studyguide (The Scarlet Letter)

8/12/2019 studyguide (The Scarlet Letter)

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Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(overview)

Concern Explanation

five tenets of (foundation for the Puritan faith)

Calvinism 1. Natural Depravity: All human beings are

inherently selfish, secretive, and sinful. Thestain of Original in remains on each of us,

and !e are, therefore, naturally inclined to

commit !rongdoing. This is the natureof

"ost#la"sarian man.1 As a result of thiscondition, the Puritans fought to resist all

natural human drives and desires. Naturalurges are inevitably evil.

$. The Doctrine of the Elect: This is the belief

that, "rior to a human being%s birth, &od has

already decided if he or she !ill attainsalvation. The 'lect is that grou" of

"eo"le destined for salvation.

*. Covenants:

Covenant of or!s: This is &od%s "romise

to Adam and ve (eternal life in "aradise if

they !ould absolutely obey +im).

Covenant of Grace: This is the "romise ofsalvation through the blood of Christ. This

one is clearly intended for the benefit of

"ost#la"sarian manind.-. "rresistibility of Grace: f a "erson is indeed

one of the lect, then it is im"ossible for that

"erson to act in any ungodly !ay./. #erseverance of Saints:

ma0or themes 1. secret sin: immesdale%s demise is the result of

heavy burden of his secret. 2hereas +ester!ears her badge of shame "ublicly, thereby

em"loying it as a means of "urifying hersoul, immesdale !ears his ("erha"s

literally) beneath a guise of "urity and

godliness.

1pre$lapsarian %an: human beings (Adam and ve) before the 3all from &race ("erfect and innocent)

post$lapsarian %an: human beings after the 3all from &race (stained !ith sin)


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Also, +ester%s "ledging to ee" secret

Chilling!orth%s true identity is e4uivalent to"ledging allegiance to atan himself.

$. nature as evil: The forest is a "articularlyinteresting locale in this novel. 2ith its

shado!s and tangles and its microcosmic

suggestion of the natural elements, itbecomes a "o!erful reflection of the human

mind released from all restraint. The

Puritans believed that human beings are

sinful by nature (octrine of 5aturale"ravity)6 therefore, abandoning ourselves

to our natural desires and "roclivities is

inherently evil. The natural elements

suggest the natural inclinations of humanbeings.

The rosebush that gro!s by the "rison door

and the sunlight that falls so readily on Pearl

are metonymically suggestive of this natural(evil) environment. Pearl says that +ester

has '"luced her from the rosebush,

thereby suggesting that the child is born of

sin. +er beauty (and her lavishaccoutrements) strengthen this connection.

Chilling!orth%s entrance into the novel issignificant here as !ell6 he emerges from

!oods. 7ater !e learn that he has been

living !ith the natives. 8ecause they sorevere nature and live so close to it, the

Puritans fears and disdained them for this

affinity for the natural environment.

Clearly, they vie!ed the natives as godlesssavages9emissaries of evil.

*. beauty as a trap: +uman beings are naturallyattracted to that !hich is beautiful. A

beautiful garment, 0e!el, "erson, house, etc.

dra!s a "erson%s attention, ins"irescovetousness, and "erha"s s"urs that "erson

on to illicit and immoral behavior in an

attem"t to ac4uire the ob0ect in 4uestion.

This is the natureof human desire. That is,


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inherent in the human being is this drive to

ac4uire that !hich is beautiful. The lure of

sin is etremely "o!erful. "t is this tireless

search for beauty and forbidden pleasure

that is the origin of hu%an sin& This is

"recisely !hy the Puritans believed in livingtheir lives so soberly, disdaining garish dress

and adornment, and 5OT submitting to their

natural drives and desires.

The intricate flourishes and the s"arling

grandeur of +ester%s letter serve to sho! the

reader that this symbol, !hich necessarilyre"resents this !oman%s sin, reflects the lureof forbidden pleasurethat has resulted in

the sin itself and the conse4uential birth of

the illegitimate child. Pearl%s dress alsoreflects the beauty of sin6 she is, after all,

'the scarlet letter incarnate. This meansthat she literally loos lie the letter, but,

more im"ortantly, she acts as an agent of her

mother%s "unishment, 0ust as the letter is aconstant reminder of ho! she has fallen

victim to her natural depravity.

2e must not forget that +a!thornedescribes +ester as a beautiful !oman !ith

long, dar hair and "iercingly dar eyes.

The !oman%s "hysical attractiveness hasa""arently served as a tem"tation for

immesdale and an out!ard indication of

the !oman%s inherently sinful nature. ncase the !oman%s beauty is not enough to

deliver this message, +a!thorne tells us that

+ester%s eyes are blac9a color the Puritans

associated !ith atan himself.

2hen she goes into the forest, she lets her

hair flo! do!n her bac, and she sheds theletter. n this entirely natural setting, she

finds it "ossible to reveal her o!n nature.

-. salvation in pairs: n the entire body of

+a!thorne%s fiction, it seems that any

character !ho is to attain salvation, must

!or to!ard that goal along !ith another


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has "roven too strong to resist and !ho, therefore,

must see retribution6 immesdale, re"resenting

human beings hailed and lauded for their goodnessdes"ite the fact that they, too, have sinned and have

hidden it from the !orld. +is shame is in!ard,

!hereas +ester%s is a "ublic affair. Thecom"arative freedom that the latter en0oys comes as

a result of her "ublic "enance6 the secret shame that

the former ee"s "ainfully delays his.

Chilling!orth, of course, re"resents the ever#"resent

dangers "osed by atan. +e constantly taunts

immesdale, demands a vo! of secrecy from+ester, and lives under an assumed name. +ere the

biblical a""ellation 'The 3ather of All 7ies

assumes obvious significance.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter ' The #rison Door*)

concern explanation

in medias res This is a 7atin term meaning 'in the middle of

things. 5arratives that begin this !ay naturally are4uite dramatic9at least for the first fe! moments.

The benefits are that the author can ca"tivate the

reader right from the o"ening moments6 the"articular setting and situation the reader encounters

are someho! significant !ith res"ect to the entire

narrative, not 0ust the first fe! moments of it6 andthe situation at hand is someho! the result of

occurrences and motivations that !ill "rove

significant in relation to the entire narrative. Toeliminate a deliberate and chronological

eamination of these occurrences and motivationsand instead to 0um" immediately to their

conse4uences is to em"hasi?e the cause through adramatic "resentation of the effect.

e"osition 2hen an author begins in medias res, traditional

e"osition suffers. Ordinarily, the first fe! "ages of


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a narrative serve to introduce the reader to the

setting, characters, and initial situation. n this case,

ho!ever, the heroine is about to enter the scene,illegitimate babe in her arms. +er actual entrance

occurs in the second cha"ter.

The narrator is not long is telling the reader the

history of this character. +ester has been in 8oston

for t!o years, a "eriod of time during !hich herhusband has not been !ith her. +er "regnancy and

the birth of her daughter, therefore, have caused

much u"heaval. he no! stands on the scaffold and

!ears a scarlet letterAon her breast. The to!nauthorities have decided not to eecute her (the

ordinary "unishment for adultery) but instead to

cast her as a figure of shame. n this !ay she can

"erform a "ublic service6 she may live her life as a!arning to others !ho might sin as she has done.

The "rimary conflict here is clearly "erson vs.

society, but the most interesting com"lication (other

than the mere birth of the child) is the fact that+ester has refused to reveal the name of child%s

father.

The Puritan community seems cold andunforgiving. t is "erha"s significant that the

onlooers a!aiting +ester%s emergence from the

"rison are !earing 'hoods. This might indicatethat they shroud their o!n sins in secrecy !hile

they insist on "unishing +ester for hers. 2hen

+ester does emerge at the beginning of cha"ter ,she, in contrast, !ears no hood. he is o"enly

!earing the emblem of her shame, not hiding her

transgression under the guise of righteousness.

This narrative begins in the summer (@une) of 1-$.

the "rison house The narrator mentions that the first t!o structures

established in the settlement !ere a cemetery and a

"rison. This fact s"eas volumes about these"eo"le6 they e4uate death and sin (crime). Also,

they clearly e"ect the !orst of "eo"le.


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the rose bush This is one of the most significant symbols in the

entire boo. t is im"ortant to note !here it gro!s.

The !ild rose is both beautiful and natural6 ofcourse, the e4uation of nature, beauty, and evil

occurs fre4uently in this narrative. The bush gro!s

beside the "rison door because it is the lure ofbeauty and "leasure that ins"ires the commission of

sin. Also, !e should note that the rose is beautiful

and fragrant, but its thorns are testimony to itsdanger9a reminder that natural "leasures are

forbidden by &od.

