This list of prompts may seem redundant
when looked at as a whole, but consider
that you will be asked to fully develop
any ONE of these into a well-wrought test
essay with textual support.
 These are the main CONCEPTS that I
want you to glean from the novel, and
you should, as ALWAYS, approach the
novel with what you learned from
Thomas Foster’s book.

Identify
the sin of Hester,
Dimmesdale, and
Chillingworth, and trace
the consequences of
that sin on the person’s
life and character.
It
is hard to believe today
that a community would
treat one of its members
the way in which Hester
was treated. What features
of the Boston society in
1642, however, make the
actions of the Puritans quite
understandable?
Despite
the difference in
clothing and customs,
how do the
psychological and moral
aspects of this story make
it very relevant for
today’s readers?
Identify
and explain at
least three ways in which
Hawthorne is part of the
Romantic tradition and
at least two ways in
which he repudiates that
tradition.
For
what reasons would
Hawthorne call his story a
romance rather than a
novel?
Name
three
characteristics of
Hawthorne’s writing style
and cite examples of
each.
 Identify
and explain the symbolism
for each of the following items:
a. light and shadow
b. the scaffold
c. the rosebush and the weeds
d. the letter “A”
e. colors
f. the forest
g. the town
Explain
Hawthorne’s
view on human nature
regarding passion.
According
to Hawthorne,
what are the moral
consequences of sin and
how does one become
redeemed? Cite
incidents from the story.
Show
that Hester is one
of literature’s first feminists
using examples from the
text.
Explain
how the second
scene on the scaffold
serves as the novel’s
climax.
Consider
the characters
Pearl, Dimmesdale, and
Chillingworth. How are
their names symbolic?
 Hawthorne
uses historical
characters—Governor
Bellingham, John Wilson, and
Mistress Hibbins—and true
depictions of Puritan society
and beliefs to add
authenticity to his work.
Explain the effects that these
elements make.
Compare
Hester’s scarlet
letter to Dimmesdale’s
letter.
Describe
Hawthorne’s
use of dramatic irony,
and cite examples for
support.
How
does Hester’s
attitude change from
when she emerges from
jail to the last scene of
the novel? What major
events assist in her
transformation?
 Do you believe that humans create
their own destiny (future), or are
they merely following a path that is
controlled by God? Relate your
answer to The Scarlet Letter, using
textual evidence to support your
claim.
 Wearing the scarlet letter was intended
to isolate Hester Prynne from society
and to call attention to her sin. Given the
way in which Hester’s life ends, do you
think that the scarlet letter
accomplished what the magistrates
intended? Explain with textual support.
Discuss the intended or
unintended effect of the
numbers that were chosen to be
included in the novel and how
their religious significances
impact the novel’s purpose. Use
examples.
 Discuss the idea that one should
“keep your friends close and your
enemies closer” from the stand
point of any of the main characters
in the novel. How does that saying
hold as true or not hold as true with
regard to this plot.
Discuss the theme of
Appearance versus Reality as
it applies to the novel. What is
the significance of using this
theme as opposed to the
GAZILLION others that could
have been used? Use textual
examples.
What effect does Pearl have
on Dimmesdale? What role, if
any, does she play in bringing
about his confession? Use
textual support.

Hawthorne came from a long line of Puritans
and their Puritan beliefs about subjects like guilt,
repression, original sin (we are all born with sin
and are destined to commit sin), and discipline.
Take one of these elements, guilt, repression,
original sin or discipline, and discuss how it is
developed in Hawthorne’s novel. Use textual
support.
The scarlet letter itself is one of
the most weighted symbols in
the novel. Discuss how it is
central to the story, what it
signifies, how it functions and
how its meaning changes
throughout the novel. Use
textual support.
Discuss how the rose bush is a
symbol that is central to the
story, what it signifies, how it
functions and how it carries
more than one meaning
throughout the novel. Use
textual support.
Argue that Hester Prynne can
be or cannot be one of the
first examples of a great
modern heroine in American
literature. Give textual
support.
Critics sometimes disagreed
about whether Hawthorne
condones or condemns the
adultery of Hester Prynne and
Dimmesdale in the novel. Can
either view be supported? Give
textual support.
Describe and discuss the
character of Roger
Chillingworth in the novel.
What does he represent in
terms of larger themes
explored by the book?
How does Hester change over
time in the novel – and how does
she change in the eyes of society
around her? What about her
character would explain her
decision that was discussed in
the conclusion of the novel?
Discuss how the novel coincides
with the idea that one poor
decision in life can lead to a
lifetime of regret, and relate this
to a real life example of how the
idea still holds true today. Use
textual support.
Discuss the theme of “You
reap what you sow” as it
applies to this novel and
how the same theme
would be applicable in life
today. Use textual support.
 Both Hester and Dimmesdale
participated in a procession where they
were “vacant” from their surroundings.
Explain what the circumstances were,
how they were vacant, and what this
said about their characters. Also, argue
whether or not one or more of the
characters experienced a “vacancy”
throughout the entire “procession” of
the novel. Use textual support.
Parallel the characters of
Dimmesdale and Pearl and talk
about Hawthorne’s attempts to
clue the reader in on their
relationship throughout the
novel. What stylistic “tricks” did
he employ to convey his
message? Use textual support.
 The quote: “She determined to redeem
her error, so far as it might be possible.
Strengthened by years of hard and solemn
trial, she felt herself no longer inadequate
to cope with Roger Chillingworth…”
 Compare the two characters with
regards to their strengths and weaknesses
and how they both can be argued to have
suffered for years.
Discuss the author’s use of
irony throughout the novel.
This is rather broad, so I would
suggest choosing two
examples from the text and
fully developing the
explanations of each.