Review for Test over The Scarlet Letter
THEMES: alienation appearance versus reality breaking society’s rules
TERMS: theocracy; allusion; personification; simile; metaphor; hyperbole; satire; realism;
paradox; dramatic irony; irony of situation; verbal irony; foreshadowing
● 2 necessities in a new colony
● Hester’s punishment
● what magistrates want to accomplish by punishing Hester
● what the decoration on scarlet letter indicates about Hester
● name of person who tells Hester to confess the name of the man she committed adultery with
● 2 reasons Hester stays in Boston
● 2 meanings of the meteor
● 3 theories of how the A was imprinted on Dimmesdale’s chest
● when Dimmesdale will stand with Hester and Pearl
● Hester’s reason for decorating the scarlet letter, according to a female spectator
● reason Hester’s husband took so long to arrive in Boston
● reason Hester will not name the man she committed adultery with
● ways that Dimmesdale punishes himself
● reasons Dimmesdale will not tell the truth about the adultery
● reason Chillingworth does not want Dimmesdale to mount the scaffold
● what happens to Chillingworth after Dimmesdale dies
Symbols
Pearl Black Scarlet Letter A Rosebush
Forest Prison Door Red Meteor
Meaning
A symbol of shame, yet triumph over forces World of the unknown; natural world which is a
that intend to punish her; adulteress=> able=>angel place of nature’s authority as opposed to man- made authority of the Puritans; place of freedom, yet can also be viewed as a place of darkness, the devil and temptation.
This color is associated with sin, the devil and darkness.
This color represents the glow of passion or
color in a world of gray and darkness.
Living embodiment of sin; product of love and passion
The authority of Puritan law; man-made, rigid
conventions that contrast with Nature
The ability of Nature to outlast man’s activities;
a symbol of hope, kindness, forgiveness
A sign from God; some interpret the message from heaven to mean “angel” while others believe the sign is a supernatural warning of approaching doom
Answers to Review for Test over The Scarlet Letter
● 2 necessities in a new colony
Prison and cemetery
● Hester’s punishment
Prison; wearing the scarlet A; isolation; standing on the scaffold
● what magistrates want to accomplish by punishing Hester
Discourage others from adultery; maintain order in society; reinforce the idea
that the law must be followed
● what the decoration on the scarlet letter indicates about Hester
maybe she doesn’t think her sin is wrong
● name of person who tells Hester to confess the name of the man she committed adultery with
Dimmesdale
● 2 reasons Hester stays in Boston
Her sin binds her to Boston; the man she feels married to lives in Boston.
● 2 meanings of the meteor
a personal sign from heaven for Dimmesdale; stands for Angel for Governor Winthrop
● 3 theories of how the A was imprinted on Dimmesdale’s chest
Dimmesdale’s self-torture; Chillingworth’s drugs; guilt eating at his heart
● when Dimmesdale will stand with Hester and Pearl
at the great judgment day
● Hester’s reason for decorating the scarlet letter, according to a female spectator
to laugh in the faces of the magistrates
● reason Hester’s husband took so long to arrive in Boston
He was captured by Indians.
● reason Hester will not name the man she committed adultery with
His name is branded too deeply in her heart.
● ways that Dimmesdale punishes himself
scourging himself; fasting; standing on the scaffold; puts A on his chest
● reasons Dimmesdale will not tell the truth about the adultery
Wants to continue serving God; lacks the courage; fears public exposure
● reason Chillingworth does not want Dimmesdale to mount the scaffold
The scaffold is the only place that Dimmesdale could escape him.
● what happens to Chillingworth after Dimmesdale dies
He dies within the year because he has lost his reason for living.
Symbols
Pearl Black Scarlet Letter A Rosebush
Forest Prison Door Red Meteor
Meaning
A symbol of shame, yet triumph over forces World of the unknown; natural world which is a
that intend to punish her; adulteress=> able=>angel place of nature’s authority as opposed to man- Scarlet Letter made authority of the Puritans; place of freedom, yet can also be viewed as a place of darkness, the devil and temptation. forest
This color is associated with sin, the devil and darkness.
black
This color represents the glow of passion or
color in a world of gray and darkness. red
Living embodiment of sin; product of love and passion
Pearl
The authority of Puritan law; man-made, rigid
conventions that contrast with Nature
The ability of Nature to outlast man’s activities; prison door
a symbol of hope, kindness, forgiveness
rosebush A sign from God; some interpret the message from heaven to mean “angel” while others believe the sign is a supernatural warning of approaching doom
meteor