Anne +utchinson The narrator !onders if the rose bush has gro!n

there as a result of Anne +utchinson%s trodding that

ground on her !ay into the "rison a fe! years

before. This !oman actually did eist. he !asaccused of Antinomianism, a "hiloso"hy that

contends that salvation may come as a result offaith. n other !ords, mere belief is a sufficient

"rere4uisite for salvation. This is clearly not in

ee"ing !ith the octrine of the lect. +utchinson,then, !as accused of heresy.

+ey #assage (!hole cha"ter)


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Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter , The -ar!et$#lace)

concern explanation

The Prison Door

A throng of bearded men, in sad#colored garments, and gray, stee"le#cro!ned hats, intermied !ith !omen, some !earing hoods and others bare#

headed, !as assembled in front of a !ooden edifice, the door of !hich !as

heavily timbered !ith oa, and studded !ith iron s"ies.5 The founders of a ne! colony, !hatever Bto"ia of human virtue and

ha""iness they might originally "ro0ect, have invariably recogni?ed it among

their earliest "ractical necessities to allot a "ortion of the virgin soil as acemetery, and another "ortion as the site of a "rison. n accordance !iththis rule, it may safely be assumed that the forefathers of 8oston had built

10 the first "rison#house some!here in the vicinity of Cornhill, almost as season#

ably as they mared out the first burial ground, on saac @ohnson%s lot, andround about his grave, !hich subse4uently became the nucleus of all the

congregated se"ulchers in the old churchyard of ing%s Cha"el. Certain it is,that, some fifteen or t!enty years after the settlement of the to!n, the !ooden

15 0ail !as already mared !ith !eatherstains and other indications of age,!hich gave a yet darer as"ect to its beetle#bro!ed and gloomy front. The

rust on the "onderous iron#!or of its oaen door looed more anti4ue thananything else in the 5e! 2orld. 7ie all that "ertains to crime, it seemednever to have no!n a youthful era. 8efore this ugly edifice, and bet!een

20 it and the !heel#trac of the street, !as a grass#"lot, much overgro!n !ith

burdoc, "ig!eed, a""le "eru, and such unsightly vegetation, !hich evidentlyfound something congenial in the soil that had so early borne the blac

flo!er of civili?ed society, a "rison. 8ut, on one side of the "ortal, androoted almost at the threshold, !as a !ild rose#bush, covered, in this month

25 of @une, !ith its delicate gems, !hich might be imagined to offer their fra#grance and fragile beauty to the "risoner as he !ent in, and to the con#demned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in toen that the dee" heartof 5ature could "ity and be ind to him.

This rose#bush, by a strange chance, has been e"t alive in history6 but30 !hether it had merely survived out of the stern old !ilderness, so long after

the fall of the gigantic "ines and oas that originally overshado!ed it, 9or !hether, as there is fair authority for believing, it had s"rung u" under

the footste"s of the sainted Anne +utchinson, as she entered the "rison#door, 9!e shall not tae u"on us to determine. 3inding it so directly on the

35 threshold of our narrative, !hich is no! about to issue from that inaus"icious"ortal, !e could hardly do other!ise than "luc one of its flo!ers, and

"resent it to the reader. t may serve, let us ho"e, to symboli?e some s!eetmoral blossom, that may be found along the trac, or relieve the darening

close of a tale of human frailty and sorro!.


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a com"arison of &iven the nature of +ester%s crime, this com"arison

+ester to the


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>emember these correlations in a later scene !hen

Pearl !ill fashion a letterAout of sea!eed and affi

it to her mother%s bosom.

+ester%s "ersonality The follo!ing line is im"ortant to note:

O an impulsi!e and passionate nature" she

had ortiied hersel to encounter the stin#sand !enomous sta$s o pu$lic contumely%

At this "oint in the narrative, +ester does indeed

have a !illful nature, but she does not remainrebellious. f that !ere the case, then the letter

!ould not be effective in "erforming its office.

+ester eventually comes to see the "unishment

visited u"on as 0ust and a""ro"riate. Thistransformation of character is ey in the novel.

#lease do N.T thin! of /ester as a bold0

twentieth$century fe%inist raging against the

in1ustice of a bigoted and short$sighted

co%%unity& e %ust give this novel* %ore of

an historicist reading than that&

'the dusy mirror 5ote the follo!ing line. +ester is remembering her

"ast as she stand u"on the scaffold:

She sa& her o&n ace" #lo&in# &ith #irlish

$eauty" and illuminatin# all the interior othe dus'y mirror in &hich she had $een

&ont to #a(e at it%

The fact that +ester 'had been !ont to ga?e into

mirrors !hen she !as younger indicates that she has

fancied herself attractive. This !ould im"ly that

she has been guilty of the sin of "ride.

;istress +ibbins The mention of this character suggests that theinfamous alem 2itch Trials loom in the future.

Again, +a!thorne%s connection to the trials !as a

source of shame for him. The fact that the ;istress+ibbins is the sister of the &overnor 8ellingham

suggests that evil lies as near to government

officials as it does to ordinary citi?ens. am

reminded of a line from +a!thorne%s '=oung


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Chilling!orth%s entrance The fact that this character enters from the

forest is certainly significant. Once again,

the forest re"resents the hu%an %ind

released fro% all constraint. The Puritans

!ould inter"ret this sort of abandon as

indicative of satanic influence.Chilling!orth has been living among the

natives, a "eo"le !ho revere nature. +is

assuming a negative "ersona is, therefore,not sur"rising.

Chilling!orth becomes a reflection of atan

himself.

the significance of the This scaffold scene is but the first of three

number three that !ill together "rovide the narrative

structure.

As Chilling!orth is conversing !ith theto!ns"erson, he says three times that the

father of the child !ill be no!n.

Perha"s the most obvious and fre4uent

meaning of the number three in literature is

that it suggests the +oly Trinity. This tale is

one that centers on the idea of salvation, andaccording to Calvinist doctrine, it is only

through Christ that one may ho"e to be

saved from damnation.

Three is the "erfect number. f a table has

three legs, it !ill not to""le6 therefore, thenumber three is also associated !ith

stability.

Study GuideThe Scarlet Letter(Chapter 4 The "nterview)

concern explanation


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+ester%s "hysical and The narrator describes +ester%s demeanor as

emotional distress 'insubordinate. +e does not elaborate, but

!e can surmise that her reaction to her diresituation has caused her great aniety. The

child also seems out of sorts. t is

understandable that a mother%s anious state!ill etend to her infant. till, this s"ecific

com"lication (+ester%s distress) is a

narrative necessity6 this is a !onderful !ayto bring Chilling!orth into +ester%s

com"any so that the t!o can converse,

thereby enriching the "lot.

the oath of silence Chilling!orth ass that +ester not reveal his

identity as her husband. This is the second

secret she decides to ee". Again, the themeof secret sin is a strong and recurrent one in

this tale. t is the secrecy that "oisons. fChilling!orth is a re"resentation of atan,

then it is this "ledge of secrecy that +ester

agrees to tae at this "oint that enables theold man to "ose as a hel"mate for the

de0ected immesdale !hen he is really

!oring to effect his ultimate demise.

@ust in case the reader has not understood

this oath to be a frightful mistae,

+a!thorne has +ester as, '2hy dost thousmile so at meD . . . Art thou lie the 8lac

;an that haunts the forest round about usD

+ast thou enticed me into a bond that !ill"rove the ruin of my soulD +is res"onse

truly is devilish: '%5ot thy soul,% he

ans!ered, !ith another smile, F5o, not

thineE% 2hose soul then does he see tovan4uishD The father%s, of course.

the matter of blame Chilling!orth says that he had 'sought to

!arm GherH by the !armth !hich GherH

"resence made in his o!n heart. heregretfully acno!ledges that she has

'!ronged him, and he res"onds by saying

that both he and she have '!ronged each

other. +e says that he never should have


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married a !oman so much younger than he

9he ne! all along that something lie this

!ould ha""en.

