The scarlet letter 1

. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The scarlet letter

By

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Zahra' Hamid Obeid

_3rd stage _B
 The scarlet letter 2
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Introduction

For this novel event or characters we have a real references in the real life the first one we have
William Prynne when they punished him after his situation against the church he said that
church never represent the god rules on earth and their laws are not sacred in addition that
they corrupt people for nothing just to take their money in the name of God so they decided
to cropped his ears and one of Prynne's judges to brand his cheeks by letters "S" and "L"
which is refer to his killer "Seditious Libeller" … we have another character who punished for
nothing "Hester" in 1942 when all women accused for magic , in puritan society three things
its punishment is Execution whish are "Adultery , Practicing magic , and Atheism " church
and men who worked in the government they were have a power to get any thing they want
from any one under the cover of religion so they charge many women in magic just to take
their lands ,, in that year many women killed for this reason but their was a judge inside the
church "Richard Bellingham" his sister was practicing magic but they didn’t executed her
……………… because of her brother
This Novel called scarlet letter not scarlet women because there was many novels under this
th
name dealing with conflicts between young women and the rigid laws of 17 century so just
to make it distinguished from the others ,, and such a work were numerous enough to form
any novelistic sub-genre and to give an emphasis added , the narrators strategy in telling his
........…………………………………………… story is to conceal as much as to reveal
 The scarlet letter 3
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

is visited by the spirit of God they didn’t believe her then she said that "sanctification is no
evidence of justification " which mean that what is said by the breast or men inside the
church mostly isn’t the same of God's rules (she want to say that they are a lairs and they
.…………………………………………………………………………change in the holey book into their own benefit)
..Anne twice associated with Hester Prynne .. Discuss … (different and similarities)
Hester described as "sainted " in the novel by the narrator , but Anne were not for -
Winthrop ,, she was not saint , she was dangerous and pride she stand to judge the
ministers of the church by her own spiritual standers ….. Winthrop was concerned
because of her followers … for Anne not all those who worked in the church are visited by
.…………… God's spirit most of the them are not honest in their jobs as a religious men
Hester accepted the judgment on her with out any objection because already she knows -
that what she had done is shame and she must punished she was submissive for that
society ,,, but in the case of Anne she was not guilty or make a shame the real shame was by
those who are work inside the church but no one want to believe that so she start to face the
.………………………………………………………………………………………………………… church by her own
Hester determine to stay at Boston because she know very well about her done and because -
of her punishment … when Anne nothing controlled her she was able to do what she thinks
and believe it is right……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Different
………………………………… and similarities between Virgin marry and Anne
We have many similarities between Virgin Marry and Ann that is when Ann being strong
and declare every thing for people and facing the church in all sense we find this feature the
, same in virgin Marry also she was giving help for all people and specially poor people
 The scarlet letter 4
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

We can say that Anne were influenced by Virgin Marry so she was doing and living in the
……………………………………………………………………………………………… same way that Marry was living
we have only one similarity between Hester and Virgin Marry … that when she comes from *
the prison door in front all people and stand on the stage with her proud , dignity and
strong character ,,,,,,, and in Both cases no one know who is the father of the baby only
them ,, but Hester were accused for a adultery with an unknown man but Virgin Marry is not
.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The custom House

Custom House is just like a preface for the novel which is written by Hawthorne him
self , ,, he was working in it when he couldn’t get enough money from writing so he worked in
it for three years ,, this house were located in Salem town which is an old town the writer
native place it is concerned with its flat unvaried surface covered with many wooden house ,,
most of them were beautiful with its lazy street ,, most of time it is rainy town ……. The sitting
of the novel were in Salem when colonizer comes to it and killed the native people of it who
were the red Indian when they came to England or New England they build two buildings
and the writer describe them which are prison that associated with sin and punishment and
they build a cemeteries which associated with death …. Al that a reference for killing and
wars ,,,, although they build a new town but they used some of the red Indian's symbols to
 The scarlet letter 5
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

