedto be meeting her there shortly. He never makes it, sheassumes he died at sea. While in Boston she meets Rev.

Dimmesdale she has an affair with him and gets pregnent. Hethen starts to ignore her. Months later when everyone findsout about her illegitimate daughter (Pearl) and that she isun married. She is looked upon with great sin. When she isfirst introduced into the novel she is in the prison. Sheemerges wearing an elaborately emroidered scarlet letter“ A” (meaning adultery) on her breast, and carries her 3month old infant in her arms. She is led onto the scaffoldwhere she has to stand in fron of the whole town as part ofher punishment. While on the scaffold she has flashbacks ofher old life, this is where we first learn about the realHester Prynne. The rest of her punishment is that she has towear the scarlet “ A” for the rest of her life. The Rev. Mr.

Dimmesdale pleads with Hester to tell the name of the manshe had a sexual affair with, but she will not. After the 3hours she is lead back to the prison with Pearl. At thispoint in the novel we learn that back in England Hester wasmarried to a man, Roger Chillingworth. This man is now inBoston and comes to visit Hesters prison cell. Hester andDimmesdale discuss who is at fault for her affair. He admitsthat he will find the father though. When Hester is releasedfrom prison she has the choice to go anywhere in the world, but she chooses to stay in Boston where she commited her sinand where she will have her punishment. She starts sewingand sells her garments but puritan society never acceptsher. Believes “ A” allows her to see sinful and immoralfeelings in other people. Hesters strength is most seen whenshe goes to the Governers mansion to plead for her daughter. In the following years Hester and Dimmesdale start speakingagain. Now you will be able to see her weaker side. Shefalls in love with him all over, they plan to leave Bostonand move to Bristol, England and live the rest of theirlives there. But they never make it, When Hester dies she isburried next to Dimmesdale. Physically Hester at thebegining of the novel is a tall young woman with a figure ofperfect elegance on a larger scale. Her most impressivefeature is her dark and abundant hair so glossy that itthrew off the sunshine with a gleam. Her complexion isrich, her eyes are dark and deep, and her regular featuresgiver her a beautiful face. Seven years later after all hertorture she looks much different. Her hair is now hiddenunder her cap, her beauty and warmth are gone, buried underthe burden of the elaborate scarlet letter on her bosom. Inchapter 13 when she removes the cap and takes off thatletter her beauty comes back. Hester is very strong willedas well as very lonley, those two are a horriblecombination. Hesters image becomes to be known through the“ A.” In her whole life Pearl was her best companion.

Through all of the sufferimg Hester just became stronger andDimmesdale is the young, pale, and phsyically delicateminister. Whose charector changes many times through out thenovel. He has large eyey and a tremulous mouth. He is welleducated and thinks with a philsophical turn of mind. He isvery devoted to God. Even though he sins as much as anyonein this novel. Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold and tellsHester to release the name of her husband, but she will not.

Later Dimmesdale be-friends Roger Chillingworth the two movein together when Dimmesdales health begins to slip. Dimmesdale meets Hester on the scaffold at midnight andacknowledges Pearl. Pearl begins to question why he wont beseen with them during daylight on the scaffold! He begins toget weaker and weaker by the day, but his congregationlearns to love him more each day. He is now the most popularof the local ministers and the most honorable. This justmakes him feel more guilty that everyone is respecting himfor something he does not deserve. He feels as if they knewthe truth that they would no longer love and respect him.

Hester goes and meets him in the woods and the two makeplans to leave Boston and move to Bristol, England. Buttrajedy strikes during his Electon day sermon he knows hemust die, he invites Hester and Pearl on the scaffold withhim…and dies! He is a coward and a hypocrite. He knowswhat he has to do to still the voice of his conscience andmake his peace with God. He simply cannot bring himself todo it. He is somewhat pale and weak from the first moment wesee him. And he grows paler and weaker by the minute, as helives ridden with guilt. By the time the minister comes tothe forest, he barely has the strength to throw himself downon the leaves in the hope that he can lie there forever. Helacks the will even to wish to live or die. When he leavesthe forest he has more charisma then ever before, he isjubilant and walks with energy. But not long after he isback to his feeble walking and negative attitudes.

Dimmesdale carves the letter A onto himself this tells us heWe first see Roger Chillingworth in this novel when he comesto Boston and sees Hester standing on the scaffold he askssomeone why she is standing there and what the “ A” means! When he finds out, his main goal is to find out who thefather is. We learn that Chillingworth had been married toHester back at home. He sent her here and then planned tojoin her. But he fails to join her quickly, for he iscaptured by Indians from whom he gathers a knowledge ofherbal medicine. He is an old, evil, vicious, ugly, anddeformed man. He becomes obsessed with finding out who itis. Even if that means destroying Dimmesdales life.

Chillingworth is evil in this novel. He starts out beingevil by making Hester not tell anyone they are married. Thenhe sets out to destroy Dimmesdale. His evilness leads to thethe death of Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is a tricky charectorthat we think could be all bad but turns out to have somegood in him. Taking the best out of his bad situation withhis encounter with the indians he learns much informationabout medicine. He also takes half of the blame for Hestersaffair, even though he wasnt even there. Even his nameresembles a chill. He is an evil type that observes but doesnot feel. He never REALLY takes on human charectoristics inthis novel until the end where he gives Pearl the large sumof money, and shrivels from guilt. He has a brave andadventurous mind. He also has the gift of irony. It is noaccident that the doctor takes Boston by storm. He has thecapacity- rare in any age, unheard of in Puritan NewEngland- to observe the world without preconceptions, andthen to put his observations to work. Bibliography:

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