+e claims that he sees no vengeance on

+ester, but he !ill "ursue 'the man !ho has!ronged us both.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter 5 /ester at /er Needle)

concern explanation

2hy does +ester not leave There is no single ans!er to this 4uestion9

8ostonD again, ho! lie +a!thorneE

f the scarlet letter is to "erform its office,then she must remain !here the !earing of

it has meaning. Part of her "enance is "ublic

shame, and if she !ere to go to another to!n!here no one no!s her, she could dis"ense

!ith the letter altogether. This !ould not

benefit her in her 4uest for redem"tion.Consider the follo!ing tet:

)hat she compelled hersel to

$elie!e*&hat" inally" she reasonedupon" as her moti!e or continuin# a

resident o +e& ,n#land*&as hal a

truth" and hal a sel-delusion% Here"she said to hersel" had $een the

scene o her earthly punishment. and

so" perchance" the torture o herdaily shame &ould at len#th pur#e

her soul" and &or' out anotherpurity than that &hich she had lost.

more saint-li'e" $ecause the result omartyrdom%

8efore +a!thorne "ro"oses this "articularreason (the one that +ester convinces herself

of), he !rites,


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/t mi#ht $e" too"*dou$tless it &as

so" althou#h she hid the secret romhersel" and #re& pale &hene!er it

stru##led out o her heart" li'e a

serpent rom its hole"*it mi#ht $ethat another eelin# 'ept her &ithin

the scene and path&ay that had $een

so atal% There d&elt" there trode theeet o one &ith &hom she deemed

hersel connected in a union" that"

unreco#ni(ed on earth" &ould $rin#

them to#ether $eore the $ar o inalud#ment" and ma'e that their

marria#e-altar" or a oint uturity o

endless retri$ution%

n other !ords, she is in love !ith Pearl%s

father and does not !ish to leave him. 5otonly that9the salvation of each de"ends on

the other.

the im"ortance of +ester%s attire becomes etremely drab and

garments coarse9the scarlet letter, therefore, sho!s

even more "rominently against such abacground. +er "revious taste for fancier

attire has changed. The reader might see

this as a "hysiognomical$indication that+ester%s character is changing as !ell.

2hy !ould the Puritans Ordinarily the Puritans discouraged garish

tolerate frivolous dress, dress, but on s"ecial occasions they allo!ed

much less encourage that "olitical and military men and other

+ester to se! such !ealthy citi?en might dress in laces ands"lendidly decorated finery.

fashionsD

2hat ty"e of garment he is not allo!ed to embroider !edding

!ill the magistrates veils. They fear that her sin !ill be visitednot allo! +ester to u"on the bride herself.

$#hysiogno%y: the correlation of character and a""earance. This is a literary convention "o"ular among;edieval !riters. 3or eam"le, &eoffrey Chaucer%s 2ife of 8ath has a !ide ga" bet!een her front teeth.

This "hysical feature suggests a licentiousness of character. +is ;on has a hairy !art on his nose9an

indication of irascibility.


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embroiderD 2hyD

+ester%s ability to The letter eventually endo!s +ester !ith a

see into the hearts of sense of identification !ith fello! sinners.

others Consider the follo!ing lines:

ut sometimes % % % she elt an eye*a

human eye*upon the i#nominious$rand" that seemed to #i!e a

momentary relie" as i hal o her

a#ony &ere shared % % % She

shuddered to $elie!e" yet could nothelp $elie!in#" that it the letter

#a!e her a sympathetic 'no&led#e o

the hidden sin in other hearts%

+ester also feels a sinner%s inshi" !ith

some of the most res"ected and reveredciti?ens of 8oston. +a!thorne seems to be

im"lying that no one is free from the lure of

sin6 anyone can fall victim to its beguiling'beauty.

+ester%s refusal to "ray +ester !ill not "ray for her enemies

for those !ho scorn because, as the narrator notes, she isher afraid that

% % % the &ords o $lessin# shouldstu$$ornly t&ist themsel!es into a

curse%

This is further evidence that her soul is

not yet "urified. +er refusal suggests that

she is harboring some anger9!rath beingyet another of the seven deadly sins she may

be guilty of here.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter


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(Chapter 6 #earl)

concern explanation

2hat is the significance of +ere +a!thorne is dra!ing on the biblicalPearl%s nameD reference to a "earl as a "recious thing that

comes at a great "rice:

Her Pearl4*or so had Hester

called her. not as a name e6pressi!e

o her aspect" &hich had nothin# othe calm" &hite" unimpassioned

luster that &ould $e indicated $y the

comparison% ut she named theinant 7Pearl"8 as $ein# o #reat

price"*purchased &ith all she had"*her mother9s only treasure4

2hy does +ester !onder The child is a !ild creature !ho shares her

about Pearl%s curious natureD mother%s '!ild, des"erate, defiant mood, theflightiness of . . . tem"er. The child is a

creature of her o!n "assions (anger, ecstasy,

etc.).

+ester sometimes sees in the little girl an

'other!orldly loo.

Pearl thro!s stones at the Puritan children

!ho s"urn her and her mother.

3rom the moment that Pearl becomes

cogni?ant of her surroundings, she seems

fascinated by the scarlet letter on hermother%s breast. he even thro!s !ild

flo!ers at it. Of course, the correlation of

!ild (natural) flo!ers and sin should not besur"rising.

Pearl denies that she has a +eavenly 3ather.To the devout Puritans of 8oston, this claim

!ould be "roof "ositive of her diabolical

nature. Consider the follo!ing conversation

bet!een mother and daughter:


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Hester: Art thou my child" in !ery

truth:

Pearl: ;es. / am little Pearl%

Hester: Thou art not my child4

Thou art no Pearl o

mine % % % Tell me" then" &hatthou art" and &ho sent thee

hither%

Pearl: Tell me" mother4 % % % Do thoutell me4

Hester: Thy Hea!enly ather sent

thee%

Pearl: He did not send me4 % % % /ha!e no Hea!enly ather4

Pearl%s asing her mother to tell her !ho

sent her to earth offers a double#entendre:not only is +a!thorne s"eaing of a

+eavenly creator, but he is also referring toan earthy, biological one. 2ho is Pearl%s

fatherD The child undoubtedly !ants to

no!. 2e also have to loo at the !ord

ather!ith an a""reciation for the ironic.

The minister (+eavenly 3ather on earthD) is

also the father of this illegitimate child.

t might also be !orth noting here that

Pearl%s eyes also are 'dee"ly blac.

+ey #assage ("aragra"hs 11#1/)


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Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter 7 The Governor8s /all)

concern explanation

+a!thorne%s use of light &overnor 8ellingham%s house is a stucco

and shado! structure !ith bits of 'broen glass . . ."lentifully intermied. The s"arling

fragments delight Pearl. +a!thorne !rites,

)hen sunshine ell asland-&ise o!er

the ront o the ediice" it #littered

Once, this freaish, elfish cast came into the child%s eyes, !hile +ester !as

looing at her o!n image in them, as mothers are fond of doing6 and, sud#denly, 9for !omen in solitude, and !ith troubled hearts, are "estered !ith

unaccountable delusions, 9she fancied that she beheld, not her o!n minia#5

ture "ortrait, but another face, in the small blac 3f of Pearl%s eyes. t!as a face, fiend#lie, full of smiling malice, yet bearing the semblance offeatures that she had no!n full !ell, though seldom !ith a smile, andnever !ith malice in them. t !as as if an evil s"irit "ossessed the child, andhad 0ust then "ee"ed forth in mocery. ;any a time after!ards had +ester

10 been tortured, though less vividly, by the same illusion.n the afternoon of a certain summer%s day, after Pearl gre! big enough

to run about, she amused herself !ith gathering handfuls of !ild#flo!ers,and flinging them, one by one, at her mother%s bosom6 dancing u" and do!n,

lie a little elf, !henever she hit the scarlet letter. +ester%s first motion had15 been to cover her bosom !ith her clas"ed hands. 8ut, !hether from "ride

or resignation, or a feeling that her "enance might best be !rought outby this unutterable "ain, she resisted the im"ulse, and sat erect, "ale as death,

looing sadly into little Pearl%s !ild eyes. till came the battery of flo!ers,

almost invariably hitting the mar, and covering the mother%s breast !ith20 hurts for !hich she could find no balm in this !orld, nor ne! ho! to

see it in another. At last, her shot being all e"ended, the child stood still

and ga?ed at +ester, !ith that little, laughing image of a fiend "ee"ing out9or, !hether it "ee"ed or no, her mother so imagined it9from the un#searchable abyss of her blac eyes.

25 'Child, !hat art thouD cried the mother.

'Oh, am your little PearlE ans!ered the child.8ut, !hile she said it, Pearl laughed, and began to dance u" and do!n,

!ith the humorsome gesticulation of a little im" !hose net frea might beto fly u" the chimney.


