The Scarlet Letter Project

1. The Scarlet Letter Project Zachary Senchak Pd. A-B

2. Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne has grown up to certainly live an intelligent life from the beginning. He was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, with a family that had a long New England history. Nathaniel’s original last name was Hathorne as he added the “w” to discriminate himself from John Hathorne, a standing out judge back in the late 1600’s. When he was four years old, in 1808, his father, a sea-captain, died of yellow fever. After his father’s death, his mother, Elizabeth Clarke Manning, and his two sisters moved in with maternal relatives in Salem, where they lived for ten years. Years later Hawthorne’s uncle Robert Manning briefed that Nathaniel should attend college, despite Hawthorne’s protest about school. He was sent to Bowdoin College in 1821 with the financial support of his uncle. Early in his career, Hawthorne served as the editor of the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. He was offered an appointment as weigher and gauger at the Boston Custom House which he accepted. While spending his time there, he rented a room from a business partner. Nathaniel wrote in the comparative room of what he called his "owl's nest" in his family home. He wrote and dispensed short stories, including "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Minister's Black Veil" to various magazines and annuals. Hawthorne become known locally because Horatio Bridge collecting all of his stories putting them into one volume in 1837. The year after he became engaged with his wife Sophia Peabody, while he worked at a Custom House. Sources of info: http://www.egs.edu/library/nathaniel-hawthorne/biography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne#Criticism

3. Nathaniel Hawthorne In 1850 Nathaniel has published one of his most Successful works, The Scarlet Letter. The Amazon Reviews stated that, “For nearly a century and a half, Hawthorne's masterpiece has mesmerized readers and critics alike. One of the greatest American novels, its themes of sin, guilt, and redemption, woven through a story of adultery in the early days of the Massachusetts Colony, are revealed with remarkable psychological penetration and understanding of the human heart.” Most of his works are considered part of the Romantic movement and also Dark romanticism. In later years, Hawthorne traveled and met Abe Lincoln as he wrote about his experiences in the essay Chiefly About War Matters. Nathaniel Hawthorne has wrote many other well known literature pieces in his life. His bad health problems prevented him from writing many more romances. He decided to take a trip with his friend Franklin Pierce although he was very ill. During the trip of the White Mountains, he died in his sleep on May 19, 1864. Hawthorne will always be a known aurthor for the stories that he has ever wrote. Sources of info: http://www.egs.edu/library/nathaniel-hawthorne/biography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne#Criticism

4. Character ProfileHester Prynne Hester Prynne is a women who committed the crime of adultery and lived a life of agony. While her husband, Roger Chillingworth, sent her to America and stayed behind in London as he finished some business back in London. In America she met another man in Boston, ReverenedArthorDimmesdale. They broke the Puritan religion and Hester had a child with Dimmesdale named Pearl. When the city found out Hester was put against many consequences. She was called upon to stand on a scaffold in front of a huge crowd and was enforced to wear the scarlet letter “A”. The “A” was meant to be so that everybody in the city knew that she has committed adultery. When Hester and Roger establish that they have finally seen each othe for the first time in awhile, it is explained on page 57, “When he found the eyes of Hester Prynne fastned on his own, and saw that she appeared to recognize him, he slowly and calmly raised his finger, made a gesture with it in the air, and laid it on his lips.” Hester keeps it a secret who was the actual husband of Pearl is which makes things more hectic in the city. Hester and her daughter lived in a shack in the outskirts of Boston where she would not encounter many residents. She was surely living in embarrassment with the scarlet letter “A” attached onto her bosom. On page 50, the novel tells, “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter “A”. It was so artistically done, and was so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel that she wore; in which was a splendor and accordance with the taste of age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.” This summarizes that even though she has sinned she wanted to make the emblem fancy so others could see it not as bad and it could be bearable to carry on.

5. Character ProfileHester Prynne On page 50, the novel tells, “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter “A”. It was so artistically done, and was so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel that she wore; in which was a splendor and accordance with the taste of age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.” This summarizes that even though she has sinned she wanted to make the emblem fancy so others could see it not as bad and it could be bearable to carry on. At one time during her life, living in embarrassment, her character was actually looked at in a good way. People would start to judge her differently as it says on page 148, “Many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original syndication. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne with a women’s strength.” At one point Dimmsdale couldn’t take the pressure he had to deal with each day knowing he was also the true sinner of the born child Pearl. He later confessed on the scaffold in front the crowd that he was the real father and died later. Hester Prynne was known as a very noble and considerate person after all of the actions were solved in the city. Later the scarlet letter has fortunately worn off and she then walked with more dignity. Many people in the city of Boston look up to her and for all she had to put up to and handled it reasonably.

6. Conflict AnalysisRoger Chillingworth Roger Chillingworth has been betrayed in the novel by his wife, Hester Prynne. His wife has committed adultery with another man while he was in another country. Once Roger finds out who the father of Pearl is, he immediately wants to seek revenge. He is very agitated with Hester and Dimmsdale and wants to get them back for what they have done to him. When Chillingworth came to Boston like he promised Hester, he found out that she has been pledged with the act of adultery. He visited Hester while she was in her jail and asked who she cheated on him with as Chillingworth said he would not say a word. Hester would not give in and she kept it a secret as well as they said on page 71, “I will keep thy secret, as I have his,” said Hester. “Swear it!” rejoined he. Soon after Hester’s mess with the city, Dimmsdale became very mentally ill with all the compulsion going around about who is the real father of Pearl. So as Roger acts as if he is a physician to the city he takes in Dimmsdale as a round-the-clock patient. Chillingworth hides in a disguise so when he asks others what happened with Hester they will tell him as if he doesn’t know anything. On page 126, when Chillingworth saw Dimmsdale turn with his stomach facing out he saw the symbolism of the letter “A” appear on his chest for adultery.

7. Conflict AnalysisRoger Chillingworth Once Chillingworth knew it was Dimmsdale who betrayed him he couldn’t wait to make him suffer. As he put so much pain into Dimmsdale, Dimmsdale and Hester decided to leave Boston for it would be so much more easier. They would be able to see each other in public and Dimmsdales pain would go away. As they go to board the boat they find out Roger Chillingworth was going to be on it. Arthur had broke down and lost it when he knew he couldn’t leave because Chillingworth would be on the boat. Dimmsdale drops to the ground confessing who he really was and ended up dying. Chillingworth is not happy about this at all as he says, “Thou has escaped me!” on page 228. Roger Chillingworth is not pleased with the outcome as he never got the revenge he wanted.