Scarlet Letter Questions

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Pre-Reading
1. What are some of the advantages of living in a society controlled by the church?
2. What are some of the disadvantages of living in a church-led society?
Chapters 1-5
1. What political, cultural, and religious conditions are already presented in the story? Give specific examples for support.
2. Hester is now protecting two men. In your opinion, does this make her a strong or a weak character? Who do you think she has a loyalty to protect? Give support for both answers.
Chapters 6-9
1. The narrator calls the Puritan children “heartless.” Describe the way they treat Pearl. Why do you think the children act like this?
The children start to throw dirt at her. Just like her mother, she is treated the same, because Pearl …show more content…
Dimmesdale’s guilt is destroying his health. Yet he says Chillingworth is more evil than either himself or Hester. Why does Dimmesdale believe this? Do you agree? Explain your opinion.
Chapters 20-24
1. The meaning of the scarlet letter changes throughout the story. Hester tells Chillingworth that the scarlet letter has been her teacher. What lessons does she learn from it? Explain.
The lesson she learned from the scarlet letter, is acceptance
2. The narrator urges the reader to learn from Dimmesdale’s experience. Do you think “Be true!” is the most important theme in The Scarlet Letter? If you agree with the narrator explain why. If you disagree, explain which theme you think is most important.
I agree with “Be True!” is the most important theme because throughout the book, the minster had changed drastically from the guilt in his heart. The guilt created more and more troubles from Chillingworth. If he would have confessed, he would have felt more relieved after getting it out of the way
Post-Reading
1. Identify the sin of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, and trace the consequences of that sin on the person’s life and …show more content…
Explain the symbolic significance of each of the following items: Light and dark; The scaffold; The rosebush and weeds; The letter “A”; The forest; The town
3. Some literary critics argue that Hester Prynne is one of American Literature’s first feminists. Agree or disagree with this assertion using specific examples from the text.
4. Explain Hawthorne's view on human nature regarding passion. Justify your response.
5. Hawthorne uses real historical figures in this text, including Governor Bellingham, John Wilson, and Ann Hibbins. Conduct some research on these figures. Provide a brief summary of each person and explain how they add authenticity to Hawthorne's work.
6. Conduct research on the figure of Anne Hutchinson. It has been said that Hester Prynne may be modeled after the historical figure of Anne Hutchinson. In what ways are these two women similar? Explain using details from the text.
7. Describe Hawthorne’s use of dramatic irony, and cite specific examples to support your response.
8. How does Hester’s attitude change from the first moment she emerges from the jail through the last scene of the novel? What major events assist in her
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