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and spar'led as i diamonds had

$een lun# a#ainst it $y the handul%

The $rilliancy mi#ht ha!e $eittedAladdin9s palace" rather than the

mansion o a #ra!e old Puritan

ruler%

Pearl ass that her mother stri" the sunshine

off the house and give it to her to "lay !ith.+ester%s res"onse that the child must 'gather

thine o!n sunshine. have none to give

thee is interesting. On one level, the reader

can infer that +ester cannot bring ha""inessto her child. 8ut on another, the sunshine9

a com"letely natural "henomenon9should

'naturally a""eal to this im"ish child !ho

has been born of sin. The child herself isalso a force of nature. +ester%s claim that

she has no sunshine to give is meaningful,inasmuch as she has learned to deny her

natural im"ulses as a means of re"enting for

her sin.

2hy have +ester +ester is a!are that certain factions about

and Pearl gone to to!n have s"oen of taing Pearl from her.&overnor 8ellingham%s he has come to 8ellingham to as for

houseD assistance.

the breast"late The "assage concerning sunlight reflectedoff broen glass "refigures another ey

"assage a mere half#"age later. The

breast"late on the suit of armor in the hall

entrance becomes a "oint of interest. Thecurious and ecitable Pearl calls her

mother%s attention to the shiny breast"late,

saying, ';other, . . . see you here. 7ooE7ooE The one feature that +ester notices

!hen she loos at the breast"late is 'the

scarlet letter . . . re"resented in eaggeratedand gigantic "ro"ortions. +a!thorne goes

on to !rite, 'she seemed absolutely hidden

behind it. This "assage is clearly

significant in that the letter and the function


22/54


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Pearl and the rose bush Although Pearl no!s the "ro"er res"onse

by the "rison door !hen ;r. 2ilson ass, 'Canst thou tell me,

my child, !ho made theeD, she shocinglysays that no one made her9that her mother

has "luced her from the rose bush beside

the "rison door. Again, the child is sho!ingan intelligence beyond her years6 she

e4uates her birth !ith the roses that gro! at

the "rison door. 8oth she and those rosessuggest natural de"ravity.

+o! is +ester%s urgent +ester%s association !ith the minister isre4uest I demand that the cause of all her troubles. 5o! she is

immesdale s"ea on her looing to him as a means of averting

behalf situationally ironicD further disaster. Also, the urgency of

+ester%s re4uest is the closest she comes tofaulting immesdale for "utting her in this

situation. he is !illing to bear "ublichumiliation and ee" his secret, but she

needs his hel" no!.

;istress +ibbins%s This !oman%s offer to tae +ester into the

invitation !oods and bring her into the devil%s

com"any further em"hasi?es the loomingdanger of falling under the 's"ell of evil.

+ester%s claim that she !ould !illingly have

gone, had the magistrates taen Pearl fromher, is significant here6 she has claimed that

Pearl is a source of both "unishment and

0oy:


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her, +ester9by her o!n admission9!ould

gladly 0oin ;istress +ibbins. The child, in

this instance, has saved the soul of themother.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter : The ;eech)

concern explanation

2hat is a leechD This is a seventeenth#century slang term for

doctor. This maes "erfect sense because,

0ust as 'bleeding !as a common medical"ractice at the time, so too !as the use of

leeches for the "ur"ose of removing clotted

blood (e. g. bruises).

Of course, another meaning for the term is

slightly more denigrating6 to refer to

someone as a leechis to im"ly that that"erson is liely to drain the resources of

another. The connotation clearly is

negative6 one !ho is a leech is little morethan a blood#sucing "arasite.

Chilling!orth%s medical "ractice in 8oston,

as !ell as the fact that his close association!ith immesdale seems to be draining the

latter%s "hysical strength, maes the term a

fitting one for the ugly old man.

immesdale%s immesdale has develo"ed a habit ofhabitual gesture "lacing his hand over his heart. +a!thorne

has sho!n him doing this from time to time,but this gesture has become a constant habit

by Cha"ter J. Consider the follo!ing fe!lines:

His orm #re& emaciated. his !oice"thou#h still rich and s&eet" had a

certain melancholy prophecy o


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decay in it. he &as oten o$ser!ed"

on any sli#ht alarm or other sudden

accident" to put his hand o!er hisheart" &ith irst a lush and then a

paleness" indicati!e o pain%

2e certainly must reali?e that +ester !ears

her letter u"on her breast. t !ould mae

sense that immesdale !ould fancy his'badge of shame to lie u"on his chest as

!ell. This character is, of course, heartsic

9both for the commission of his sin and the

hy"ocrisy of his silence. o it could $ethatthis gesture comes as a result of his

emotional distress and his subse4uent

connection to +ester (and her guilt). till,

this heartsicness seems to be causing a"hysical malady in the young reverend9a

sicness "erha"s eacerbated by thediabolical old Chilling!orth.

"ublic o"inion of At first, the citi?ens of 8oston are glad that

Chilling!orth a medical man had come to the village6 they

obviously have a need for his services, but

they are "articularly glad that he has comebecause they ho"e that he can hel" their

beloved minister, !hose health has

obviously begun to fail.

Public o"inion of Chilling!orth has begun

to turn negative. The narrator suggests thatthe "eo"le of 8oston do not become

sus"icious of the old man because of any

"articular tangible cause6 he says that thechange in their o"inion of the old man

comes not so much as a result of logic, but

rather as a result of 'the intuitions of its

great and !arm heart.

2hat causes the "eo"le An elderly citi?en of 8oston remembersof 8oston to sus"ect that seeing him in 7ondon years before. +e

Chilling!orth may be an had been in the com"any of a octor

emissary of atan. 3orman, a 'con0urer !ho had been


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im"licated in the murder of ir Thomas

Overby.* This connection obviously im"lies

that Chilling!orth may also have amurderous strea. Also, it is clear that they

sus"ect the old man of !itchcraft.

Chilling!orth%s association !ith the natives

is further 'evidence that the old man may

have nurtured 'blac arts:

T&o or three indi!iduals hinted that

the man o s'ill" durin# his /ndian

capti!ity" had enlar#ed his medicalattainments $y oinin# in the

incantations o the sa!a#e priests.

&ho &ere uni!ersally ac'no&led#ed

to $e po&erul enchanters" otenperormin# seemin#ly miraculous

cures $y their s'ill in the $lac' art%

The dKcor of A !all hanging (ta"estry) that de"icts theimmesdale%s biblical story of avid and 8athsheba and

A"artment 5athan the Pro"het.- The correlations to

immesdale%s o!n sin are obvious.

t may also be significant that the house in

!hich immesdale and Chilling!orth live

sits beside a graveyard. The danger ofs"iritual death looms in every cha"ter of this

*Sir Tho%as .verby 1/L1M11*, nglish author and courtier. +e !as a friend and adviser to >obert Carr, an Ofordac4uaintance. The t!o 4uarreled violently !hen Overbury disa""roved of Carr%s marriage to 3rances +o!ard, divorced !ife of the

earl of sse. Overbury%s hostility !as so mared that the +o!ard family brought "ressure to bear, and @ames had Overbury

im"risoned in the To!er, !here he !as slo!ly "oisoned. Carr and 3rances +o!ard !ere convicted of his murder, but their l ives !ere

s"ared by the ing. Overbury !as a notable !riter of brief informal essays describing a ty"e or an individual. +is best#no!n setch

in verse,A )ie(11-), outlines his conce"tion of the ideal !ife.Overbury !as nighted in 1NL, and Carr became ochester in 111. n 111 >ochester became enamoured of

3rances +o!ard, !ife of the arl of sse. 7ady sse soon secured a divorce from her husband !ith the intention of marrying

>ochester. Overbury feared that >ochesters "ros"ective marriage !ould reduce his o!n influence over >ochester, ho!ever, and he

tried strongly to dissuade the latter from marrying her. Overbury also circulated manuscri"t co"ies of A )ieat court, !here the "oem

!as inter"reted as an indirect attac on 7ady sse. This incurred the dis"leasure of the ing and enabled 7ady sse "o!erfulrelatives to have Overbury im"risoned in the To!er. >ochester acceded to Overburys im"risonment only until he could marry 7ady

sse, but she herself !as evidently determined to have Overbury murdered there. he secretly arranged to have him slo!ly "oisonedto death-David and


27/54

boo, and it becomes Chilling!orth%s

ultimate goal to destroy the reverend. n the

net cha"ter, !e !ill hear of the old man%s"icing !eeds and herbs from ato" the

graves in this graveyard. The im"lication is

that, because he uses these herbs in hismedical treatment of the minister, the old

man actually sees to destroy, rather than

heal.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter '= The ;eech and /is #atient)

concern explanation

>oger Chilling!orth%s This cha"ter begins !ith a curious claim:

history (moral history)Old >o#er Chillin#&orth"

throu#hout lie" had $een calm in

temperament" 'indly" thou#h not o&arm aections" $ut e!er" and in all

his relations &ith the &orld" a pure

and upri#ht man%

&iven the devious, mani"ulative, and

monomaniacal demeanor of this old man (by

this "oint in the novel), this claim is rathersur"rising. One must !onder if +ester and

immesdale%s sin has tainted him as !ell.

