Chapter 1:

2. What is the significance of the rosebush outside of the prison door? The

rosebush represents Hester. Everything else is so dull and lifeless, and then there is the bright rosebush. It grew up beautiful through all the challenges it faced just like Hester did.

Chapter 2:
4. What is Hester's first action in the novel and what does it real about her character? Describe her demeanor as she emerges from the prison. It reveals

she is a strong and brave person. She just carries herself with so much pride and dignity in a situation where most people would have hung their heads in shame.
5. According to the narrator, what is the greatest outrageagainst our common nature? Do you agree? How might this opinion on the part of the narrator shape the telling of this story? According to the narrator, the greatest

outrage is to "forbid the culprit to hide his face for shame; as it was the essence of this punishment to do". I definitely agree. It is one thing to publicly shame someone, but not even allowing them to hide their face in shame is terrible. They have to sit there and stare back at the people that are judging them. The opinion of the narrator influences the way we think. It shows that Hester fought against human nature and took her punishment without too much shame. This shows us just how brave Hester is.

Chapter 3:
7. Describe the stranger standing next to the Indian during Hesters punishment. The man standing next to the Indian was a short white man. He

showed signs of intelligence and age. One shoulder was slightly higher than the other and whenever she made eye contact with this stranger she seemed embarrassed.
9. Describe Reverend Dimmesdale. What are his most significant physical features and what do they suggest about his personality and even his soul? He

was a person of very striking aspect, with a white, lofty, and impending brow,

large, brown, melancholy eyes, and a mouth which, unless when he forcibly compressed it, was apt to be tremulous, expressing both nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint. Instead of being lofty and white his soul might reflect the exact opposite.
10. What argument does Dimmesdale use to try to convince Hester to name her "fellow sinner"? How does Hester respond? How does her child respond? The

argument that Dimmesdale tries to make is that by not naming her fellow sinner she is leading him in the wrong direction. Not only did he sin, but also it tempts him to add hierocracy to his sin. All Hester does is shake her head, but her baby reaches up to Dimmesdale.
11. Why does Hester say the Scarlet letter can never be removed from her breast? Hester says this because even if she were to remove the A from her

chest, it would still be embedded into her heart. This is true because she will never forget her sin. It is a part of her and she will always wear the A regardless of if it is physically there or just in her heart.

Chapter 4:
13. What does Chillingworth mean when he says to Hester, "We have wronged each other"? He says this because she had an affair with someone else and that

is obviously how she wronged him, but less obviously he wronged her. He married her knowing that she didnt love him. He was old and not exactly desirable, while she was young and beautiful. He tied her down and knew before doing so that she could never be truly happy with him.

Chapter 5:
16. The narrator gives two reasons for Hester's refusal to leave New England, one that is authentic and one that Hester fabricates as a "self-delusion." Explain each one and what it reveals about Hester's character. Hester was

married in New England so she says her birthplace is there. Her "self-delusion" is that she wants to pay for her sin, in the place where she committed it. Hester realizes that she committed a terrible sin and needs to be punished for it. She is a good woman that made a mistake and is obviously willing to pay for what she did.

17. Where does Hester live after her leaving the prison? What is significant about this location? After leaving prison Hester lives on the edge of town. It is

significant because it is so far away from other people.

20. What new and special power does the scarlet letter seem to give Hester? What is Hester's reaction to this new found ability? The scarlet letter seems to

give Hester a new understanding of the pain and sadness in other peoples hearts. She realizes that keeping something bottled up inside of you can take a toll on your body and can cause physically and emotional pain.

Chapter 6:
22. How does the narrator account for Pearl's wild and untamed character?

The narrator implies that Pearl might be more punishment for her mother. She is like a crazy demon child. She is wild and challenging and so much like Hester.
24. What purpose might the mother-daughter conflict play in the novel? The

mother-daughter conflict is like the conflict between good and evil. Hester is trying to live her life right after this sin, but Pearl represents the sin that Hester committed. While Hester is trying to forget about her sinful past Pearl is a constant reminder. It is a continuous fight between her sins and her renewed attempt at righteousness.

