Characterization of the Characterization of the Scarlet LetterScarlet Letter

Hester PrynneHester Prynne• “But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not

merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman. She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness. . . . The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,—stern and wild ones,—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.(136-137)

• This quote shows Hester’s personality and likenesses

• It talks about Hester’s view of herself because of the scarlet letter, and how she was banned from society.

• Hester is a naturally good person, helping others around her, but had an affair because she thought her husband was dead.

• Because of her helping others, readers can see that Hester is extremely compassionate, and not judgmental of others.

• The fact that she had an affair with a minister shows that she may be very passionate and rebellious

• Despite all of the comments about her from the Puritans, Hester never retaliated, which shows the patience she has with others.

• The entire town she lives in is hypocritical but Hester shows that she is the only pure, kind hearted one, even though she had committed a major sin.

How Hester Changes…How Hester Changes…• “Such helpfulness was found in her,-so much power to do, and power to

sympathize,-tat many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength. (11)

• In the first half of the novel, Hester is seen as an adulterer, with an illegitimate baby, and a complete sinner, but later on, after keeping to herself in her cottage, doing good for others around her, feeding the poor, and always lending a hand to someone who needed one, the puritan town became proud of her.

• Hester lives in shame after she gives birth to Pearl, but after isolating herself in a cottage, and living a normal life, she begins to lose the shame, and not even notice the scarlet letter anymore.

• They eventually decided that her “A” did not stand for adulterer anymore, but able, because she was always willing and able to help.

How do the characters relate?How do the characters relate?• Hester was married to Roger Chillingworth when they still lived in Europe. • Because Hester thought he died while at sea, she had an affair with

Arthur Dimmesdale, the town minister• Dimmesdale and Hester have a daughter together named Pearl, but their

affair is never revealed. • Chillingworth shows up alive is supposed to care for and heal

Dimmesdale, but ends up pestering and bothering him until Dimmesdale because dangerously sick

• Pearl sees Dimmesdale as a father figure, even though she does not know she has a father.

• Dimmesdale and Hester decide to run away in the end of the novel, but Dimmesdale dies shortly before.

• Chillingworth leaves all of his money for Pearl, even though he is not her real father.

What might Hester represent…What might Hester represent…• Hester Prynne might represent the good in all humans.

• No one is truly evil, and everyone has some good in them, and this we can see through Hester.

• She may also represent courage, to stand up to others and do what is right no matter what others think

• Hester shows that through all the hypocrisy in the town, she is the only pure-hearted kind person in the town, representing truth

• Hester can be a representation of/compared to Eve from the bible, as she has committed a sin, and banned from where she lives, and now has to toil in pain and suffering, being sorry for her sins

Hester’s NameHester’s Name• Prynne was a common name around the colonial American

times in New England.

• Also, Hester comes from the word “star”, in Greek, because she may be the STAR of the novel, or may even be a shining star throughout the town, because even though she is famous for being sinful, she is known by everyone throughout the town

• “Star” could also be connected with the meteor that ran through the town that everyone saw as “Angel, Adulterer, and Able, which all completely describe Hester.

• The last name “Prynne”, rhymes with sin, to constantly remind the reader, as the townspeople are constantly reminded by the scarlet letter, of Hester’s enormous sin.

Pearl Pearl

• As Hawthorne characterizes Pearl from the beginning of the book, she is seen as the result of the consequence for being an Adulterer (Hester). She is obviously young and has a sort of spontaneous behavior that is incorporated in some of the events in the novel.

Pearl throughout the storyPearl throughout the story

• As the story progresses Pearl is the factor that keeps reminding Hester about her scarlet letter. There is really no eminent change until the death of Dimmesdale when her symbolic meaning becomes useless.

Significance and NameSignificance and Name

• Pearl is Hester’s daughter and she is seen as a mistake, live proof of adultery.

• Pearl is a rare stone that is grown under the conservation of the clam. Pearl is in a way symbolic on to how she was shaped by her mother and even though she is a small individual (literally) like a pearl, one can see that she is one of the major and valuable characters.