This, of course, may be a defendable thesis,but the net fe! lines give me doubts that

the change in him is entirely attributable to

this association:

He had $e#un an in!esti#ation" as heima#ined" &ith the se!ere and e=ual

inte#rity o a ud#e" desirousonly o truth" e!en as i the =uestion

in!ol!ed no more than the air-dra&n

lines and i#ures o a #eometricalpro$lem" instead o human passions"

and &ron#s inlicted on himsel%


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ut" as he proceeded" a terri$le

ascination" a 'ind o ierce" thou#h

still calm" necessity sei(ed the oldman &ithin its #ripe" and ne!er set

him ree a#ain until he had done all

its $iddin#% He no& du# into thepoor cler#yman9s heart" li'e a miner

searchin# or #old. or rather" li'e a

se6ton del!in# into a #ra!e" possi$lyin =uest o a e&el that had $een

$uried on the dead man9s $osom" $ut

li'ely to ind nothin# sa!e mortality

and corruption% Alas or his o&nsoul" i these &ere &hat he sou#ht4

%d lie to refer you to another of

+a!thorne%s tales9'than 8rand. This isa strange, obviously allegorical story about a

man !ho searches for the one trulyun"ardonable sin. +e !astes his life in the

"ursuit. As it turns out, the one sin is

looing too ardently into the heart of man(and into the nature of his sin). The search

itself !astes the soul.

+a!thorne even goes on to mention thatChilling!orth%s eyes burn 'lie one of those

gleams of ghastly fire that darted from

8unyan%s a!ful door!ay. than 8rand%sbody burns in a fire "it and turns into lime.

The meta"hor is heddy.

o you see a connection hereD

Chilling!orth as a miner This cha"ter is note!orthy because of thehighly significant conversation concerning

the attributes of unburdening one%s soul. 2e

get to see into immesdale%s heart. 2elearn that he does indeed have great concern

for the !elfare of his fello! man and

understands that confession has the "o!er ofbringing great relief. +e has seen this in his

"arishioners. Chilling!orth is digging and

digging, even saying to the minister, '2ould

you, therefore, that your "hysician heal the


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bodily evilD +o! may this be, unless you

first lay o"en to him the !ound or trouble in

your soulD immesdale%s angry res"onse,it seems, to some etent betrays his guilt.

am reminded of a ey line fromHamlet:

'The lady doth "rotest too much, methins.

!eeds from the graveyard immesdale sees Chilling!orth renderingsome common !eeds into medicinal "otions

and ass the old man !here he got them.

Chilling!orth%s res"onse is that these herbs

!ere unfamiliar to him, but he found themthe graveyard beside their residence. +e

says that they surely have gro!n out of the

hearts of dead men:

/ ound them #ro&in# on a #ra!e"

&hich $ore no tom$stone" nor othermemorial o the dead man" sa!e

these u#ly &eeds" that ha!e ta'en

upon themsel!es to 'eep him in

remem$rance% They #re& out o hisheart" and typiy" it may $e" some

hideous secret that &as $uried &ith

him" and &hich he had done $etter toconess durin# his lietime%

theme of secret sin This "assage develo"s this ey scene in suchan obvious !ay that it hardly needs

clarification. One interesting connection,

ho!ever, is the subse4uent comment thatChilling!orth maes regarding +ester:

'There #oes a &oman"8 resumed

>o#er Chillin#&orth" ater a pause"7&ho" $e her demerits &hat they

may" hath none o that mystery o

hidin# sinulness &hich you deem so#rie!ous to $e $orne% /s Hester

Prynne the less misera$le" thin' you"

or that scarlet letter on her $reast:8

The secrecy, sus"ect, is the real "oison that

is destroying the minister.


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31/54

a""ro"riate that it is burdoc that

Pearl thro!s at +ester6 it clings to

the fabric containing the scarletletter. The child also thro!s it at the

minister, !ho loos on the scene

from a !indo! above.

Chilling!orth%s recognition 2hat is on the minister%s chestD

Chilling!orth o"ens the slee"ingminister%s shirt and, '!ith . . . a

ghastly ra"ture, delights in

O;T+5& that he sees there.

+as immesdale branded himselfD+as +ester%s letter someho!

naturally a""eared on the young

man%s bosomD +as Chilling!orth%s

demonic "o!ers of "erce"tionenabled him to see that !hich

another human being !ould not beable to distinguishD At any rate,

!hatever Chilling!orth fancies that

he has seen there is someho!connected to the soul%s damnation:

ut &ith &hat a &hild loo' o

&onder" oy" and horror4)ith &hat a #hastly rapture"

as it &ere" too mi#hty to $e

e6pressed only $y the eye andeatures" and thereore

$urstin# orth throu#h the

&hole u#liness o his i#ure"and ma'in# itsel e!en

riotously maniest $y the

e6tra!a#ant #estures &ith

&hich he thre& up his armsto&ards the ceilin#" and

stamped his oot upon the

loor4 Had a man seen old>o#er Chillin#&orth" at the

moment o his ecstasy" he

&ould ha!e had no need toas' ho& Satan comports

himsel &hen a precious

human soul is lost to hea!en"

and &on into his 'in#dom%


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33/54

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter

Old >oger Chilling!orth, throughout life, had been calm in tem"erament,

indly, though not of !arm affections, but ever, and in all his relations !iththe !orld, a "ure and u"right man. +e had begun an investigation, as heimagined, !ith the severe and e4ual integrity of a 0udge, desirous only of

5 truth, even as if the 4uestion involved no more than the air#dra!n lines and

figures of a geometrical "roblem, instead of human "assions, and !rongs

inflicted on himself. 8ut, as he "roceeded, a terrible fascination, a ind offierce, though still calm, necessity sei?ed the old man !ithin its gri"e, andnever set him free again until he had done all its bidding. +e no! dug into

10 the "oor clergyman%s heart, lie a miner searching for gold6 or rather, liea seton delving into a grave, "ossibly in 4uest of a 0e!el that had been

buried on the dead man%s bosom, but liely to find nothing save mortalityand corru"tion. Alas for his o!n soul, if these !ere !hat he soughtE

ometimes a light glimmered out of the "hysician%s eyes, burning blue15 and ominous lie the reflection of a furnace, or, let us say, lie one of those

gleams of ghastly fire that darted from 8unyan%s a!ful door!ay in the hill#side, and 4uivered on the "ilgrim%s face. The soil !here this dar miner !as

!oring had "erchance sho!n indications that encouraged him.'This man, said he, at one such moment, to himself, '"ure as they deem

20 him,9all s"iritual as he seems,9hath inherited a strong animal nature fromhis father or his mother. 7et us dig a little further in the direction of this veinE

Then, after long search into the minister%s dim interior, and turning overmany "recious materials, in the sha"e of high as"irations for the !elfare of

his race, !arm love of souls, "ure sentiments, natural "iety, strengthened by25 thought and study, and illuminated by revelation,9all of !hich invaluable

gold !as "erha"s no better than rubbish to the seeer,9he !ould turn bacdiscouraged, and begin his 4uest to!ards another "oint. +e gro"ed along as

stealthily, !ith as cautious a tread, and as !ary an outloo, as a thief enteringa chamber !here a man lies only half#aslee",9or, it may be, broad a!ae,9

30 !ith "ur"ose to steal the very treasure !hich this man guards as the a""leof his eye. n s"ite of his "remeditated carefulness, the floor !ould no! and

then crea6 his garments !ould rustle6 the shado! of his "resence, in aforbidden "roimity, !ould be thro!n across his victim. n other !ords,

;r. immesdale, !hose sensibility of nerve often "roduced the effect of35 s"iritual intuition, !ould become vaguely a!are that something inimical to

his "eace had thrust itself into relation !ith him. 8ut old >oger Chilling#!orth, too, had "erce"tions that !ere almost intuitive6 and !hen the ministerthre! his startled eyes to!ard him, there the "hysician sat6 his ind, !atchful,sym"athi?ing, but never intrusive friend.


