The Scarlet Letter Project

1. The Scarlet Letter Project • Based on the book “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. • Natalie DeVincentis PD 7

2. Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hathorne (later changed to Hawthorne because he did not want to be associated with his family) was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804 and grew up with a strict Puritan background. He studied English composition and the Latin classics at Bowdoin College in Maine and disliked public speaking. Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody on July 9, 1842, and had three children. Hawthorne wrote several short stories - the first one in 1828 called “Lanshaw” but wrote it anonymously. Most of his stories and novels were about Puritans and the morals of his strict religion. The most famous, “The Scarlet Letter” written in 1850 was about the evils of adultery and sin. Many of his stories had romantic themes and symbolism. He was not a popular writer at first and had to work at being a good writer but her enjoyed it and continued to write. Waldo Emerson wrote at Hawthorne’s funeral on May 19, 1864 "I thought there was a tragic element in the event, that might be more fully rendered,—in the painful solitude of the man, which, I suppose, could no longer be endured, & he died of it." Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne http://www.egs.edu/library/nathaniel-hawthorne/biography/

3. Character Profile: Hester Prynne Hester Prynne was young, patient, thoughtful, caring, sympathetic, strong, and generous. SHe also had dignity and pride. Hester was married at a young age to an older man - Roger Chillingworth - who sent her to America alone and said he would follow but did not. When she was alone and thought her husband was dead, she committed adultery with the minister, Reverend Dimmesdale, and had a baby named Pearl. She was labeled by the Puritans as an adulterer and was forced to wear a red fabric letter “A.” Living many years with her secret and her often unruly child shows how patient she is. She also shows patience when people around her call her and Pearl names. She is thoughtful, caring, and sympathetic for a couple reasons. When Hester makes clothes for the poor and brings them food, it shows how much she cares about others and understands what it is like to go through something hard. Hester is also strong-willed and strong. When she was released from prison, she could have left Boston but chose not to. She faced the consequences of her sins and didn’t run away from what she did. She had dignity and pride through everything she did. Hester could have just worn a plain letter “A,” but instead she made it elaborate so everyone knew that she was well aware of what she did, but was not going to let anyone get to her. Everything she did, from standing strong to not revealing who the father was, almost paid off. Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale were going to leave as a family, but the Reverend’s guilt killed him.

4. Conflict Analysis: Hester Prynne Hester Prynne’s conflict the “The Scarlet Letter” is very emotional. The conflict is between her public humiliation or to tell who the father of Pearl is. In the Puritan way of life, any act of sin resulted in punishment and led to ridicule. She was imprisoned for her act of adultery and when she was released, she was forced to wear a fabric letter “A” as a visual sign and reminder of what she did. When she is forced to stand in the Market Place in front of the whole community is her first public conflict of whether to end the humiliation and reveal the father or keep quiet. “Open a passage; and I promise ye, Mistress Prynne, shall be set where men, woman, and child may have a fair sight…” (Chapter 2, Page 52) After being forced to stand there alone with her 3-4 month old child so that everyone could see and make fun of her, the clergy demand that she tell the father of her child. She refuses to do so and is put back into prison. Her husband returns as a stranger to everyone except her. He finds her and even then she does not tell the secret. She tells him that she has wronged him but says “That thou shalt never know” when he demands her to state who the father is. (Chapter 4 Page 70) Hester lives a life of torment within herself since she wants to be freed but just can’t tell her secret. When she is finally released from prison, she is forced to live out of town with Pearl because she cannot handle what she is put through. She decides that she will stay in the community and own up to her sin even though she could have left and started a

5. Conflict Analysis: Hester Prynne new life with Pearl and without the scarlet letter. Yet she continues to be isolated and rejected by others. Her one happiness in life is her daughter, Pearl. She was named Pearl because she was “purchased with all she had.” (Chapter 6 Page 81) Hester’s internal conflict continues with how the children in the community treat Pearl. They are cruel because their parents have taught them that Pearl is evil and not worthy of love and kindness. This treatment of Pearl reminds Hester of the secret she holds and the life she decided to make for them. “…Hester Prynne often dropped her work upon her knees, and cried out with an agony which she would fain have hidden.” (Chapter 6 Page 87) After seven long years of this torment and loneliness, Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale come together again and decide to run away to Europe as a family. Hester is finally happy and feels better when Dimmesdale finally tells the truth at the end of the book in front of the church on the scaffold. He dies moments later from guilt. “That final word came forth with the Minister’s expiring breath.” (Chapter 23 Page 229) After all the public humiliation to keep her secret from others, Hester’s final days were spent without the man she truly loved. Her scarlet letter was worn not only for herself but for the both of them. She was buried close to Dimmesdale when she died. “ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES” (Conclusion, Page 235)

6. Theme: Sin Sin is a dark and dirty thing that can sometimes only be paid for in things like blood; scarlet blood. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth all commit sins. Hester committed adultery with the minister and had his child. Dimmesdale, also committing adultery with Hester, is another example of sin. Roger’s sin was that he became a fiend and sought to seek revenge on whoever his wife cheated with. Roger also lied about who he was, which is a sin. Even though Hester sinned, the fact that her sin is out in the open with many reminders, it helps her to become a better person, doing whatever she can to help others. “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.” -P.50. Dimmesdale’s sin causes him so much guilt that it literally eats him from the inside out and eventually kills him. “If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace,…I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer!” - Dimmesdale P.63. Roger Chillingworth wants revenge,but since he does not know who to go after, he loses all purpose in life, transforming into a devil of sorts. “Let him live! Let him hide himself in outward honor, if he may! Not the less, he shall be mine!” -Roger Chillingworth P. 70-71. In Puritan times, sin is sin; it must be displayed and punished publicly. The only known sinner was Hester, so she was the only one shunned. Her sin of adultery was marked with the scarlet letter “A” on her clothing. Dimmesdale’s part in her sin was unknown, but became too much for him to handle. Just the same, no one knew Chillingworth’s sins of lying or wrath, but it also caught up with him in the end. All sins can be made up for if you admit to them, but bad things happen when you try to ignore them.

7. Personal Reflection Personally, I enjoyed The Scarlet Letter after the fact that I had to read the whole thing. Even though it was kind of a challenge to read because of how it was written, I liked the story. The time that the story was written in was interesting as well, because it was weird and entertaining to see how much differently people lived back in time. I liked following Hester through her years of struggling with her secret, because I am in a similar situation. I have a secret that I have held onto for years without letting anyone know. Hester wanted her secret known but stayed quiet, but I do not want mine known therefore I will stay quiet like her. I learned from Hester that if you wait long enough for something you want, you might not get exactly what you planned for, but it may be better. I learned from Dimmesdale that if you lie about something or keep it bottled up for too long that the problem does not go away and you will have to face it one day so you should just get it over with. I would recommend The Scarlet Letter to someone slightly older and someone who is smart. They would be able to read it and enjoy it more by having a greater vocabulary span and possible experience.