Student Name: Ace Rogowski

The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

Everyone Makes a Mistake

Have you ever felt ostracized from those you love and care about for something you did,
whether intentionally or accidentally? Who was angrier with you – your friends or your family?
If so, you can probably empathize with Hester Prynne, the main character of Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Due to one misstep from her Puritan society’s strict moral and
social code, Hester is cast out, ostracized, and treated as a pariah by her fellow townspeople.

Be a Better Reader
As you work through the study guide for The Scarlet Letter, you will also practice these skills, which will
help you when you read novels in the future, for school assignments or just for fun.

1. Describe the development of the main character.

2. Discuss how the plot develops throughout the novel.

3. Describe themes in the novel and trace their development throughout the text.

4. Cite textual evidence to support discussion of the novel.

5. Describe and analyze the role of setting in the novel.

Behind the Scenes

Nathaniel Hawthorne termed The Scarlet Letter a psychological romance because it focuses on
the inner turmoil of its characters and utilizes layers of symbolism, as opposed to many of the
realistic novels of its day. When Hawthorne wrote and published the novel in 1849 and 1850,
he set it amid the Massachusetts Puritan colony which formed the basis of his community. In so
doing, he portrayed Puritans as unforgiving people who saw the world in black and white, right
and wrong. They enforced a rigid morality and firmly punished anyone who dared stray from
those boundaries. Hawthorne, however, chose to create a Puritan society in which lines are not
so clearly drawn, one that allows the reader to be drawn into the story and make judgments for
himself about the characters and their sins.

Get This!
1. The Scarlet Letter is awash in symbolism. Be sure to notice and try to figure out the
symbolism of the scarlet letter, the meteor, the scaffold, and Pearl.

2. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne hints at the nature of and what constitutes evil. As you
read, determine if you agree with Puritan society’s view that Hester Prynne commits the
greatest act of evil or see if think another character better embodies evil itself.

3. Notice how Hawthorne uses characters’ names, night and day, and civilization and society to
enhance and tell the story.
 Student Name: Ace Rogowski
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

The Plot
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter begins when Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet
“A” on her chest as an outward symbol of her adultery, which is only discovered when she
becomes pregnant and gives birth to her daughter, Pearl. As you read the novel, fill in the boxes
for each element of the plot.

Dimmesdale is too scared to publicly reveal

himself

He(chillingworth) finds out dimmesdale is the father

chillingworth finds a mark on Dimmesdale Hester reveals her real husband and her and pearl
run away

chillingworth lives with dimmesdale so he can

take care of him chillingworth follows them

The people try to seperate hester and pearl Dimmesdale finally reveals himself and dies

hester works as a seamstress to make

money chillingworth dies

hester accidentally finds chillingworth

Hester and pearl leave boston

hester gets out of prison

hester has an affair

hester went to boston

 Student Name: Ace Rogowski
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

The Characters
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne delves into the inner psychological lives of the four
main characters, and in so doing, reveals the motivations for their behavior. For each character,
locate a specific quote from the novel by or about him or her, then explain what Hawthorne is
trying to convey with this character.

Character Quote by or about the What Hawthorne is Trying to

Character Convey
"On the breast of her gown, He conveys shame and
1. Hester Prynne in fine red cloth, surrounded public punishment
with an elaborate
embroidery and fantastic
flourishes of gold thread,
appeared the letter A"

2. Arthur Dimmesdale "While thus sufferering under he conveys him as a

bodily disease, and gnawed and character who is in pain
tortured by some black trouble of
the soul, and given over to the emotionally and physically
machinations of his deadliest
enemy, the reverend a brilliant
popularity in his sacred office"

3. Roger Chillingworth 'No man, for any considerable He conveys him as

period, can wear one face to someone who wants
himself, and another to the
multitude, without finally getting revenge
bewildered as to which may be
the true"

4. Pearl "What a strange, sad man is he! said the He conveys her as innocent
child as if speaking partly to herself. in the
dark nightime he calls us to him and holds and truthful
they hand and mine, as when we stood
with him on the scaffold yonder. And in the
deep forest, where only the old trees can
hear, and the strip of sky see it. he talks
with thee. sitting on a heap of moss"

Select one of the characters above and write a brief character sketch about him or her:
Roger Chillingworth is described as an older man with pale skin and is seeking out
revenge on Hesters secret lover.
 Student Name: Ace Rogowski
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

The Setting
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the backdrop of Puritan Massachusetts in The Scarlet Letter. For only
in a place of such rigid rules, would Hester’s sin be so forcefully addressed. Within this setting,
the author creates numerous symbolic locations that mirror the characters and their
psychological states. For each location, provide a specific quote from the novel, then explain
what Hawthorne is trying to convey about the setting.

