The Scarlet Letter
AP English Language
Mr. Lizotte
Potential Essay Questions
1.
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Updike once stated that Hester Prynne “is a
mythic version of every woman’s attempt to integrate her sexuality with societal
demands.” In a well-organized essay, explain what Updike means by this and
defend, challenge, or qualify his idea, using textual evidence from The Scarlet Letter
to support your claim. Avoid mere plot summary.
2.
In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess
“That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” Identify a
character from The Scarlet Letter who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly.
Then, write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity
and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot
summary.
3.
Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, the land and the sea, two
cities or towns, two houses, or two countries) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are
central to the meaning of the work. Write an essay that shows how two places function in
this way in The Scarlet Letter. Explain how the places differ, what each place represents,
and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the novel.
4.
The 18th century British novelist, Laurence Sterne wrote, “No body, but he who has felt
it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two
projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same
time.” From The Scarlet Letter, choose a central character whose mind is torn by two
compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized
essay, identify the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict within one
character illuminates the meaning of the work.
5.
According to Richard Lizotte, both Pearl and Roger Chillingworth can be seen as
scourges, individuals sent to cleanse or purify, in this case, Hester Prynne and Arthur
Dimmesdale. In a well-organized essay, elaborate on what Lizotte means by this and
defend, challenge, or qualify his idea, using textual evidence from The Scarlet Letter to
support your claim. Avoid mere plot summary.