McDonald 83 The Scarlet Letter Reader s Guide Questions I. The Prison-Door 1. Why does the author use the colors that he does? 2. What do they represent? 3. What is the significance of the rosebush? 4. Who is Anne Hutchinson? II. The Market-Place 5. Who is in the prison? 6. What has she done? 7. How do the other women feel about this? 8. What about the beadle s appearance makes him represent the Puritan code of law? 9. For what does the A stand? 10. Why doe the author describe what it looks like? 11. What is meant by the taint of deepest sin in the most sacred quality of human life? III. The Recognition 12. Who is the strange man asking about Hester? 13. What is our first impression of Dimmesdale? IV. The Interview 14. Who is Roger Chillingworth? 15. How does he know Hester? Where do we discover this for sure? 16. Under what circumstances did these two join? 17. Why is it so important that Chillingworth know who is the father of Hester s baby? 18. What does Chillingworth ask of Hester? V. Hester At Her Needle 19. What does Hawthorne point out at the beginning of Chapter 5? 20. Why doesn t Hester leave? 21. How does Hester support herself? 22. What item is Hester never asked to sew? 23. How does Hester spend her time and money? Why? 24. What is the word that the children call after Hester? 25. From what kind of people does Hester receive sympathy? VI. Pearl 26. Why does Hester choose the name Pearl? 27. Why does Pearl behave the way she does?
McDonald 84 28. How did Puritan children play (what games)? 29. What kinds of games did Pearl play? 30. What is the first thing that Pearl noticed as a baby? VII. The Governor s Hall 31. Why does Hester go to Governor Bellingham? 32. What do the townspeople want to do that alarms Hester? 33. How does Hester see Pearl in this chapter? 34. What do the small children think about doing to Hester and Pearl? 35. How does Pearl react? 36. What point in Hawthorne making about Puritans when describing the Governor s house? 37. Why is this free-born Englishman a servant? 38. We are told something unusual about the main hall. What is it? 39. What is stressed about Bellingham s abilities? 40. What does Pearl point out in the armor? 41. What does Hester encourage Pearl to look at to get her away from the armor? VIII. The Elf-Child and the Minister 42. What reference is made to Gov. Bellingham s appearance in accordance with his surroundings? 43. Who are the men with the Governor? 44. What do we discover about Dimmesdale s health? 45. Gov. Bellingham expresses concern to Hester about something. What is it? 46. What lesson is Hester learning due to the letter? 47. On what is Wilson is Wilson going to quiz Pearl? 48. Why does Pearl respond to Wilson in such a manner? 49. How does Hester refer to Pearl? 50. What does Hester request of Dimmesdale? 51. Why does Dimmesdale respond so expressively? 52. What decisions is made about Pearl and Hester s future? 53. What does Chillingworth suggest be done to discover Pearl s father? 54. How does Mr. Wilson think they will discover the father? 55. What does Pearl s presence save her mother from doing at the end of Chapter 8? IX. The Leech 56. What reason are we given to explain why Chillingworth does not announce his former relationship with Hester? 57. What skill does Chillingworth have that the town needs? What is the daily occupation of the current surgeon? 58. What has Chillingworth learned from the Natives with which he stayed? 59. Why is Dimmesdale sick (according to members of his church)?
McDonald 85 60. What is so miraculous about Chillingworth s arrival? 61. Why does Dimmesdale constantly clasp his chest? 62. Who is the leech? 63. Why do Chillingworth and Dimmesdale spend so much time together? 64. What does Chillingworth think is the root of Dimmesdale s health problems? 65. Why is everyone pleased to see Dimmesdale and Chillingworth living together? 66. After the two live together, what changes are seen in Chillingworth? Why? X. The Leech and his Patient 67. What two pictures are we given of Chillingworth at the beginning of the chapter? 68. Does Dimmesdale suspect that anything could be wrong with his friendship with Chillingworth? If so, what? 69. To what end does Chillingworth use the black weed he picks from the cemetery? 70. What reason does Dimmesdale use to justify the fact that someone may not confess a sin? 71. What sound interrupts Chillingworth and Dimmesdale s conversation? 72. What does Pearl mean when she says that the Black Man has hold of the minister? 73. What does Chillingworth suggest is the source of Dimmesdale s ailment? 74. What does Chillingworth find while Dimmesdale sleeps? XI. The Interior of a Heart 75. What revenge does Chillingworth take on Dimmesdale? 76. Why does Dimmesdale put up with Chillingworth s behavior? 77. What makes Dimmesdale a better minister? Why? 78. Why do people not understand Dimmesdale s confession? 79. What torture does Dimmesdale put himself through? XII. The Minister s Vigil 80. Where does Dimmesdale go? 81. How long has it been since Hester was on this platform? 82. Who hears Dimmesdale s cry? 83. Who has died on this night? 84. Why doesn t Father Wilson stop and talk to Dimmesdale? 85. What scene does Dimmesdale imagine will come with the morning? 86. What is discovered (openly in the book) at this point? 87. What does Pearl ask Dimmesdale to do? 88. What happens in the meteor shower? 89. What does Dimmesdale see in the sky? 90. What does Chillingworth resemble?