Quotes for PearlQuotes for Pearl• Quote 1: “Mother,” cried she, “I see you here. Look! Look!”

(Pg 72)• Analysis: In the interval of this part of the chapter Hester is

reminded again about the A on her chest which was unintentionally reminded by Pearl. Pearl innocently does not know that by looking into optical surfaces objects would be reflected and distorted out of proportion; Hester viewing the A extremely huge.

• Quote 2: “Mother,” said she, “what does the scarlet letter mean?” … “Mother!- Mother!- Why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?”

• Analysis: Playing on dramatic irony, Hawthorne is able to show that Pearl is a child and with Pearl constantly reminding Hester about the Scarlet letter, it brings us back to what the overall theme of the story is.

SymbolSymbol

• Through both quotes, one can see that Pearl’s main importance is to remind and symbolize the questioning on the actual factors that the individuals try to hide.

ChillingsworthChillingsworth

• Physical features and personalityRoger Chillingsworth is a man deficient in human warmth. His twisted, stooped, deformed shoulders mirror his distorted soul. From the reading you can tell that he is a difficult husband, he ignored his wife for much of the time, yet expected her to nourish his soul with affection when he did condescend to spend with time with her.

How Chillingsworth changed How Chillingsworth changed

• Chillingsworth did nothing but evolve into more of a devilish soul as the novel went on. On many occasions, Chillingsworth realizes how gnarled and mentally deformed he has become. He recalls the old days, when he was a benevolent scholar. He has now changed from a human being into a vengeful fiend, a mortal man who has lost his “human heart”.

QuoteQuote

• “In a word, old Roger Chillingsworth was a striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office.” (116)

Character ConnectionCharacter Connection

• Chillingsworth is Hester husband, nevertheless she believed that he died at sea because he was supposed to meet her in Boston but arrived many years later . He also Dimmesdale’s caretaker because he is certified doctor and since Dimmesdale’s condition is worsening, he needs round the clock care.

Significance of the characters Significance of the characters

• Chillingsworth represents pure evil. He is associated with secular and sometimes illicit forms of knowledge, as his chemical experiments and medical practices occasionally verge on with craft and murder

• He is interested in revenge, not justice, and seeks the destruction of others rather then redress of wrongs.

PuritansPuritans

• Hawthorne characterizes the Puritans as having this religious belief that all people should follow God’s teachings and be “perfect” in God’s eyes. But we also see this alternate and hypocritical side of them in the incident with the birth of Pearl. When she was born they began to criticize her and her mother Hester. The labeled her an adulterer and a social pariah.

Puritans in the storyPuritans in the story

• -These characters remain pretty consistent throughout the story until the end. They begin to recognize the “A” as something new and more positive. It was not to show that Hester was an “adulterer”, but showed that she was “able”. The town recognized the various works that she has done throughout the community and began to realize and see her true character. “The letter was the symbol of her calling…so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” (111).

Puritans ConnectionPuritans Connection

• -The Puritans are essentially connected to all those that took part in this novel. They play a role in each characters life, because they are a part of the community. These are the people that the main characters interact with daily and develop their relationships with, whether positive or negative.

Puritans SignificancePuritans Significance

• The Puritans play a very significant role in this novel. They are portrayed as the conscientious of the people. They are constantly judging and correcting others while they also correct themselves (Dimmesdale torturing his self). They represent that underlying thought they need to be perfect in the eyes of God. They also can represent hypocrisy. They go about preaching that others should live right and just, while all the while they are criticizing others. “The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen…and so walk the streets as brave as ever!”(36)

Puritans NamePuritans Name

• -Their name also relates to their hypocrisy. They are supposed to be “pure” Christians, but they are not because they did not show love and compassion to Hester when she was enduring hardships. Instead they shunned her and excluded her from the community. They labeled her and isolated her, instead of trying to show her empathy and kindness.