Chapter 7:
26. Describe Pearl's dress and comment on its significance. Pearl dresses in

bright fancy dresses just for everyday wear. This is not common in the puritan establishment. Most people dress in dull colors to go through the everyday. This just reflects their character. Most people conform into society and are boring and all the same, but Pearl is different. She isnt like most of the children. She is beautiful and wild.
27. Describe the construction and furnishing of Governor Bellingham's mansion. What does it reveal about Puritan culture? Governor Bellingham's

house was large and new. It had a lot of things inside that would make someone feel at home. It was kept neat and clean. It also had beautiful windows. This reveals that the Puritan culture emphasizes appearances. If something is wrong

in your house no one needs to know besides you. They do try to make you feel welcome though, even if you arent.

Chapter 8:
29. What reason does the Governor give for taking Pearl from her mother? How does he "examine" Pearl and for what purpose? How do Pearl's responses strengthen the elders' biases against her and Hester? He doesnt want Pearl to

end up like Hester. He asks her who her heavenly father is and she doesnt know. This makes the elders want to take her even more and teach her Christian values that they think her mother isnt teaching her.
30. What reason does Hester give for her need to keep Pearl? Who supports her plea and why? Hester gives the reason that she created Pearl and she is her only

companion. Also she says that Pearl is also punishment and a reminder of her sin given to her by God. Dimmesdale supports her plea because Hester created Pearl, but what they dont know is that he created Pearl too.

Chapter 9:
33. How does Chillingworth make a place for himself in Boston society? Why are we as readers suspicious of his professional and social motivations? Why does this suspicion seem to be absent from the narrator's tone? He is a doctor and is

helping Dimmesdale get better. We as readers are suspicious of his professional and social motivations because we know that he is Hesters husband. Suspicion seems to be absent from the narrators tone because he isnt trying to influence us in a bad way.
36. What biblical stories are portrayed in the decorations of Dimmesdale's room? What themes or issues are suggested by these stories? The decorations

shown in Dimmesdale's room are King David, Bathseba, and Nathan the Prophet. Bathseba was seduced by King David. Then, Nathan went to kill David for his sin of adultery. This is important because Dimmesdale committed the same sin that David and Bathseba committed. These things remind him every day of the sin he committed. These are almost like a scarlet letter for him.

Chapter 10:
40. Summarize the disagreement between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale over the confession of sin. What are the points of view offered by each man? Why does Dimmesdale leave the room? What is the larger significance of this conversation? Chillingworth thinks that a nasty plant growing out of a grave is

from sins that werent confessed. Dimmesdale thinks that the only time you need to confess your sins is on judgment day to God. He thinks that no one needs to know your business, but Chillingworth thinks the opposite. He thinks that you should tell people about the things you have done wrong. Dimmesdale leaves the room because he knows he is one of those people that will keep his sin a secret and feels guilty. The larger significance of this conversation is that each of them is talking about the same thing.
42. What important discovery does Chillingworth make while Dimmesdale is sleeping? How does the narrator describe Chillingworth? He realizes why

Dimmesdale holds his hands over his chest all of the time. The narrator describes Chillingsworth with a bit of joy and a little horror. He is joyful because he finally found the person who committed adultery with Hester, but kind of horrified because hes hurt and surprised that it is the minister.

Chapter 11:
44. How does Dimmesdale's suffering affect his work as a clergyman? What is the public reaction when Dimmesdale's "confesses" his sinfulness from the pulpit? Describe and analyze the narrator's tone toward Dimmesdale as he describes this confession. He felt like a hypocrite. Him confessing just made

them think he was an even better person. He didnt even really confess though he just said that he wasnt as good as everyone thought and that he sinned too. The narrator's tone is basically straight forward and tells things like it is.