McDonald 86 91. What is found on the scaffold the next morning? XIII. Another View of Hester 92. How is Hester s situation different from before? 93. How has the meaning of the scarlet letter changed? 94. What change has happened in Hester? 95. What is the transfiguration that might occur in Hester? 96. What is the dark question that Hester raises about womanhood? 97. What does Hester consider doing to Pearl? Why? 98. Why has the scarlet letter not done its office? 99. What error has Hester committed concerning Dimmesdale and Chillingworth? XIV. Hester and the Physician 100.Why are the magistrates considering the removal of the scarlet letter? 101.What changes does Hester see in Chillingworth? 102.Why does Hester feel it would be better that Dimmesdale had died? 103.Why does Chillingworth continue to torture Dimmesdale? 104.What is Chillingworth s only hope for redemption? XV. Hester and Pearl 105.What games has Pearl been playing while Hester and Chillingworth talked? 106.What two views of Pearl are given at the beginning of this chapter? 107.What action does Pearl connect with the scarlet letter? XVI. A Forest Walk 108.What does Hester want to tell Dimmesdale? 109.Where is Hester going to meet Dimmesdale? 110.What is Hester reminded of by the forest? 111.Why do you think Pearl continues to ask about the scarlet letter? 112.What story does Pearl tell her mother? 113.What does Hester finally tell Pearl is the cause of the scarlet letter? XVII. The Pastor and The Parishioner 114.What reason does Dimmesdale give for not being comforted by the good he does? 115.How does Hester see Dimmesdale, and her silence in protecting him, differently? 116.What do you think of Dimmesdale s inability to make a decision? 117.What does Hester suggest Dimmesdale do to escape Chillingworth? 118.What does Hester agree to do with Dimmesdale?
McDonald 87 XVIII. A Flood of Sunshine 119.What decision do Hester and Dimmesdale make? 120.Why does Hester take off the scarlet letter? 121.What change occurs in Hester when she removes the scarlet letter? 122.What change occurs in nature when Hester removes the scarlet letter? 123.What Romantic elements so we see in Pearl s interaction with the forest? XIX. The Child at the Brook-side 124.Why has Dimmesdale feared Pearl? 125.How have Dimmesdale s experiences with Pearl been different from his experiences with other children? 126.What troubles Pearl as she sees her reflection in the pool? 127.Why won t Pearl go to her mother? 128.What changes occur in Hester when she puts the letter back on? 129.How does Pearl react to Dimmesdale? What does she want him to do? XX. The Minister in a Maze 130.Where are Hester and Dimmesdale going to go? 131.How are they going to leave? 132.Why is Dimmesdale happy for a four-day delay? 133.What change occurs in Dimmesdale? How does his perception change? 134.What urges doe Dimmesdale have to fight? 135.What is strange about the conversation between Dimmesdale and Mistress Hibbins? 136.What bargain has Dimmesdale made? XXI. The New England Holiday 137.Describe Hester s appearance at the beginning of this chapter. 138.Why is Pearl behaving in such a hyper manner at the beginning of this chapter? 139.Why does Pearl call Dimmesdale a strange, sad man? 140.For what has the town gathered? 141.How are the sailors different from the townspeople? 142.What change occurs in Hester s travel plans? XXII. The Procession 143.What is the order for the procession? 144.What change is seen in Mr. Dimmesdale? 145.What does Mistress Hibbins talk about with Hester? 146.How do the townspeople see Pearl? 147.Why is Hester tormented? 148.What is the scorching stigma on them both?
McDonald 88 XXIII. The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter 149.How does Dimmesdale s Election Sermon affect the townspeople? 150.How do the people see Dimmesdale? 151.What change occurs in Dimmesdale s physical condition? 152.From whom does Dimmesdale request assistance? 153.What does Chillingworth suggest that Dimmesdale do? 154.What does Dimmesdale say is better than the planned escape? 155.What does Dimmesdale reveal? 156.What change occurs in Pearl? 157.How does Dimmesdale end this chapter? XXIV. Conclusion 158.What are the different stories stated as to the origin of Dimmesdale s scarlet letter? 159.Why do some people deny the existence of the letter on Dimmesdale? 160.What moral does the book quote from Dimmesdale? 161.What physical change occurs in Chillingworth? 162.What does our narrator say about revenge? 163.What is the difference between love and hate? 164.What does Pearl receive? 165.What happens to Hester and Pearl? 166.Why does Hester return? 167.What does the A come to mean? 168.What becomes Hester s job? 169.What does Hester believe is the coming revelation?