Question | Answer |
What does the rose bush symbolize in The Scarlet Letter? | Hester's beauty Hester being the rose among the thorns of society |
What does the forest symbolize in The Scarlet Letter? | Nature & freedom beyond the town freedom from the judgement People's reality Wild and open |
What are the negative aspects associated with the forest in The Scarlet Letter? | Puritans see it as threatening The home of the "black man" Represents the dangers to their utopia (the unknown) |
What is symbolic about the Scaffold in The Scarlet Letter? | Represents public notice of sin It is where the truth comes forth Unsightly vegetation which stands for moral evil |
What does the Scarlet A symbolize? | Puritanical punishment-adulterer Later meaning "able" once they had accepted her |
Why does the embroidered A bring more hatred towards Hester? | Puritans believed she had not accepted her sin and believed she thought she had done nothing wrong. |
In reality, what did the embroidered A mean? | Hester took pleasure in designing her own sign due to her love for needlework. She knew she had done wrong but wanted to make the 'A' her own. |
The Boston Prison House was seen by the Puritans as what? | The "black flower on their Utopia" |
Why could the Puritans not fulfill their dreams of a Utopia? | Their needs demolished by the landmarks of their society-the prison and cemetery. |
What does the first chapter "The Prison Door" highlight? | The puritan need for structure and their rigid views on society. It has always been there as they have always felt it necessary to punish those who wronged God. The town's inflexibility. |
What is different with Pearl when looking at sin? | She is the only character who suffers as a result of sin of which she has had nothing to do with. |
What is Pearl to her mother Hester? | A constant reminder of her mother's sinful ways But also acts as her mother's salvation |
"The Interview" reveals Pearl as an embodiment of what? | A physical embodiment of her mother's sin. (The original sin) |
Pearl is often seen as what? | The Scarlet Letter in physical form Hester often dressing her all in red. |
What is the Puritanical view of Pearl? | She is seen as being "wild" or an "imp" like creature. Puritans fear her character often linking her to the forest. |
When does Pearl given a "human" identity? | When Dimmesdale stands with Hester and Pearl on the scaffold and reveals himself as her father. |
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