Name:
CP English III
Date:
Mrs. Lynch
The Scarlet Letter Chapters 9-16 Questions
Chapter 9:
1) Why does Chillingworth decide to desert his position as Hester’s husband?
2) What is Chillingworth’s position in the town?
3) Why is Dimmesdale’s health beginning to fail?
4) Describe the irony of Chillingworth and Dimmesdale’s friendship.
5) Why does Dimmesdale keep mentioning his “sins”? How is he feeling about
them?
6) Why does Chillingworth want to know all about Dimmesdale?
7) Is Dimmesdale required to be celibate?
Chapter 10:
1) Why can’t Chillingworth recognize his enemy?
2) “I found them growing on a grave, which bore no tombstone, nor other memorial
of the dead man, save these ugly weeds that have taken upon themselves to keep
him in remembrance. They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some
hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess
during his lifetime.” What/who does this quote symbolize? Explain.
3) Why is it ironic that Hester and Pearl enter the scene in the middle of
Dimmesdale and Chillingworth’s conversation?
4) Why didn’t Hester pluck the burrs off of her scarlet letter?
5) Pearl throws a burr at Dimmesdale. How is this symbolic?
6) Is Hester more or less miserable than Dimmesdale? Explain.
7) How have Dimmesdale’s lies compounded?
8) Why won’t Dimmesdale tell Chillingworth of his soul’s sickness?
9) What does Dimmesdale look like while he is sleeping?
Chapter 11:
1) What about Chillingworth’s appearance has made Dimmesdale weary about his
character?
2) Why does Chillingworth want to hurt Dimmesdale? How do you know?
3) What isn’t Dimmesdale able to reach his full potential as a reverend?
4) Why does Dimmesdale loathe himself?
5) Cite the quote where we first find out for sure that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father.
6) Where might Dimmesdale be going at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 12:
1) Why might Dimmesdale go to the scaffold?
2) Why is his appearance there a mockery?
3) Who hears Dimmesdale’s cry from the scaffold?
Name:
CP English III
Date:
Mrs. Lynch
4) Who shows up at the scaffold? Where had she been?
5) What does Pearl ask Dimmesdale? When he refuses, she laughs. Why?
6) Discuss the importance of the contrast between lightness and darkness in this
scene.
7) Explain the double meaning of the following quote:
“But did you reverence hear of the portent that was seen last night? A great
red letter in the sky—the letter A—which we interpret to stand for Angel. For, as
our good Governor Winthrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless
held fit that there should be some notice thereof!”
“No,” Answered the minister. “ I had not heard of it.”
Chapter 13:
1) How was Dimmesdale “reduced”?
2) Why does the community now “love” Hester?
3) What do many people say the A now means?
4) What does Hester plan to tell Chillingworth? Why?
Chapter 14:
1) To what does Hester compare Chillingworth? Why has he made this
transformation?
2) Why didn’t Chillingworth rat out Dimmesdale?
3) What secret must Hester reveal?
Chapter 15:
1) Why might there be an ominous shadow following Chillingworth?
2) What memories disgust Hester the most?
3) How has he “done her worse wrong than she did him?”
4) Hester debates telling Pearl about her sin. Why does she decide against it?
5) Why does Pearl keep probing? Do you think she already knows? Explain.
Chapter 16:
1) Why won’t Hester approach Dimmesdale anywhere but in broad daylight?
2) Why does Pearl believe the sunshine hides from Hester? What is Hester’s
response?
3) Who is the “Black Man”?
4) Why does Hester take Pearl into the forest to tell her the secret?
5) Who shows up in the forest? What is so symbolic about this?
6) Where does Dimmesdale’s scarlet letter dwell?