Beckman High School
English Department
Entrance to English 3H:
2013-2014 School Year
Summer Reading Requirement
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This study guide was assembled and written to help incoming
Junior Honors English students enjoy this summer reading
assignment. Your teachers have made a commitment to use this
novel during the first two weeks of the year for instruction and
assessment. With that in mind, these questions, facts, and
considerations should help you both enjoy the novel and prepare
for its eventual instruction next year. Good luck!
Before Reading
The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, who was
found guilty of adultery in Boston in June, 1642 and was forced to
wear a large, scarlet, embroidered “A” on all her clothing as a sign
of her crime. The story begins with Hester leaving prison after
her sentence is over, carrying a baby, Pearl, in her arms. But, the
situation causes unrest and intrigue in the town.
Building Prior Knowledge
It is impossible to comprehend and appreciate this novel without
understanding the time period in which it is set and in which it is
written. Puritanical principles may be familiar to you from past
studies of American history. The Victorian era – also known as
Romanticism in American literary history – is when Hawthorne
wrote the novel (he finished it in 1850). Why might he write a
novel about a time period which took place 200 years before he
was writing?
The Scarlet Letter is both Hawthorne’s masterpiece as well as his
most controversial novel. Even today, the themes of sin and
public shame are provocative and difficult to discuss without
debate.
Foreshadowing · Strong readers use foreshadowing to
aid prediction, which helps them imagine and/or guess what
is going to happen during the course of the novel. Try to use
prediction after every chapter of The Scarlet Letter. Even if
your predictions are not always correct, the act of thinking
about a novel’s future events will help you understand and
remember a novel much better.
Archetypes - You will meet numerous characters
throughout your reading. The most important are the three
main characters: Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingsworth.
Many characters in novels intent on social commentary serve
as archetypes. Be aware of what that term means and decide
which characters fit this label and which do not. For example,
is Hester an archetype? Is Chillingsworth an archetype?
What about Dimmesdale?
Advice during reading
The following elements of literature are important to know.
They will help you not only understand the plot of the book,
but also why The Scarlet Letter is considered a masterpiece.
If you are not in the habit of highlighting your books, now
might be a good time to start. Most importantly, form an
opinion about the novel and be prepared to support your
opinion using textual evidence, insight, and your own
personal experience.
Motifs are present in almost all novels. They are elements
of the plot or literary devices that occur over and over. They
help the reader determine the theme of the novel – what the
author really wants you to consider and contemplate after
reading the book. Literary guides, for example, usually
identify only three motifs in the novel, but there is strong
evidence to suggest that there are others. Be prepared to
discuss at least one other motif in the novel, with evidence to
support your claim.
There are multiples themes to this novel, as is the case with
many well-regarded works of literature. Identifying two or
three potential themes – and determining the best evidence to
support their identification as a theme – will be one of your
responsibilities next year in class. Yet, it is relatively easy to
forward a theme for a novel after it has been read. A much
better question is: HOW is the theme revealed? How does
Hawthorne establish one or more of his themes? Is it through
the use of literary devices? Is it through the use of diction? Is
it through tone? Be prepared to discuss these questions. In
fact, the ability to independently answer questions like these
is often the best predictor of future success in English 3H.
Symbols
In almost all novels, characters do not serve as symbols.
However, in The Scarlet Letter, a case can be made for Pearl’s
classification as both character and symbol. Why? What is it
about her actions, demeanor, name, and function which might
make her symbolic?
Questions to consider after reading:
1. Discuss the development of Hester Prynne as a character. How
does she grow throughout the book? What effects do
Chillingsworth’s schemes have on the development of her
character? How does she interact with Dimmesdale…and how do
their interactions change as the novel progresses?
2. Discuss the ending of the novel. Does it fit aesthetically and/or
thematically with the rest of the book? Does Hester receive
justice?
3. The arc of American literature, as well as the development of
American values and beliefs, is a focal point for English 3H.
What does this novel tell you about America in the 1640s (when it
is set) and 1850s (when it was written)? Is it an accurate
snapshot of American culture during both those eras? Why or
why not?
4. Does this novel deserve the title of masterpiece? Why or why
not?
5. Diction is a key component of literary analysis in English 3H.
Can you identify five strong examples of diction in The Scarlet
Letter and explain why each is a meaningful example?
6. Syntax is a also key component of literary analysis in English
3H. What do you notice about Hawthorne’s syntax? Can you
identify one representative sample of a syntactical structure
which Hawthorne employs in The Scarlet Letter? Can you
explain what he was trying to accomplish by writing sentences
this way?