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(Chapter '' The "nterior of a /eart)

concern explanation

immesdale in the "ul"it 2hile immesdale%s body (and, arguably,

his s"irit) becomes !eaer and !eaer, his

?eal and vigor in the "ul"it become

decidedly stronger. This transformation isundoubtedly attributable to his suffering6

because he suffers in silence (hence the

cha"ter%s title9'The "nteriorof a +eart)the "angs of guilty sin, he becomes more

ca"able of identifying !ith other sinners

!ho also suffer in this !ay.

immesdale%s self#inflicted The minister guilt drives him to eactPunishment u"on himself "hysical "unishment:

self$flagellating>(/n ?r%

Dimmesdale9s secret closet" underloc' and 'ey" there &as a $loody

scour#e%) +e even mocs himself as

he lays on !ith the !hi" (lau#hin#$itterly at himsel the &hile" and

smitin# so much the more pitilessly

$ecause o that $itter lau#h).

fasting>This has long been

considered, even by non#Christians,

to be a method of "urifying the soul.

3or immesdale, ho!ever, it

becomes something more than that6it becomes 0ust another !ay to

"unish himself for moral

transgression. n fact, he fasts solong that his body actually trembles

from !eaness.

!eeping solitary watches at night>

These "hysical abuses that

immesdale visits u"on himselfcertainly contribute to his declining

health. +e often sits for hours in

com"lete darness6 still, at other

times he sits before a looing glass


35/54

and stares at his o!n face. This

ecessive self#eamination (manic

intros"ection) eacerbates the hisguilty "assion/. This is eactly !hat

is destroying the minister: his

secrecy is destroying him because it"revents him from ever ceasing to

"unish himself !ith constant self#

accusations and re"roaches.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter ', The -inister8s ?igil)

concern explanation

SC@AA.;D SCENE B, This scene is considered by most critics to

be the 'center of this narrative. +a!thornehas "ositioned three scaffold scenes,

e4uidistantly arranged, as the organi?ational

"rinci"le su""orting the !hole romance.The first, of course, is +ester%s entrance

(cha"ter $: The ;aret#Place). This second

scaffold scene is no less im"ortant as a

narrative strategy6 here !e see a much#tortured immesdale ascend the scaffold

0ust as his "artner in sin has done seven

years "rior to this night.

chiaroscuro +a!thorne refers to the deliberate and"ur"oseful use of light and shado! as

establishing an 'atmos"heric medium.

Certainly the cover of darness does indeedestablish atmos"here in this scene. t is

immesdale%s failure to o!n his sin "ubliclythat is causing his "hysical and s"iritual

demise. +o! a""ro"riate that +a!thornehas the guilt#ridden minister climb the

scaffold !hen it is the 'dar gray of the

midnight. Consider the follo!ing bit oftet:

/passion9n this case, am using the !ord literally6 it means 'intense suffering.


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/t &as an o$scure ni#ht o early ?ay%

An un!aried pall o cloud muledthe &hole e6panse o s'y rom (enith

to hori(on%

midnight Traditionally this hour of the night has been

associated !ith acts of evil and madness.

Another reference toHamletis a""ro"riatehere as !ell6 once +amlet has satisfied

himself that it is indeed his uncle Claudius

!ho has illed his father (the elder +amlet),

he determines that he !ill eact revenge onthe brute. +e "roclaims,

@Tis no& the !ery &itchin# time o

ni#ht" )hen churchyards ya&n" andhell itsel $reathes out Conta#ion

to this &orld% +o& could / drin' hot$lood" And do such $itter $usiness

as the day )ould =ua'e to loo' on%

connection to !itchcraft The fact that immesdale has climbed the

scaffold at this hour invites us to associate

his transgression !ith a demonic evil ain to

!itchcraft. This is not to say that

/awthorne is suggesting that Di%%esdale

has practiced witchcraft, but his

fornication, com"ounded !ith his enduringsecrecy about it, is a sin that is as serious as

any other.

The fact the ;istress +ibbins is one of t!o

"eo"le a!aened by immesdale%s shrie

further su""orts this connection.

immesdale, Pearl, and +ester and Pearl are returning from

+ester u"on the scaffold &overnor 2inthro"%s deathbed, and

Together the minister calls to them. The family

finally is standing together, the child holding

hands !ith each "arent. 8ut they standtogether only !hen no one can see them.

Pearl ass her father if he !ill stand in the

same s"ot !ith them t!enty#four hours

hence (the brightest hour of the day). +e


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tells her that he !ill not, but he "romises to

stand !ith them on @udgment ay. Of

course, this does not satisfy the child. hetaes her hand from his.

2hile Pearl is an agent of +ester%s"unishment (a hel"mate for her soul), she is

attem"ting here to be a hel"mate for her

father%s soul as !ell. t is confession that!ill bring relief.

the meteor The light from a "assing meteor illuminatesthe sy, revealing the family of three to one

malicious onlooer9Chilling!orth. +ere

again is another brilliant use of chiaroscuro.

immesdale "erceives the light from it asforming a letterAin the sy. The narrator

!ithdra!s, ho!ever, from confirming thisinter"retation, suggesting instead that the

minister%s distraught state of mind has

caused him to fancy this "articular sha"e:

% % % it could only $e the symptom o a

hi#hly disordered mental state" &hen

a man" rendered mor$idly sel-contemplati!e $y lon#" intense" and

secret pain" had e6tended his

e#otism o!er the &hole e6panse onature" until the irmament itsel

should appear no more than a ittin#

pa#e or his soul9s history and ate4

The narrator also notes that it !as a common

"ractice among the Puritans to inter"ret

natural "henomena as an indication of &od%s!ill (an oncoming "estilence or an

im"ending conflict !ith the 5atives). t is,

therefore, understandable that immesdale!ould read into this occurrence a dee"er

meaning.

Chilling!orth in the shado!s t is Pearl !ho first notices the figure in

hiding. This is a significant detail6 here

again she is acting as "rotector for her

"arents. This is the second time she has


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taen "articular notice of him, the other

being her designation of him as 'yonder

8lac ;an in cha"ter 1N.

immesdale says that he has an inordinate

hatred (fearD) for Chilling!orth. +e tells+ester, ' shiver at himE 8ut +ester has

"ledged to ee" the old man%s true identity a

secret and, therefore, cannot !arnimmesdale. Notice how the the%e of

secrecy is once again at wor! in this

narrative&

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter '2 @nother ?iew of /ester)

concern explanation

+ester%s decision to brea her silence 2e get the sense that this cha"ter is "relude

to the technical clima of the narrative.That is, if +ester reveals to immesdale the

true identity of the old "hysician, then the

minister can "rotect himself from the

insidious old man9'for!arned isforarmed.

+ester%s a""earance n denying her feminine beauty, +ester is

guarding her soul. he has forsaen vanity

and become com"letely self#effacing. hetends the sic and gives alms to the "oor. n

fact, the citi?ens of 8oston have come to see

the scarlet letter as an indication that +esteris 'Able. t !ould a""ear that the letter is

"erforming its office.

technical cli%ax: Aristotle might call this the 'reversal of fortune. This is the "oint at !hich "o!erchanges hands. &ood luc may turn to bad or bad to good. t differs from the dra%atic cli%axin that the

latter is sim"ly the "oint of greatest ecitement in the narrative or drama. The technical clima is ordinarily

much more critical to the "ur"oseful movement of the "lot.


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Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter '4 /ester and the #hysician)

concern explanation

Chilling!orth%s changed nature +ester and Chilling!orth discuss the old

"hysician%s former demeanor, no! forever

transformed by his !ife%s transgression andhis "rideful reaction to it (hubrisD). +e says,

7And &hat am / no&:8 demanded

he" loo'in# into her ace" andpermittin# the &hole e!il &ithin him

to $e &ritten on his eatures% 7/ha!e already told thee &hat / am4 Aiend48

+ester%s "lea on behalf +ester confronts Chilling!orth and ass him

of immesdale to cease tormenting the ailing immesdale.Chilling!orth !ill not relent, leaving +ester

!ith a cry"tic "rediction:

7Peace" Hester" peace48 replied theold man" &ith #loomy sternness% 7/t

is not #ranted me to pardon% / ha!e

no such po&er as thou tallest me o%?y old aith" lon# or#otten" comes

$ac' to me" and e6plains all that &e

do" and all &e suer% y thy irststep a&ry thou didst plant the #erm

o e!il. $ut since that moment" it has

all $een a dar' necessity% ;et that

ha!e &ron#ed me are not sinul" sa!e

in a 'ind o typical illusion. neitheram / iend-li'e" &ho ha!e snatched a

iend9s oice rom his hands% /t isour ate% Let the $lac' lo&er

$lossom as it may4 +o& #o thy

&ays" and deal as thou &ilt &ithyonder man%8


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Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter

(Chapter '5 /ester and #earl)

Pearl%s letter made Perha"s the most striing image in this cha"ter isof eel#grass the letter that Pearl fashions out of sea!eed. Of

course !e no! that children often act and s"ea in

the image of their "arents, but this "articular bit ofimitation is charged !ith meaning in this narrative6

this re"lica of the letter is greenQ. To !hat etent is

Pearl merely a younger version of her motherD s

+a!thorne im"lying that a child born of sin (a clearlin to fertility in this case) is 'destined to re"eat

the sin !hich led to her creationD n cha"tersiteen, Pearl says that the sun !ill shine u"on herbecause she is but a child and '!ears nothing on

GmyH bosom yetE

Pearl%s in4uisitiveness The child constantly bombards the mother !ith4uestions as to the meaning of the letter she !ears

u"on her bosom. n addition to this 4uestion, she

also ass !hy the minister holds his hand over hisheart. The fact that she chooses these t!o "articular

4uestions to as together is strange and unsettling.

