What are the major themes in The Scarlet Letter?
ThemesSin, Knowledge, and the Human Condition. Sin and knowledge are linked in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Nature of Evil. The characters in the novel frequently debate the identity of the Black Man, the embodiment of evil. Identity and Society. Female Independence.
What is Hawthorne’s purpose in the scarlet letter?
Hawthorne’s purpose for writing The Scarlet Letter was so he could reveal the life and hypocrisy of the Puritan communities back in those days. He implies that back then in the stiff and stubborn society, many humans were wrongfully sentenced and blamed for all types of sin.
What is the major conflict in the scarlet letter?
major conflict Her husband having inexplicably failed to join her in Boston following their emigration from Europe, Hester Prynne engages in an extramarital affair with Arthur Dimmesdale.
On what note does Chapter 2 of The Scarlet Letter begin?
On what note does chapter 2 begin? People are all standing around the prison waiting for someone to emerge. For what sin is Hester Prynne condemned? What is the Old Testament punishment for adultery?
Why was Hester not killed?
Why wasn’t Hester sentenced to death for her adultery? The leaders felt that it was worse to live in shame for the rest of her life. They also would not sentence her to death before birth and kill the child.
What are Hester’s three punishments?
Hester also punished herself by never marrying or seeking love, severing her ties to society, and choosing the cheapest clothes and material. She redeems herself when she acts selfless by helping the less fortunate even though the whole community rejects and harasses her.
What is Hester’s sin punishment?
What is Hester’s sin? Punishment? Adultery, to wear an embroidered letter “A” to mark her with a badge of shame.
How does Hester die?
Many years later, Hester returns alone, still wearing the scarlet letter, to live in her old cottage and resume her charitable work. She receives occasional letters from Pearl, who has married a European aristocrat and established a family of her own. When Hester dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale.
Why was Hester jailed?
Hester’s punishment was to spend a little time in jail; she is released three months after the birth of her child, the child her Puritan community believes was conceived in sin since Hester’s husband has been missing for two years.
Why does Hester not reveal the father?
Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her dress, to humiliate and brand her as an adulteress. She does not reveal who the father of Pearl is, trying to protect Dimmesdale’s reputation in the congregation.
Why does Chillingworth blame himself for Hester’s sin?
Chillingworth blames himself for Hester’s sin because he thinks that it was foolish of him to think that he could have someone as beautiful as Hester. Chillingworth wants to exact a punishment from the secret lover, Reverend Mister Dimmesdale.
Why does Hester keep Chillingworth’s secret?
Why does Hester agree to keep Chillingworth’s identity a secret? She only accepts to do it perhaps out of fear, or because she knows that disclosing this information would make matters worse for everybody involved.
Why did Chillingworth marry Hester?
In The Scarlet Letter, Chillingworth married Hester because he hoped to find some happiness in married life, and she was young and beautiful. He had lived a pretty lonely and solitary existence for most of his years, and he longed for the happiness that he saw so many others enjoy.
What is Chillingworth’s secret?
Hester keeps secret the name of her illegitimate child’s father (Reverend Dimmesdale) and the true identity of Roger Chillingworth (her husband). She will not reveal Pearl’s father to protect Reverend Dimmesdale’s reputation, as he is the minister of the church.
How does Hester make a living?
Hester’s gift for ornamental needlework allows her to market her goods to the wealthy members of the community. Hester becomes a seamstress. Her strong sewing skills allow her to make her living.
Why does Hester help the poor?
She gives away all her spare money to the poor, on people who actually have more than she does. She also makes garments for the poor, and her charity is perhaps a form of penance for her sins. Besides using the money she earns as a seamstress to support herself and Pearl, Hester also uses it to help the poor.
Why does this discovery both confuse and frighten her?
Why does this discovery both confuse and frighten her? She sees “Roger Chillingworth”, her husband. She came over to New England before her husband, who promised to meet her there later. She is confused when she sees him there because she doesn’t know what happened to him and how he got there.
Who does Hester recognize?
Roger Chillingworth
How does Hester feel?
Even when she is punished for her crime of adultery and publicly humiliated by being forced to wear a scarlet A on her chest, Hester does not break. She remains exactly who she is: strong, kind, proud, but also humble. Because of this, Hester endures her punishment alone.
Why does Hester not leave Boston when she is freed from jail?
Summary—Chapter 5: Hester at Her Needle After a few months, Hester is released from prison. Although she is free to leave Boston, she chooses not to do so. Despite her success, Hester feels lonely and is constantly aware of her alienation.