Location Quote Describing the What Hawthorne is Trying to

Location Convey
"The founder of a new colony, He tries to convey the
whatever Utopia of human virtue and
1. Puritan Massachusetts happiness they might originally stricter side of society
project, have invariably regarded 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 prision."

"It was, in short, the platform of It serves as a symbol of

2. Scaffold the pillory; and above it rose the punishment
framework of that instrument of
discipline, so fashioned as to
confine the human head in its
tight grasp, and thus hold it up to
the public gaze"

"But, either from the sudden It symbolizes a place of

3. Forest gleams of light flashing over the freedom
obscure feild of his imagination, or
from the vague and unsettled
sense of insecurity consequent
upon the upheaving of the old
symbols and prejudices, or,
perhaps, from both, he now
began to look abroad"
"But in the education of her child the he conveys the contrast day
mothers enthusiasm of thought had
4. Day and Night something to counteract the and night
sluggishness of her tempers. she had
frequently to endure hard words,
jealous taunts, and bitter reproaches;
but, in the end she saw them persish
from lack of substance or of strength
to be poisonous"
 Student Name: Ace Rogowski
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

5. Select one of the settings above and explain how Hawthorne uses it symbolically:
He symbolizes it as shame and sin
 Student Name: Ace Rogowski
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

Tracking Themes
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne addresses the themes of sin and the nature of evil,
while he also explores the individual’s dependence on society for his or her identity. See if you
can identify and analyze those themes in the novel.

Step 1: What parts of the plot seem related to a possible theme in the novel? (Think about the
main conflict and how it get resolved or worked out.)
the Scarlet letter itself, as it presents sin and how sinning can come with punishment

Step 2: Which characters seem related to a possible theme? Which characters change, and
what do those changes suggest about sin, evil, or identity?
chillingworth changed as in that he wanted revenge, and it suggests that even the nicest
people can be pushed to sin

Step 3: How does the author use symbols to hint at the novel’s themes? What objects, people,
or places stand for something “bigger” in the story?
The scarlet letter stands for sin that hester commited

Step 4: What does the novel’s title suggest about the novel’s theme?
It reveals the main theme of sin

Step 5: Write one or two of the novel’s main themes in your own words.
The main theme is sin, and how sinning can result in public shame and consequences
 Student Name: Ace Rogowski
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

Talk About It
What do you think about The Scarlet Letter? Did you notice Hawthorne’s use of color? Did you
empathize with or dislike any of the characters? In the space below each question, write an
answer based on your own understanding of the novel. Include some textual evidence or
examples that helped you arrive at your answer.

1. In addition to using night and day to great effect, Hawthorne also utilizes color, especially the
color red, to create a mood in the novel. By using examples, explain how Hawthorne uses color
to convey meaning in The Scarlet Letter.
He uses color to create certain moods

Textual Evidence:
"The men... in sad colored garments, and grey, steeple crowned hats "

2. Who do you believe is the most evil character in The Scarlet Letter – Hester Prynne, Arthur
Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, or Puritan society itself? Use specific examples from the
novel to support your answer.
i think chillingworth is the most evil character.

Textual Evidence:
" i have already told thee what i am! A fiend!"
 Student Name: Ace Rogowski
The Scarlet Letter Study Guide

Represent!

Show what you know about The Scarlet Letter and its relevance to your life. Choose one of
these projects to complete and share with your teacher, classmates, and others.

Choice 1: Reputation and Society

Hester Prynne’s sin and her punishment forced her to be separated from the society in which
she lived. While this consequence may seem rather harsh to us in the 21st century, people
today must still deal with the consequences of their actions, even if it is only fallout to their
reputation or relationships with others.

Hester Prynne is not the first literary character to start a story with a reputation. Think of other
films, plays, short stories, or novels that focus on a character’s reputation. Create an art project
that illustrates some of these characters—and their reputations. In your visual display, include
objects that symbolize each character’s reputation. Be prepared to explain why you selected
each character, as well as how the character dealt with the blow to his smeared reputation.

Choice 2: Hester Prynne today

While the themes of good and evil extend across time, some of the specific plot points
addressed in The Scarlet Letter could only occur in Puritan Massachusetts. Think about how
Hawthorne’s novel could be updated for a modern-day audience. What situation or sin could
you use to symbolize sin? How would the protagonist be made to atone for his or her sin?
Would the legal system or society itself be the main arbiters of justice?

Create a modern-day version of The Scarlet Letter. You may create a written or a video version.
Be sure to think about how to translate the novel into the present day. Your version does not
have to focus on adultery, just a sin that you believe would draw a similarly strong rebuke from
society.