The Scarlet Letter Project

1. The Scarlet Letter Project James Shaffer Period 7

2. Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Hawthorne’s ancestors were some of the first Puritans to settle in New England. His great grandfather was involved in the Salem With Trials. Hawthorne loved to read and would write his own short stories. He attended Bowdoin College from 1821-1824. He anonymously published his novel, Fanshawe in 1828. Nathaniel also wrote collections of short stories such as Twice Told Tales and Mosses from an Old Manse. Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody in 1842 and had three children with her. Even after he was married and had children, Hawthorne continued to write. He wrote the Gothic romance novels The House of Seven Gables and The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter was a best seller and one of the first mass produced books in America. Hawthorne’s health began to fail and it prevented him from finishing some of his romances. He died on May 19, 1864 in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Henry James once praised Hawthorne and said, “The fine thing in Hawthorne, is that he cared for the deeper psychology, and that, in his way, he tried to become familiar with it.” www.online-literature.com/hawthorne en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel Hawthorne

3. Arthur Dimmesdale Arthur Dimmesdale is a Puritan minister who had an affair with Hester Prynne. He is the father of Pearl, due to the affair he and Hester had. Dimmesdale hides that he is Pearl’s father and allows Hester to take all the blame for their shared sin. However, he feels guilty and is conscience is tortured. However, his guilt does help him become an emotionally powerful speaker and well liked member in the community. He is afraid of what his people would think of him of they knew the truth. During one of his sermons, he finally admits his sin and dies on the scaffold in the arms of Hester.

4. Arthur Dimmesdale: Conflict Analysis Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale struggles with the guilt of hiding that he committed adultery and had a child with Hester Prynne. Hester took all of the blame for their shared sin and this weighs on his conscience. On page 131, Dimmesdale wishes to tell his people: “I, your pastor, whom so reverence and trust, am utterly a pollution and a lie.” However, he was afraid of how the people would react and could not tell them. By doing this he acknowledged his shame as it states on page 131 “He loved the truth, and loathed to lie, as few men ever did. Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self.” Although he tortured on the inside, this caused him to give powerful sermons and become loved by the people. Page 128 states: “While thus suffering under bodily disease, and gnawed and tortured by some black trouble of the soul, and given over to machinations of the deadliest enemy, the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale had achieved a brilliant popularity in his office.” After giving another powerful sermon, the reverend tears off his shirt and reveals what many of the towns people believed was a scarlet letter that resembled the one worn by Hester. Then, he collapses on the scaffold and dies, finally confessing what he had done.

5. Theme There are many themes in “The Scarlet Letter.” One of the main themes of the book is judgment. In the novel, Hester Prynne was judged for her adultery and forced to wear a red “A” as a sign of her sin. While on the scaffold, people debated to judge Hester by stating: “What ye gossips think? If the hussy stood up for judgment before us five..”(pg.48) Hester does not allow what the people say about her stop her from living her life and taking care of her daughter. Arthur Dimmesdale was the man who had the affair with Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale was a widely liked town Reverend. He is worried about what the community members would say and think if they knew he was involved in the affair. On page 131 Dimmesdale thinks: “Would not the people start up in their seats, by a stimulus impulse, and tear him down out of the pulpit, which he defiled?” Reverend Dimmesdale also judges himself for not telling the truth to the people. “The minister well knew the subtle, but remorseful hypocrite that he was!”(pg.131) In the novel, Hester Prynne is judged for her sin of adultery. Despite the judgment, she accepts her sin and manages to be a good and providing mother. Arthur Dimmesdale judges himself and worries of how others will judge him for his sin. The judgment these two characters endure affect them in different ways.

6. Reflection I enjoyed reading “The Scarlet Letter.” What I liked most about the book was that it showed how caring and strong a person can be when others are so cruel. In the book, Hester manages to be a kind mother and provide for her daughter without the help of a husband. She also does not let the horrible things people say about her stop her from being active in the community. I learned from the novel that people can be very selfish. Reverend Dimmesdale allowed Hester to take full responsibility and punishment for both their actions. I can relate to Dimmesdale’s guilt taunting him because if I do something wrong, I feel guilty about it until I tell what I did. I recommend this book to everyone because it shows how the laws, beliefs, and other key parts of society have changed over time.