Chapter 12:
46. Why does Dimmesdale go to stand on the scaffold? He feels guilty for his

sin. Hester has already done her time on the scaffold and now he is doing his. The only thing is though that his isnt half as bad as hers was because he doesnt have people staring and judging him like she did.

49. What question does Pearl ask Dimmesdale? What is his answer? Why is this interaction significant? She asks him if he will stand there tomorrow at noon

with her and Hester. He says he wont tomorrow, but he will on judgment day. This interaction is significant because Dimmesdale knows why he's there and I think Pearl has a little understanding of what is going on. On judgment day, all three of them will stand there as a family and will have to face guilt and humiliation together.
50. What "sign" appears in the sky? How is it described? What two interpretations are offered by which characters? The meteor was described as

a bow, a sword, or the letter "A" that meant for angel or adulterer to others.

Chapter 13:
53. How has Hester's position in the community changed? How is this linked to any change in the townspeople's perception of the scarlet letter's symbolism? Explain the narrator's comment that "scarlet letter had not done its office."

Hesters position in the community has changed because she helps people. She helps the poor and the sickly. This changes the townspeoples perception of the scarlet letter because the A no longer stands for adultery in their eyes. The A now stands for able to them. The scarlet letter did not do its office because it was supposed to embarrass her, but it ended up coming to mean something else that caused no embarrassment to her.
54. Describe the changes in Hester's appearance and temperament that have come as a result of wearing the scarlet letter. Include an explanation of how her view on womanhood has changed. She cut her hair. Now she is starting to

act like a real puritan woman should.

Chapter 14:
56. Chillingworth tells Hester that Dimmsdale is becoming aware of what Chillingworth is doing and is starting to not want Chillingworth near him. Of coures, Chillingworth finds this troubleing because he wants to continue to torture Dimmsdale. Chillingworth tells Hester that Dimmsdale is becoming

aware of what Chillingworth is doing and is starting to not want Chillingworth

near him. Of course, Chillingworth finds this troubling because he wants to continue to torture Dimmsdale.

Chapter 15:
59. Explain Hesters statement, If this be the price of the childs sympathy, I cannot pay it. Later, in chapter 16, what does the narrator say Pearl needs in order to make her capable of sympathy? She says this because Pearl is always

asking about the scarlet letter. She says she isnt going to tell Pearl about it because she is too young to know about it. The narrator says she needs grief before she can go ahead and tell her.

Chapter 16:
60. Why hasnt Hester ever visited Dimmesdale in his study? What does Hesters desired meeting place suggest about the nature of their relationship? She

doesnt ever meet him in his study because suspicion would arise, plus their relationship is more natural than that. There was nothing formal about their relationship. It also is dark with sin, so they meet in a dark place.
63. What questions does Pearl repeat throughout chapters 15 and 16? What do these questions suggest about Pearl and about her relationship with her mother? Why does Dimmesdale grab his chest? What does the scarlet letter

mean? You can tell from this that Pearl is defiant and that she is eventually going to get her way.

Chapter 17:
67. Why does Hester reveal the truth of Chillingworth's identity? How does Dimmesdale react? What is your reaction to his reaction? Hester felt like she

needed to tell him before Chillingworth could do any more damage. Dimmesdale at first is mad, but he eventually gets over it. I was kind of upset that he got mad. She was keeping his secret and someone elses. If she wouldve told someone the secret she was keeping for him he wouldve gotten mad so I dont really understand how he could get mad and blame everything on her.

Chapter 18:

69. In the second paragraph of chapter 18, the narrator uses the phrase a moral wilderness. What is this intended to describe? This is intended to

describe Hesters character.

