The Scarlet Letter
By Nathaniel Hawthorne
• “I believe that The Scarlet Letter,
like all great novels, enriches our
sense of human experience and
complicates and humanizes our
approach to it.”
from Solitude, Love, and Anguish:
The Tragic Design of the Scarlet Letter
by Seymour L. Gross
Historical Context
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Boston Colony founded 1630
John Winthrop (leader)
Puritans wanted to “purify”
the Church of England of all
traces of Catholicism in
liturgy, theology, and church
organization
Recognized the Bible as the
sole source of religious
authority
Maintained a theocracy
Believed in predestination or
Doctrine of the Elect
Inflicted public punishments
to deter others from straying
from righteousness (hanging,
whipping, humiliation, etc,)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Hawthorne once
said: “I do not want
to be a doctor and
live by man’s
diseases, nor a
minister to live by
their sins, nor a
lawyer and live by
their quarrels. So, I
don’t see that there
is anything left for
me but to be an
author.”
About the Author
• Born July 4, 1804 in
Salem, Mass.
• Reclusive at times
• Served as a magazine
editor
• Worked in the Salem
Custom House
• Lived at Brook Farm
• Wrote Twice-Told
Tales, The House of
Seven Gables, The
Scarlet Letter, etc.
• Married Sophia
Peabody and
fathered Una (who
became the model for
Pearl)
• Served as the United
States Consul to
Liverpool
• Died in 1864
• Buried in Concord,
Massachusetts
• Great-great-greatgreat grandfather,
John Hathorne, was
judge at Salem witch
The Custom House
• Hawthorne claims
to have gotten the
idea for this novel
from the papers of
Jonathan Pue.
Among the
papers,
Hawthorne
allegedly found an
embroidered
scarlet A and
information on
Hester Prynne.
The Custom House
• Describes the interior/exterior of
the Custom House
• Describes Hawthorne’s feelings
about his native town of Salem
• Makes critical comments about the
Whig party/ reveals Hawthorne’s
involvement as a Democrat
• Describes his early attempts to
write Hester’s story.
Sources for the novel
• Historical
figures: gov.
bellingham, john
wilson, john
winthrop
• Annals of salem
may 5, 1694 entry
• Records and
files of …essex
county, mass.
The auThor’s inspiraTion
• “…To enacT laws
against prevailing
iniquities. Among
such laws …were Two
against
adulTery…Those
guilty of the first
crime were to sit an
hour on the gallows,
with ropes about
Their necks…and
forever wear a
capital a …”
• “hesTer craford, for
fornication with john
wedg, as she
confessed, was
ordered to be
severely whipped and
that security be
given to save the
town from the
charge of keeping
The child.”
Plot/Setting
• The novel is set in the mid 1600s
in Boston, Massachusetts.
• The plot encompasses a seven year
period.
• The plot involves the love triangle
of wife-lover-husband.
• The major theme of the novel is
developed in the context of good vs.
evil.
Plot of the novel
• Love triangle
• Husband, wife, lover
• Novel begins long
after the
adulterous act
• Focus is on the
effects of the sin on
the characters
Point of View
• Third-Person
Omniscient…Hawthorne reveals
the inner and outer workings of the
characters and provides social
criticism, history, and psychology.
Irony in the novel
• Situational irony—
• the husband who has
been “wronged” does
noT eliciT The reader’s
sympathy
• The physician who
should “heal” only
destroys
• The minister who offers
spiritual guidance to
others cannot guide
himself
• Dramatic irony—
• hesTer and her lover’s
“knowing” looks in
public
• hesTer’s knowledge of
who the strange
physician really is
• pearl’s inTuiTive sense
regarding the minister
and physician
Characters
• Hester Prynne- wearer of the scarlet letter
• Pearl- child of Hester; living symbol of
Hester’s sin
• Roger Chillingworth- learned scholar;
doctor
• Arthur Dimmesdale- admired young
minister
• Governor Bellingham- governor and
magistrate of Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Rev. John Wilson- senior minister of
colony
• Mistress Hibbins- Gov. Bellingham’s sister
Major Symbol
• The scarlet letter
itself is the central
symbol. It changes
meaning for the
characters in the
novel as Hester’s
character changes.
The A becomes a
pathway to
redemption for some
characters as well.
Watch the many
ways Hawthorne
uses the scarlet A as
a symbol…
Symbolism
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The scarleT “a”
The scaffold
Weeds
The rose bush
The brook
The forest
Sunlight and
shadow
Motifs of the scarlet
letter
• Sin and its effect on
the individual
• Isolation—physical
and emotional
• Sin brings insight or
special knowledge
• Struggle between
individual and
community
• Yearning for
freedom
Humiliation is a powerful
weapon against crime
• Today’s judges ofTen
issue “scarleT
leTTer” penances for
those convicted of
crimes like drunken
driving, theft,
prostitution, and
juvenile delinquency
• Actual news stories
appear almost daily:
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FRUSTRATED MAGISTRATES
USE OLD-FASHIONED
"SHAME" SENTENCING MINOR
CRIMINALS
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By Kate Shatzkin
BALTIMORE SUN
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A drunken driver is ordered to carry in his wallet
pictures of the people he killed. A wife-beater
must apologize to his victim from the courthouse
steps, with cameras rolling. A shoplifter is
forced to pace outside the market from which
she pilfered, wearing a huge sign that brands her
a convicted thief. It is justice by sandwich board,
tearful apology and posted placard, the modern
versions of the stocks and scarlet letters of
colonial times.
Enjoy a piece of literary history!
• Read thoughtfully and
focused. You can
keep the questions for
each chapter in mind
as you read in order to
comprehend better.
• Avoid “crutches” like
Spark Notes, etc.
You need practice
with difficult passages
to practice for the
EOY and AP exams.