Arthur DimmesdaleArthur Dimmesdale

Hawthorne characterizes Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale in a way that emphasizes how he is character in disguise. He describes Dimmesdale as a holy yet man of sin.

Dimmesdale EvolvesDimmesdale Evolves

Dimmesdale evolves in the story in many ways. He first appears to be ashamed for his sin, later starts to feel sick because of his guilt. Then after they come to an agreement he feels revived.

ConnectionConnection

The characters are all connected because Dimmesdale was with Hester. He is the true father of pearl and second adulterer. Dimmesdale plays an important role as the man who contributed to the incident.

SignificanceSignificance

The significance of Dimmesdale is that he was the mystery man that the townspeople seek to find. He brought a second perspective to the story. He is the man responsible for what happened to them. He was there to ensure they could be protected against the townspeople.

QuoteQuote

• Pg. 102

• “It is done!” muttered the minister, covering his face with his hands. “The whole town will awake, and hurry forth, and find me here!”

Quotes Quotes

• Pg. 148• The excitement of Mr. Dimmesdale’s feelings, as

he returned from his interview with Hester, lent him unaccustomed physical energy, and hurried him town ward at a rapid pace…But he leaped across the plashy places, thrust himself through the clinging underbrush, climbed the ascent, plunged into the hollow, and overcame, in short, all the difficulties of the track, with an unweariable activity that astonished him.

NameName

Arthur Dimmesdale, his name could represent the fact that his name means Bear. This can mean that he is a silent yet strong man. When he was ashamed about what he did he hid, just like bears do during hibernation. There is another significance that can be seen as an allusion to King Arthur. King Arthur was remembered and still is for his power and control. Dimmesdale becomes even more of an icon when he dies. He gave great sermons which made the people in the town believe in his words.

MassachusettsMassachusetts• How Hawthorne characterizes Massachusetts

• As Hawthorne starts the story he describes the setting as he writes “The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopian of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among the earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison… Before this ugly edifice…was a grass plot…pig weed, apple-peru, and such unsightly vegetation…But, on one side of the portal, and rooted, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose bush.” (Hawthorne33)

• Massachusetts is described as an empty and colorless colony. All of the vegetation is dying and it is only lit up by a wild rose bush.

• By doing this Hawthorne sets makes the setting seem gloomy and gives the reading a sense of darkness.

How Massachusetts changes How Massachusetts changes

• Throughout the novel, Massachusetts is mostly described as a desolate area of decaying vegetation but it is different in the forest area.

• The forest is more of a secret type of place.

• It is a place of freedom because no one is there to judge you or put you down.

How Massachusetts connects to all How Massachusetts connects to all the characters the characters

• Massachusetts is characterized as a place that is produces no vegetation and basically it has no life left in it.

• When comparing Massachusetts to the characters in the story, it can be said that it is a representation of everyone's soul.

• Even though every Hester, Roger, Arthur, and Pearl show no signs of sin on the outside, on the inside they are like Massachusetts.

• Each of them is living in sin through Hester’s adultery and their lives rot like the land itself and show no signs of life within them.

• They are always living and dwelling in the past and do not focus on the future.

Why Massachusetts Matters Why Massachusetts Matters • Everyone is worried about hiding themselves from

everyone and it prevents them from flourishing or growing in the puritan society.

• Massachusetts can also signify the natural process of sin in a human by displaying images of rotting and decaying vegetation to show how the puritans cannot actually be “pure.”

• Overall, Massachusetts represents the corrupted Puritan life

• Puritans call themselves “pure Christians” but are actually the opposite. They go against everything they stand for as they ridicule Hester and shun her. They show no mercy or love for each other and as Christians they show no resemblance of Christ.

History History

• The Pilgrims were being persecuted back in Europe and came to the Americas

• Massachusetts was a place for religious freedom and tolerance so they came over here.

• This connects to the novel because even though it was suppose to be a land of freedom, Hester’s sin followed her and was kept isolated from everyone and was not free to express herself as an individual because of religious principles.

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