refer for many things so we have a mixed culture form the native people of New England and
……………………………………………………… the Colonizer
He describe his father and his grand father , he said that his grand father visited him in his
dream and asked him to continue his job as a judge , but he said that he never being proud
of his family even if he is from an aristocratic family because they were so harsh and never
care about people and take money from them he describe his grand father that he carry the
bible in one hand and in the other one his sword as to say that he is a man of war and
stronger claim than him ,,, his grand father was a soldier , legislator , judge , a ruler in the
church he had all the puritanic traits both good and evil , he refused to be just like his father
………… ..……… ..…… or his grand father he prefer to be a man of literature
On rainy day the narrator found a dark red issues embroidered with gold take the shape of
letter (A) robbed with a several pages explain the historical story about this letter when he
was reading it and trying to know about it and the spirit of Mr. Surveyor Pue and tell him to
…………………………… write a novel about a fictional character who called Hester
The custom house is not an introduction for the novel but it is very important we can it just
like a frame and an entry for the novel and it called custom house because the narrator take
…………………………… the idea of the from and he was working in for three years

Chapter 1
The prison Door
 The scarlet letter 6
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Many people were crowded in front of the prison ,, when colonizers comes they first build a
prison and a graveyard this prison build in Boston , the narrator describe it as a black flower
of new civilizes society ,,,, in the other side of the prison their was a bush rose which is so
beautiful the significant of this flower is to comfort the prisoners and to give the sense of
forgiveness ,,, the writer describe the prison as a black flower we have contrast between them
the bush rose refer for beauty , forgiveness , comfortable as well as it is God's create not
human being which that every thing created by God is perfect and beautiful when the prison
is man's create which refer for punishment and sin , Man's civilization is associated with
.………………………………………………………………… killing and distraction
People were standing at the door of the prison to Hester Prynne and how she looks like after
all that period she spent in the prison ,, people expected her to be shy , shame ,and very
absence because of the sin she had done .. but she didn’t she get out from the prison
.……………………………………………………………………………………………… differently from people expectation

Chapter 2
The marked place
 The scarlet letter 7
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The shouts increasing with Hester Prynne's getting out of the prison with her daughter who is
three months old , religion and law are identical in the puritan society as the narrator
desorption ,, people looking for Hester ho looks more beautiful , proud and natural dignity as
she did nothing bad .. women comments a bad comments about Hester and they said that
Hester deserve the harsh punishment and the other said that she didn’t deserve to live
,,,, between them and to stand in front of the men of the church
From this words we can recognized that Puritan society is very harsh and cold ,,,,, Hester was
wearing a very nice dress they put the embroidered letter on her cheeks , the writer describe
the letter very carefully he said it is a dark red letter (A) very beautiful , fertility , gorgeous
and luxuriance pushed on her cheeks , she accepted it with proud features on her face but
inside her she know very well that she is wrong and her guilt so great so she thinks that she
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ,,,, deserve it
When she stand on the stage all people looking at her in strange way for a while she thought
to shout , to say every thing but some thing prevent her she keep calm till
Governor Bellingham " one of judges and others of the Hester's punishment on the scaffold "
,,,, in order to forget or not caring about who are surrounded her she remembered her life
when she was poor and how she was living with her perantis in hard ways she remembered
her husband and the great gab between them , but she opened her eyes to see many people
standing , shouting in front of her then she hold the letter and her baby strongly till her baby
start crying and she realized that those two are her reality and she must live with them
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
 The scarlet letter 8
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Chapter 3
Recognition

