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THE SCARLET LETTER:CHAPTERS 3 & 4
Strenuously forged by the hands of Bailey Estes
and Forrest Ream
ACTIVITY
I. Pick a crime, any crime, anything you could get
in trouble for
II. Think of a way to punish someone for doing said
crimeI. The punishment cannot physically harm anyoneII. The punishment should be designed to publically
embarrass the criminalIII. The punishment should be somehow related to
the crime itself
III. Whoever comes up with the cleverest idea wins
CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY
Hester Prynne and her child have been put forth on display on a
platform in the marketplace as part of her punishment. On the edge of the
crowd Hester spots an Indian man accompanying a hunched, white man who
asks members of the crowd about Hester’s situation, including her name and
why she is on display. According to the townsperson, Hester has so far refused
to reveal the name of her fellow adulterer. Hester seems to recognize the man,
but is pulled out of her reverie to be questioned by Governor Bellingham, the
clergyman John Wilson, and Hester’s priest Reverend Dimmesdale about the
identity of her lover. She again refuses to divulge the information, then is sent
back into the prison for the remainder of her sentence.
CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY
After returning to her cell, Hester is in a ”state of
nervous excitement.” in order to keep her from harming herself
or her child, a doctor is brought to her cell. The doctor is
revealed to be Roger Chillingworth, the hunched man from the
crowd. He gives the baby a sleeping draught, then sits and talks
to Mrs. Prynne. Through their conversation, Chillingworth
reveals himself to be Hester’s estranged husband. He also
vows to find the child’s father, but not to reveal himself or take
revenge on the man.
THEMES
Acceptance: While Hester and Chillingworth can accept her actions, the rest
of the town has vilified them, making her the talk of the town.
Justice: Everyone is this book is seeking justice for something. The
townspeople are seeking justice for a perceived wrong (Hester committing
adultery), which comes in the form of the scarlet letter. Chillingworth seeks
justice for Hester's wrong against him, her husband, by searching for the
identity of her lover (although he also wronged her by leaving for several
years).
Guilt: Both Hester and Chillingworth feel a certain amount of guilt for their
actions, Hester for her adultery and Roger for leaving her on her own for years
ROMANTICISMVS. PURITANISM
In these chapters, the Romantic and Puritan ideas
are often at odds, because Romantic ideas were
exactly what the Puritans were trying to avoid.
Hester seeks the Romantic ideas of individuality
and self-realization by becoming her own person, not
simply her husband’s wife. The Puritan views of a
subservient wife, however, forced her to wear the
scarlet letter because of her actions.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS: HESTER PRYNNE
In these chapters we see Hester’s fear, as well as her
perseverence and bravery. When Hester first sees her husband
she is terrified of what he will do to her. As she talks to him,
however, she becomes very strong, defending her actions. This
same strength we see earlier when Hester is questioned by the
elites of the town; she defends the name of her accomplice with
complete conviction. These chapters show that she understands
her actions, and that her single regret is that her child be raised
under the stigma of the scarlet letter.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS:ROGER CHILLINGWORTH
The character of Roger Chillingworth is introduced in chapter
three as a man at the edge of the crowd that simply knows
Hester, and is recognized by her. In the next chapter, however,
when he goes to speak to her, he is revealed to be a physician of
some talent, as well as Mrs. Prynne’s estranged husband. He is
shown to have compassion for Hester, despite what she did, and
wants to find her lover for some unknown purpose; he does not
wish to cause bodily harm or announce the man to the world, only
to know who he is.
LITERARY DEVICES
Irony: During Hester’s punishment on the scaffolding, she reacts to
the sight of Roger Chillingworth on the edge of the crowd. The reader
is informed, through the way the two characters react to each other,
that they somehow know each other. The reader can see this clearly,
though everyone in the crowd or on the balcony is in the dark.
Narrative Voice: The narrator’s voice comes from a subjective, third-
person point-of-view. The narrator describes the events from the
viewpoint of a few characters, not just one. He describes their
thoughts and emotions, though not those of everyone.
LITERARY DEVICES CONT.
Figurative Language:• “There was a remarkable intelligence in his
features, as of a person who had so cultivated his mental part that it could not fail to mould the physical to itself, and become manifest by unmistakable tokens.”
• “A writhing horror twisted itself across his features, like a snake gliding swiftly over them, and making one little pause, with all its wreathed intervolutions in open sight.”
• “But[the medicine] will calm the swell and heaving of thy passion, like oil thrown on the waves of a tempestuous sea.”
LITERARY DEVICES CONT.
Symbolism and Color: The scarlet of the A
symbolizes the sexual nature of the sin it punishes. It
also symbolizes the flames of Hell, as it is often
described as glowing or burning. Chillingworth’s
hunched disfigurement symbolizes his altered
thought processes; he is often shown thinking or
acting very differently from those around him.
QUIZ
I.Other than the scarlet letter, how is Hester
punished?
II.How does Hester react to the stranger she sees in
the crowd?
III.What is the stranger’s name?
IV.How is he connected to Hester?
V.What does he vow to do to Hester’s lover?