+as she someho! intuited a connection bet!een the

symbol and the gestureD f so, she is indeed beyondher years. 8ut is that allD Once again, the

connection of no!ledge and sin is a strong one

(see earlier guide9Original in). +as thesinfulness of Pearl%s conce"tion imbued her !ith

abnormally acute insight !hen it comes to human

sin and sufferingD

+ester lies ven though +ester briefly entertains the notion oftelling her daughter the truth about the letter, sherelents and tells the child that she !ears the letter

because of the beautiful thread itself. 2hile this is

literally a lie, it may not be entirely an untruth9if!e loo for meta"horical 'codes. The beautiful

Qgreen: traditionally indicative of youth and fertility


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stitching does indeed suggest the lure of sin (see

"revious guide9overvie!), so +ester%s claim that

she !ears it for the beautiful thread is notnecessarily a lie. t is the 'beautiful I irresistible

lure of sin that is the reason that she must !ear the

emblem. 2hat do you thin about that connectionD

+ester%s hatred for +ester%s sentiments about the old man are almostChilling!orth shocing. 2e have come to see this !oman as an

admirable, almost saintly figure !ho "erforms good

!ors and !ho has become the very embodiment of

humility. 3or her to claim to hate Chilling!orthseems almost out of character. 8ut is it reallyD A

good Puritan surely must hate the devil. oes this

"assage reveal +ester as a good Puritan !oman for

this hatredD

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter '6 @ Aorest al!)

@ohn liot This man actually eisted. +e !ored to convert thenatives to Christianity. This is interesting9+a!thorne

is using this figure as a narrative device and is

accom"lishing at least t!o "ur"oses in mentioning him.

3irst of all, this man must have ventured into the forest

to counsel these natives6 therefore, "ro"osing that

immesdale has gone to meet !ith him "uts

immesdale (secret sinner) into the forest (domain of

the 8lac ;an I devil) and thereby "ro0ects the sinner

into a sinful setting. A more utilitarian "ur"ose in

having immesdale visit liot, ho!ever, is to give

+ester an o""ortunity to cross his "ath. t is fitting that

these t!o sinners !ould meet in the forest any!ay.

Also, you should recall the Puritan vie! of the natives%

lifestyle. 8ecause they lived so close to the earth and

follo!ed their natural urges and instincts, they invitedsin into their lives. They definitely sa! the 'savages as

sinful creatures to be at least avoided9if not con4uered

altogether.


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sunshine Traditionally, critics have inter"reted this symbol rather

sim"listically. Ordinarily !e thin of sunshine as good

and !holesome6 !e connect it !ith truth and honesty

and goodness. o it !ould seem that the sun%s refusal toshine on +ester is an indication that her sinfulness has

someho! made her un!orthy and Pearl%s childishinnocence causes the sun to shine brightly on her. This

maes sense until !e thin a little more dee"ly into the

controlling themes in this boo, "articularly nature as

evil. unlight, of course, is a natural "henomenon6

therefore, it cannot have such a !holesome symbolic

meaning. 7et%s tae a loo at !hat Pearl says.

?other" % % % the sunshine does not lo!e you%

/t runs a&ay and hides itsel" $ecause it is

araid o somethin# on your $osom% +o&see4 There it is" playin#" a #ood &ay o%

Stand you here" and let me run and catch it%

/ am $ut a child% /t &ill not lee rom me" or/ &ear nothin# on my $osom yet4

f the sunlight is entirely natural, it only maessense that it !ould flee from someone !ho so

firmly denies her natural urges. Pearl claims that

the sunshine is afraid of something that +estercarries on her breast9the letter, of course. 2ell,

the letter is an agent of retribution, a "unishment, a

re"resentation of man%s desire to con4uer the evil

that his natural urges lead him to. Pearl, a childborn of sin, is ain to the sun. he certainly acts in

an unruly fashion. n cha"ter ten, Chilling!orth

notes that Pearl abides by no rule of la!. As anallegorical re"resentation of atan, he certainly

should no!E

Pearl%s 4uestions about Again, Pearl is needling her mother, this time about

the 8lac ;an her associations !ith the 8lac ;anL. 2hen +ester

ass her ho! she no!s about the 8lac ;an, she

gives an interesting res"onse: she has heard it from'the old dame in the chimney#corner in a house

!here +ester had tended the sic one evening "rior

to this scene. This !oman has also mentioned

L


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+ester%s name in connection !ith the 8lac ;an6

Pearl says,

And" mother" that old dame said that his

scarlet letter &as the lac' ?an9s mar' on

thee" and that it #lo&s li'e a red lame &henthou meetest him at midni#ht" here in the

dar' &ood%

The fact that the child has heard all this from an

adult "erha"s hel"s to e"lain her "resent in4uiries

regarding the letter, but this may not entirely

e"lain a!ay the reason for her 4uestions. 2henshe sees the minister, !hom she has at first taen to

be the 8lac ;an himself, she notices his hand

u"on his heart and ass,

And" mother" he has his hand o!er his heart4

/s it $ecause" &hen the minister &rote hisname in the $oo'" the lac' ?an set his

mar' in that place: ut &hy does he not

&ear it outside his $osom" as thou dost"

mother:

3irst of all, she connects the gesture to some

commission of evil (minister%s signing the boo)6secondly, she connects her mother%s letter (% % % the

lac' ?an9s mar' on thee % % % %) and the minister%s

habitual gesture, someho! no!ing that both areassociated !ith the 8lac ;an and evil.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter '7 The #astor and /is #arishioner)

the forest setting t maes sense that +a!thorne !ould have

immesdale and +ester should meet in the forest,given the nature of this symbol ("ardon the "un).

The lovers% "ast abandon for rules of decorum andtheir submission to their natural drives and urges

mae the scene of this meeting a""ro"riate. 2e

must !onder if the forest has indeed been the sceneof their sinful act more than seven years before. Do


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not thin!0 however0 that /awthorne ever

confir%s>or even proposes>this clai%&

+ester%s connection immesdale%s momentary inability to distinguish

to the forest +ester from her surroundings is significant. +ehears her s"ea to him, yet he cannot distinguish her

figure in the shade cast by the forest trees. At first,

her dar clothing and the shado!s cons"ire to hideher from vie!. +ere !e see the motif of shado! re#

emerge6 ordinarily +a!thorne mentions shado! or

the cover of darness as an indication of secrecy

and its inherent danger to the immortal soul. t is!oring on that level here as !ell9+ester is

meeting immesdale in secret, as she obviously has

in the "ast. 8ut +a!thorne seems to have

additional reason to cast her in shado! here6 she isvirtually indistinguishable from the vegetation.

Therefore, !e can conclude that she is othe forestas !ell as in the forest (i. e. she is "rone to sinDD).

technical clima +ester tells immesdale that he has an enemy in

Chilling!orth.

the relative severity immesdale says Chilling!orth%s vengeance is a

of individual sins more serious transgression than his (and +ester%s).

+e says,

/ do or#i!e you" Hester % % % / reely or#i!e

you no&% ?ay


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"ro"osing an e"lanation for her decision in this

regard, he suggests that she !ishes not to leave her

"artner in sin and that the scene of her retributionmust be the scene of her transgression. 2hile she

convinces herself that the latter is the real reason

that she stays on in 8oston, !e sense that heraffection for immesdale is her "rimary reason.