From the crowed of people Hester noticed her husband "Roger Chillingworth" away from the
crowed with his anger look that who stand there is his wife ,,, the narrator describe him as he
is a savage , small , intelligent with higher shoulder than the other one wearing old tradition
clothes … before two years he sent her for Boston and promise her he will follow her nearly
but he didn’t,, he asked a man about her crime he told him that her husband sent her two
years ago to build a house and then he will come but he leaves her alone and he didn’t how to
a young beautiful lady alone far a way from him then she make a relationship with a man
and she had been many months in the prison he asked about the identity of the baby's father
the man told him that Hester refused to revel about his identity and also they punished her
that she will be a serves as a living sermon against sin , he looks to her and by signs, he told
her to keep silence , he want to revenge for him self ……………………….. Mr. Wilson an elder local
ravened her and her pastor "Arthur Dimmesdale" he told him to asked her about the father
of her baby maybe she will say who is the man ,,, inside Dimmesdale a great sorrow and pain
he want her to say that he is the father of her baby but she didn’t
.…………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter 4
 The scarlet letter 9
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The interview

In this chapter we have a description for Roger Chillingworth ,,, he called (a man of skill )
because he is practical man and also he study many different parts of science , (Black man)
"because he was practicing magic ,, (snake ) this for the man who read books "worm of book
And also this a reference for Adam and Eve's story when devil entire to the heaven by the
snake ………………………. When Hester return to the prison with her infant the jailer start hitting
her , because native people believed that who possessed by devil must be hit to exist the devil ,
they thought the same thing with Hester so the jailer hits her painfully and although her
,,, infant was away but she start crying because of the strong spiritual relation between them
Chillingworth enter the jail to give the cure for Hester she thoughts that he wants to poison
her but he doesn’t and asked her about the identity of the child's father she refused to say
any thing , he told her that she could hide him but he will know him where ever he is but she
mustn’t say that he is her husband … she hide their identities although they are the reason
behind her suffering ,,, when they hide their selves for them selves leaving Hester carrying
……… every thing
This chapter ends with a reference for the black man , forest and satin which each one of
..……………………………………………………………………them has relation with Hester , pearl and red Indian

Chapter 5
Hester at her Needle
 The scarlet letter 10
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Now Hester getting out of the prison after three years and she decided to stay in Boston and
to live in a cottage in the forest near the red Indian ,, she start working at her Needle and
producing many different clothes ,,,, we have dramatic irony when she makes a clothes for
both poor and rich people ,, she works to keep her dignity and to proof her self in the society
may be she get this idea from the letter A when she embroidered it by her hand ,,, but
although of her beautiful fashion she keeps wearing black clothes in order not to be attractive
for men …… What she had is her child Pearl is the hope and protector for her mother
although she asked her mother to know what does the A mean but Hester trying to hide the
..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………meaning of it from her daughter

Chapter 6
Pearl
The writer describe Pearl as the human manifestation of Hester's sin .. she is beautiful and
soft but she pains of her isolation from the other children and their bad treatment for her
and she don’t know why ,, but she is very smart and she recognized that the A her mother
wear has a relation with the rejection of the society for them … people consider pearl as "imp
of evil " because of her gazed ,, they consider her as strange child even her mother saw Pearl's
strange looking for her as if they are Devil's eyes comes from hell ,, it is a reference for
…………………… Hester's sin and when ever she looking for her eyes she see the same view or her

Chapter 7
The Governor's Hall
 The scarlet letter 11
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hester went with a pair of cloves to Bellingham at his home ,,, and he asked her to come to
the court with Pearl ,, the Governors decided to take Pearl from her mother just to bring her
in good way and if they make her away from Hester maybe she will be a less sinful women in
the future ,,, when Hester stand in the Middle of the hall she shocked from the letter A scene
in the mirror which seem much great than her this a reference for Hester's sin,, when they get
out pearl saw the push rose and she begs to have one but the governor told her that she will
,,, get one but not from this roses ,, even in this things they makes limitations for people

