PAGE / QUOTE/REFERENCE / LABELED RESPONSE
45
45
46
46
50
69
71-72 / Prison-door
"The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison"
Rose bush
Anne Hutchinson
“[The scarlet letter] was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of a splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony”
“It was my folly! I have said it. But, up to that epoch of my life, I had lived in vain. The world had been cheerless!...And so, Hester, I drew thee into my heart, into its innermost chamber, and sought to warm thee by the warmth which thy presence made there!”
“Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the forest round about us?” / Symbolism: usually a sign of freedom but this door is to a prison
Theme:Hawthorne is already critical of the Puritan society he sets the story in
Symbolism: sign of hope and morality in a tale of "darkness"
Allusion: another strong, rebellious woman
Symbolism: the letter symbolizes Hester’s sin, yet decorated on her own terms, it shows her attempts to maintain her dignity and maintain control over her punishment.
Theme: by going against the custom of the day, Hester shows Hawthorne’s attempts to criticize the Puritan society and its attempts at punishment
Characterization: Hester, by elaborately decorating the A, shows how she believes her own guilt and punishment to be more significant than that put upon her by society.
Characterization: Chillingworth shows a soft side, providing a glimpse into what he thought his marriage would be. This tenderness is short lived as he follows the speech with the sinister “Sooner or later, he must needs be mine!” (70) speech in reference to finding Hester’s “partner in crime.”
Characterization: Hester accuses Chillingworth of being like the devil, as his potentially sinister qualities come out in this chapter. Conversely, Hawthorne earlier describes Hester as the image of “Divine Maternity,” the “image of sinless motherhood, whose infant was to redeem the world” (53).
Theme: By making the comparison, Hawthorne shows the distinction between condemning the sin and not the sinner, as he clearly shows Hester to be the heroine.
The attached table is an example of how to arrange your reader response assignment.
- In the first column, indicate the relevant page number(s).
- In the second column, put a brief quoted passage from the novel or a reference to an object in the novel. Select a passage that is significant to characterization, symbolism, motif, or theme.
- In the third column, underline the term, then analyze the quotation. What is significant about the passage you have selected? Discuss important literary elements; do not summarize plot.
- When you have responded to the first quoted passage, select another and repeat. Write four to five pages total, making sure that you represent allsections of the novel (plan ahead!).
- Single-space the quotations and your responses; separate each entry with one line of spacing. Use 11-12 point Times New Roman font.
A template incorporating the proper reader response assignment format will be made available to you. You must use the template as it stands (do not modify margins, column width, etc.). No handwritten responses will be accepted.
Complete your 4-5 pages of notes and send them to turnitin.com by Monday, November 15 before class.