The Scarlet Letter
BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
At the heart of The
Scarlet Letter…
IS A JUICY LOVE STORY BETWEEN A MINISTER AND A LONELY
WOMAN. IT IS A STORY OF BETRAYAL, LUST, FEAR, JEALOUSY,
AND SIN.
SOUNDS LIKE A SALACIOUS “JERRY SPRINGER” STORY, RIGHT?
Introduction
Although written almost 150 years ago, The Scarlet Letter contains concepts
and insights relevant to contemporary readers.
The themes of alienation, appearance versus reality, and breaking society’s rules
are ones to which many teenagers can readily relate. Viewed in this light, the
novel can be approached as the story of a woman who let her heart rule her head
and suffered the consequences.
Today’s readers may feel sympathy for Hester Prynne; anger towards Arthur
Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy; and disgust towards Roger Chillingworth’s evil
revenge.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Life
Was born July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts
After his father dies of yellow fever, Hawthorne (who was four years old), his mother, and
sisters lived with his mother’s relatives.
Following graduation from Bowdoin College, New Brunswick, Main, in 1825, Hawthorne
returned to Salem where he struggled to as a short story writer for 12 years.
He published Twice-Told Tales in 1837.
From 1839-1841, he worked as a measurer in the Boston Custom House.
In 1842, he married Sophia Peabody.
The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, brought him recognition as an author.
He published The House of Seven Gables in 1851.
He died on May 19, 1864, at Plymouth, New Hampshire.
Hawthorne’s Literary Times
He wrote during the Romantic Period with Emerson, Thoreau, Melville,
Beecher Stowe, Poe, and Whitman.
The Scarlet Letter is considered a piece of American Romantic literature
because it is set in a remote past, the Puritan era 200 years prior to Hawthorne’s
time, and because it deals with the interior psychology of individual characters
Before Reading
SOMETIMES YOU HEAR ABOUT A BOOK BEFORE ACTUALLY
READING IT. MAYBE SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS READ THIS
NOVEL? WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE SCARLET
LETTER?
Themes
MANY IDEAS HAWTHORNE EXPLORES ARE STILL
IMPORTANT TODAY AND FREQUENTLY RECUR IN OTHER
LITERARY WORKS.
Theme 1: Alienation
Y O U W I LL E A CH H AV E A L A BE L O N Y O U R BA CK . Y O U W I LL G O
A RO U N D TH E RO O M, BU T Y O U A RE N OT A LLO W ED TO TA LK .
I N S T E A D Y O U MU S T U S E N O N - V ERBA L L A N G U A G E TO
CO MMU N I CAT E T H E S O CI A L S TAT U S I N D I CAT E D BY T H E O T H E R
S T U D E N T S’ L A BE L S .
Thoughts?
“Ostracized” students…what did it feel like to be shunned by your classmates?
“Community Members”…how did it feel to be “liked?” and how did it feel to
“shun” your peers?
Theme 2:
Appearance VS Reality
1. CI T E E X A MP L E S, W I T HE R F RO M RE A D I N G S O R E X P E RI E NCE , O F
P E O P L E W H O W ERE N O T REA LLY W H AT TH EY S EEMED TO BE.
2. CI T E E X A MP L E S F RO M RE CE N T H I S TO RY O F E V E N T S T H AT W E RE
N O T W H AT T H E Y S E E ME D TO BE .
Theme 2:
Breaking Society’s Rules
1. L I S T T H E RU L E S S O CI E T Y S E T S CO N CE RN I N G RE L AT I O NSH IPS .
W H AT H A P P EN S W H EN TH ES E RU LES A RE BRO K EN?
2. D I S CU S S H I S TO RICA L E V E N T S I N W H ICH G RO U P S O F P E O P L E
BRO K E S O CI E T Y ’S RU L E S . W H AT W E RE T H E O U T CO ME O F T H E S E
E V E N T S?
Language
Hawthorne tells the story using vocabulary and a writing style familiar to readers in
1850. The speech of the characters in the story, however, is that of Puritans in the early
1600s. Yet to many of contemporary readers, the speech of the Puritans seems more
familiar than the “more modern” language of Hawthorne’s time.
All this to say, the overall difficulty of the language frequently frustrates students and
can hinder any enjoyment of and appreciation for the story.
SO, rather than belabor the problem by explicating (analyze to reveal meaning)
passages at length, I want you to become involved with the novel’s language by:
Looking for interesting, impressive, and/or amusing words, phrases, or passages (ex:
brazen hussy)
Reading the novel aloud to appreciate the cadence (flow) of the language
Looking for “words” of wisdom”
Characters
THE MAJOR CHARACTERS MAY SEEM DIFFICULT TO
UNDERSTAND, EVEN THOUGH, OR PERHAPS BECAUSE,
HAWTHORNE PROVIDES SO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THEM.
AS YOU READ, YOU WILL DISCOVER & WE WILL DISCUSS THE
COMPLEX NATURES, MOTIVATIONS, AND RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN THE CHARACTERS.