70. How does Nature react when Hester removes the Scarlet Letter? What is the significance of this in light of Pearls statement in chapter 16 that the sunshine does not love Hester? What thematic message is solidified in this moment? (You might consider the statement in this same paragraph that Lovemust always create a sunshine.) Nature was happy with her. It changed

its attitude towards her. The significance of this statement is that the sunshine was like happiness. No matter how much she ran after it, it would always run from her. Once she took off the A, which represents the burden of her sin, the sun, or happiness, ran to her.

Chapter 19:
71. Why is Pearl unable to share her mothers joy over the Scarlet Letters removal? Why does she insist that Hester put the Scarlet Letter on again? Why does she reject Dimmesdales kiss? Pearl is unable to share her mothers joy over

the Scarlet Letters removal because if she tries to forget her sin by taking of the letter, then she might try to forget her sin by getting rid of Pearl too. Also, she isnt used to seeing her mother without it. She rejects Dimmesdales kiss because he wont be with them in public.

Chapter 20:
73. What four temptations does Dimmesdale face on his way home? What does Dimmesdale assume is the source of these temptations? What alternate explanation does the narrator offer? What further explanations for Dimmesdales temptation might be apparent to a modern reader? His

temptations are having a conversation with the Deacon in his church, the words that the woman spoke into Dimmesdale's ear, to have sex with a young girl, and that he wanted to teach bad words to young children. He already thinks he is a bad person so now he just thinks he should act like one.
74. What does Mistress Hibbins perceive when she meets Dimmesdale? When contrasted against Hesters meeting with Mistress Hibbins at the end of

chapter 8, how does Dimmesdales response to her further our understanding of the contrast between the two lovers? She thinks that Dimmesdale was with

her master, the Devil. At the end of chapter 8 she asks Hester if she wants to sign the Devils book. Hester says that she would if it were not for Pearl.

Chapter 21:
76. To what degree and for what reason is Hester isolated from Puritan community during the Holiday? How does Pearl act as a foil to Hesters condition in this scene? According to the narrator, how is this apparent contrast the result of an underlying connection between mother and daughter?

Hester is very isolated from the scene. Pearl acts as a foil to Hester because Hester is very stressed out about leaving. This means that Pearl is happy and calm. They never seem to be feeling the same thing.
78. What bad news does Hester receive from the ships captain? How might this news suggest an impending tragedy to the reader? She finds out that

Chillingworth is also going to England with them. This suggests an impending tragedy to the reader because there is going to be a conflict and something bad is going to happen.

Chapter 22:
80. How has Dimmesdales appearance changed? In what way does he appear separate from the crowd and how does this affect Hester? How does this also foreshadow a possible tragedy? Dimmesdale seems to be better now. He isnt

really acting like himself and that scares Hester because she doesnt know if it is a good idea that they go to England together anymore. This also foreshadows a possible tragedy because Chillingworth is going to take Dimmesdale to the boat.

Chapter 23:
83. How does Hawthorne further develop the symbolic importance of the scaffold during Dimmesdales sermon? He has a mark on his chest just like

Hester does. This connects them on a different level.

85. Describe and analyze the significance of each of the main characters reactions to Dimmesdales confession. How is each one changed by his confession? Pearl finally got what she wanted and she rewards him by bestowing

a kiss on him. Dimmesdale is relieved that he finally got his sin off of his chest. Chillingworth is upset because he can no longer torture Dimmesdale. Hester is happy that he finally got rid of his burden and says that they will spend their afterlife together.
86. What are Dimmesdales last words? Is there anything significant about these words or the situation in which they are spoken? He says that hopefully God

will be merciful and let them be together in heaven. He says without the mark on his chest or Chillingworth he wouldve never repented. This is significant because he is saying that those things were almost a blessing.

Chapter 24:
87. Summarize the concluding chapter in terms of character development and final thoughts offered by the narrator. Chillingworth dies. Hester and Pearl

move to Europe. Hester comes back and when she dies she is buried next to Dimmesdale, but not really close because they have no right to mingle even after death. They do share a headstone though. It is an A with a black background.