8ut !e should "erha"s re#read that "assage at this

"oint because !hen +ester tells immesdale thatshe !ill flee 8oston !ith him, it is not 0ust her love

for him that "rom"ts her to say this. 7ooing bac

at cha"ter five, !e should remember that both

sinners are united in both their sin and in theirretribution. alvation, in a sense, is a 0oint effort.

3ollo!ing that train of logic, !e reali?e that if

immesdale leaves, then +ester must as !ell.

Their . . .

union &ould $rin# them to#ether$eore the $ar o inal ud#ment" and

ma'e that their marria#e-altar" or a

oint uturity o endless retri$ution%

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter '9 @ Alood of Sunshine)

significance of cha"ter%s Again, sunshine as a symbol comes into

title "lay. 2e have seen that in cha"ter siteen,

the sunlight that avoids +ester and fallseasily on Pearl is an indication that the

mother%s attem"ts to hold her natural urges

at bay have been at least "artially successful.

This is a ma0or "riority for 'good Puritans.

ven though +ester, in her dar clothing,initially blends into the darness of the

forest shado!s (evidence of her sinfulness),she has managed to su""ress her nature

(natural de"ravity) to some significant

degree over the "ast seven years.


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5otice that !hen +ester removes her letter

and lets it fall to the ground, she also

removes her ca" and lets her beautifultresses fall to her shoulders. At once, she is

again the beauty that she once must have

been "rior to her "ublic humiliation. @tthat point0 when /ester again beco%es a

creature defined by and driven by her

nature0 the sun see!s her out and falls

upon her as easily as it has fallen on the

lawless little #earl& These fe! highly

significant lines a""ear in the ey "assage

included at the end of this guide.

Pearl%s affinity !ith 2e have made much of Pearl as a 'natural

nature child. 2e have noted that she bears a"hysical similarity to her mother9dar hair

and eyes. he seems !ild and beautiful,unham"ered by convention, and com"letely

free as a result of her illegitimate

conce"tion. 5o! +a!thorne sho!s heramong the other creatures of the forest.

They are not frightened of her6 it seems as

though she belongs in this setting as much as

they.

Consider the follo!ing lines:

% % % the s&eet mother-orest" and

these &ild thin#s &hich it nourished

Gforest creaturesH, all reco#ni(ed a'indred &ildness in the human child%

+ey #assage (tenth and eleventh "aragra"hs)


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Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter ': The Child at


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transgression. Once +ester re"laces the letter, the

child even 'blesses it !ith a iss.

+ester%s return to t is interesting that +ester re"laces her ca" !hen

"enitence she once again dons the letter. t seems as though

+a!thorne is here claiming that "enitence re4uiresabsolute disci"line. Conversely, the road to sin, it

!ould seem, invites absolute abandon. The

removal the letter naturally leads to the removal ofthe ca":

y another impulse" she too' o the ormal

cap % % % %

t follo!s, then, that movement in the o""osite

moral direction should be com"arable.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter ,= The -inister in a -ae)

u"on immesdale%s As a result of his time in the forest,

return to the village immesdale seems to have changeddrastically9at least for a !hile. +is

interactions !ith si "eo"le or grou"s of

"eo"le reveal this change in constitution:

a deacon9immesdale fights the

urge to denigrate the

sacrament of 'The 7ord%su""er. This is !hat !e

no! thin of as communion.

t !as one of only t!o

sacraments that the Puritanshonored, the other being

8a"tism.

an old wo%an(eldest female in his

congregation)9+e !ants to

suggest to her that there is nolife after earthly death.


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a young %aiden9the minister

is tem"ted to !his"er somevile comment in her ear, a

comment that might

eventually com"romise hersoul. +e rushes "ast her,

leaving her to !onder ho!

she had invited his rudeness.

a group of children9he !ants to

teach them "rofanity.

a drun!en sailor9he thins to sto"

and have some ribald laugh

!ith this man and echange a

fe! "rofane oaths !ith him,but he does not.

-istress /ibbins9she is dressed in

grand fashion. +er 'ruff

starched in the !ay that her

friend Ann TurnerRhad taughther. This association is

further evidence of this

!oman%s great sinfulness.

he surmises thatimmesdale has been

cavorting !ith the devil in

the forest.

immesdale%s momentary @ust as +ester has a moment of freedom inabandon the forest, so does immesdale have a

moment of abandon !hen he returns to the

village. +e !ishes to s"ea atrocities tothose !hom he encounters. 8ut 0ust as

+ester once again dons her letter and hidesher hair beneath her ca", he resists these

urges.

immesdale%s redem"tion The minister%s dismissal of Chilling!orth

R@nn Turner: hanged for the murder of ir Thomas Overby


50/54

and his claim that he no longer needs the old

man%s medicines reveal a burgeoning

strength on his "art. +e "assionatelydestroys the lection ay sermon he has

already "re"ared and com"oses a ne! one,

!oring late into the night and not finishinguntil da!n. f immesdale no longer needs

the office that Chilling!orth has "erformed,

then he must be moving to!ard a reali?ationof his soul%s salvation.

Another all#night vigil Again, the minister has stayed a!aeall

night, but this time he is not tortured and

self#contem"lative6 he is "re"aring to deliver

'the voice of &od on earth (not a 4uotationfrom tet).

lection sermon The significance of the occasion is obvious.

s immesdale to be among the lectD

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter ,' The New England /oliday)

the festive atmos"here on Although !e often thin of the Puritans as

lection ay an etremely sober "eo"le devoid of all

ca"acity for fun and s"ort, but this scenegives us another glim"se of them. lection

ay brings a much lighter, carnival#lie

atmos"here.

a shocing t!ist +ester is aghast to learn that the shi" on

!hich she and immesdale have "lanned toesca"e 8oston !ill no! have an additional

"assenger9Chilling!orthE The devil, it

!ould seem, is relentless in his "ursuit ofthe sinners. Of course, merely fleeing the

scene of their transgression !ill not bring


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any real salvation to the cou"le. This

'chilling narrative revelation is sim"ly a

reminder that running a!ay never bringsreal "eace.

Study Guide

The Scarlet Letter(Chapter ,, The #rocession)

the "rimary "ur"ose of This cha"ter is necessary for buildingthis cha"ter sus"ense. The dramatic tension is great after

+ester learns that Chilling!orth "lans to

follo! her and immesdale to the Old2orld.

;istress +ibbins%s insight ;istress +ibbins seems to have the ability to

loo "ast immesdale%s faSade. >ememberthe "assage concerning +ester%s burgeoning

ability to recogni?e a fello! sinner. t seemsthat +a!thorne is saying that there is a

inshi" among sinners.


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Sti#mata has t!o meanings:

(1.) a mar resembling the !ounds

of @esus Christ. t is said toa""ear s"ontaneously on the

bodies of select "eo"le !hose

religious faith is absolute.

($.) a mar left by a hot branding

iron.

o . . . 2e still have no ans!er as to the

origin of this mysterious mar. +as &od "ut

it u"on the tortured minister, or hasimmesdale branded himselfD +e says,

He


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resolution. f the e"osition of this narrative

is not a traditional one, this denouement is

almost "erfect. After all, the meaning of theterm is 'the untying of the not. n a

traditional denouement, the reader has his

4uestions ans!ers, and the author brings thenarrative to a graceful, functional

conclusion.

Chilling!orth%s end 2ith immesdale gone, Chilling!orth has

no further "ur"ose in the !orld. +e dies,

but curiously, he leaves his estate to littlePearl. This is a most bi?arre com"lication.

2hat do you mae of itD

+ester%s return to 8oston +ester and Pearl disa""ear from 8oston for

a "eriod of some years. The formerultimately returns, ho!ever, and continues

to !ear the scarlet letter until her death.

2hen she dies, she is buried besideimmesdale. Although the t!o fello!

sinners share the same gravestone,

+a!thorne cannot bring himself to give

them a "erfectly "eaceful end:

;et one tom$stone ser!ed or $oth%

All around" there &ere monuments car!ed&ith armorial $earin#s. and on this simple

sla$ o slate*as the curious in!esti#ator

may still discern" and perple6 himsel &ithpurport*there appeared the sem$lance o

an en#ra!ed escutcheon% /t $ore a de!ice" a

herald9s &ordin# o &hich mi#ht ser!e or a

motto and $rie description o our no&concluded le#end. so som$er is it" and

relie!ed only $y one e!ery-#lo&in# point o

li#ht #loomier than the shado&B*

ON A FIL!" SA#L"

TH LTT$ A" %&LS'(

studyguide (The Scarlet Letter)

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