Cover analysis
The mood or tone of a story is the author's attempt to create the atmosphere of
story. The mood evokes an emotional response from the reader and lets the reader
know how the characters feel. It may stay the same throughout a story, or it may
changed, depending on circumstances and events. The author's descriptions and
the characters' dialogue and actions express the mood of the story. Mood can be
stated or implied.
Give your impressions of the mood conveyed by the title and jacket artwork in
a free write. There are 4 covers to choose from (yours is #1).
After read a small section of the book, to see if the mood changes from what
you wrote. If not, write the change.
Cover #2
Cover #3
Cover #4
Read the back of the
book summary
Before we read…know this:
Because the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, respects the intelligence of his readers, he does not feed us the
story through a moment by moment plot line, but rather dedicates his chapters to painting particular scenes
or digging into the minds of particular characters.
The compilation of these topic-specific chapters results in The Scarlet Letter, a moving tale about passion,
shame, and the many weaknesses of the human soul. Bit by bit, as each chapter reveals the innards of
another mind or the motivation and results of another interaction, we are able to piece together the harsh
reality of the Puritan world and the impending doom that awaits the characters.
This is not a story about the physical actions of the characters. One must focus instead upon the psychology
to the tale, for that is where the conflict, both internal and external, lies. Conflicting intentions and the
creeping destruction of guilt against a man’s will to live are the adversaries here. No character in this story is
truly in the right, and though perhaps despicable, no character is truly in the wrong. They are all
understandable. Every act is in some way justifiable. They are, in other words, human, and very much
mortal. This is not a story where it matters which character’s side we are on, or which characters we love or
hate. We are the observers of a tale that has already occurred
Discussion
DO YOU BELIEVE HUMANS CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY
(FUTURE), OR ARE WE SIMPLY FOLLOWING A PATH THAT
IS CONTROLLED BY A HIGHER POWER?
HOW DO YOU THINK A PURITAN WOULD HAVE ANSWERED
THIS QUESTION?
Symbolism
 What is symbolism? What examples of symbols exist in your lives? (like red in
a stoplight; the cross on someone’s necklace).
What might the title refer to? What might the color “scarlet” symbolize? What
might the “A” symbolize?
Think of one object and one color that you think could have a deeper meaning
in your own life.
Ch 1: Seeing the Prison Door
 Discussion: if you were going to write a story (or make a film) about a woman who was on trial
for committing a crime, what would be your opening scene (time and place)? Describe the setting
in detail. Within your tables, come up with a scenario.
How does time and place affect a story you tell?
Turn to chapter 1. What do you learn from the title of this chapter about the setting?
Close your book. What does it mean to visualize something? As I read Chapter one, I want you
to close your eyes and LISTEN to what you are hearing.
Now, as I re-read chapter one, write any DESCRIPTIVE WORDS as you listen, still visualizing,
Finally, as I re-read chapter one, write down words you don’t understand (don’t worry about
spelling)
Let’s discuss
What to do
YOU WILL NOW TRANSFORM PARAGRAPH 1 OF CHAPTER 1
INTO A VISUAL IMAGE; ARTISTIC SKILL IS NOT THE POINT. THE
POINT IS TO INCLUDE AS MUCH DETAIL AS POSSIBLE , EVEN
USING SYMBOLS IN YOUR DRAWINGS INSTEAD OF GOING INTO
GREAT DETAIL.
Assignments while
reading:
Y O U W I LL H AV E J O U RN A L E N T RI E S F O R E V E RY CH A P T E R T H AT Y O U
W I L L N E E D TO A N S W E R T H O U G H T F UL LY A N D T H O RO U G H LY. T I T L E
EA CH W I T H TH E CH A P TER TI TLE. Y O U W ILL H A N D TH I S I N TY P ED
W I T H A CO V E R PA G E ( D I S CU SSE D L AT E R) .
A L S O , T H E RE I S A S T U D Y G U I D E TO H E L P G U I D E Y O U R RE A D I N G F O R
Y O U R F I N A L A S S E S S ME N T.
Journal Prompts begin
HT TP://PATMARSHALL.WEEBLY.COM/UPLOADS/4/8/0/6/4806631/SC
ARLET_LETTER_JOURNALS.PDF
Final assignment
F I R S T, W R I T E D O W N O N E N E G AT I V E T H I N G A B O U T Y O U R S E L F. D O N ’ T T E L L O R S H O W
A N Y O N E . T H E N , W E A R T H E F I R S T L E T T E R O F T H E W O R D A L L D AY ( E X : I F Y O U P I C K
P R O C R A S T I N AT I O N , Y O U W O U L D W E A R P ) . T H E L E T T E R M U S T B E AT L E A S T 4 X 5 .
F I N A L LY, G E T A L L O F Y O U R T E A C H E R S T O S I G N T H E Y S E E Y O U W E A R I N G T H E L E T T E R ,
W R I T E ½ PA G E A B O U T Y O U R E X P E R I E N C E O F W E A R I N G Y O U R L E T T E R A L L D A Y, A N D
TURN THIS IN ALONG WITH YOUR LETTER..