Chapter 8

The Elf – Child and the Minister

The governor asked pearl about her creator and she didn’t answer any thing so he said that
he will take her from her mother ,, they told her about their Decision she refused that and
said that Pearl and letter A helps her to find goodness inside her and she begging
Dimmesdale not to take her daughter ,, he said that they mustn't take her from her mother
he convinced them about that .. while Pearl was walking with Dimmesdale she was walking
 The scarlet letter 12
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

on her feet fingers and Mr. Wilson said that it may be devil not human being from they she
..… walks
Chillingworth being attention for Dimmesdale situation and he start doubting that he is her
,,,, real father

Chapter 9
The leach
Chillingworth who is the leach because he is entered to Dimmesdale's life and living with him
in the same room and he start treating him ,, but Dimmesdale never gives the trust he wants
to has ,,, people at the beginning were happy because of Chillingworth existing with them but
later on they being uncomfortable they said that he is ugly just like the devil and they doubt
about the plants he collects from the cemetery all those things are references that he was
practicing magic as well as because he had lives with red Indian …. In addition he had
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, described as snake because he is able to hide and change his character in many ways

Chapter 10
The leech and his patient

The most important issue in this chapter , the conversation between Chillingworth and
Dimmesdale when Chillingworth gives a hint to Dimmesdale to confess about his sin when
he asked him about his health and Chillingworth told him that his sickness is related to him
 The scarlet letter 13
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

self about something he had done and he blaming him self all the time ,, then Dimmesdale
being very angry and told him that he is just a doctor for humans being then if his sick
..……………………………………………… related to his soul then only God will cure him not Chillingworth
While they were talking they hear sounds when they look from the window they were pearl
and Hester in the cemetery and pearl was collecting butters flowers and decorate the A of her
mother ,,, they notice her activity and when she recognized Chillingworth looking to her from
the window she scared and said that the black man will come so she take her mom and
..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………leaving the place
The black man has mention three times till now ,, the first was in chapter 4 ,, the second *
when Hester goes to the Governor house and ask her to sign her name,, and the last here
.........……………………………………… when pearl refer the black man for Chillingworth
pearl at this stage consider her mom with the letter A ,, so this letter changed from *
punishment to a mother hood symbol ,, because pearl used to see her mother with A and she
.………………………………………………… "refused the idea of taking off the letter from her mom "contrast
in this chapter what pearl had done and the place are both reference to the lamb and tiger *
poems who they are both completely different from each other ,,, one come and take all the
..………………………… features from heaven " the lamb" and "the tiger " as if it is create from hell
Chillingworth gives his hint to Dimmesdale when he was working with a black flower he *
takes it from the cemetery when Dimmesdale asked him why it is just like that and from
where he takes it ,, Chillingworth said that he found raising on a grave that had no name and
he found it in the place of the heart he said that maybe this person commit a sin and he
..…………………………………………………………… keeping to his death so that flower appears in this way
 The scarlet letter 14
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Chapter 11
The Interior of a heart
Arthur Dimmesdale reached to a very hard state he was sitting in the night alone and
soliloquized how he in the morning will confess about his sin and he start torching him self
harshly ,,,, and in the morning he had not the ability to say a ward ,,, he describe self as a
………………………………………………… "pollution and a lie" till his health became worst more and more

Chapter 12
The Minister's Vigil

It is a ceremony for a died man (governor ) when all people were in his place and Hester was
there with pearl ,, Dimmesdale nearly lost his conscious and when they are go out side he
stand on the scaffold when Hester stand for the first time to be punished ,, here they are all
were there Dimmesdale , Hester and pearl and he start imagine that letter A painted in the
sky he saw it by him self when Mr. Wilson and other people saw it as meteor " because they
thought that when a governor or an important person many strange things may happened
as heavy rains or meteors , lightning " " The scarlet letter" is gothic romance novel ,,, he
 The scarlet letter 15
. By Nathaniel Hawthorne

thought that all people see it ,,, but only from his own point of view when in realty all people
..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… see the meteor

Best of luck for all of you

**** And sorry for mistakes