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Scarlet  letter  
 
Essential  conflict  between  laws  of  church(  sin)  and  laws  of  nature  (love)  !  does  not  
match,  too  harsh  and  straight
...
 
Way  Hester  is  treated  by  Puritans  might  reflect  extreme  punishment  that  still  goes  on  
today
...
 Appearance  as  a  sinner    
 
Chillingworth  !  seems  to  be  a  good  person
...
 reality
...
 
Refrain  from  sever  judgment  by  judging    by  what  can  be  seen  ;  good  in  sin  and  bad  in  
sinless
...
 We  cannot  always  see  clearly  
(clear  and  unclear  vision)
...
 
Idea  of  courage  vs
...
 
 
 
Sentiment  of  love  that  guides  Hester  through  novel:  loves  Dimmesdale,  Pearl,  and  loves  
the  people  around  her  by  helping  them  ;  power  of  love  that  helps  her  through  terrible  
humiliation
...
 Apparent  vs
...
 
 
Puritans  opposed  to  anything  fun  or  frivolous  ;  fine  line  between  government  and  the  
church  ;  when  church  decided  something  no  other  recourse
...
 
 
17th  century  English  language
...
 

Alienation,  appearance  vs  reality,  conflict  guilt  and  shame,  laws  of  nature  vs  human  
laws,  gender  roles,  revenge,  cowardice,  identity,  punishment,  power  of  love  
 
Punishment    :    
 
Dimmesdale  :  scars  A  on  his  chest,  Chillingworth  “tortures”  Dimmesdale  like  a  leech,  
Hester  must  wear  scarlet  letter  A,  stays  in  prison  cell,  stand  on  scaffold  for  3  hours  and  
live  in  outside  cottage,  birth  of  Pearl  ?,  Mistress  Hibbins  for  being  a  witch,  
Dimmesdale  punished  by  death    
 
 
Hester  Prynne  :  In  prison  cell,  must  stand  on  scaffold,  wear  scarlet  letter  and  must  live  in  
cottage  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village  !  outcast  of  society
...
 
 
Arthur  Dimmesdale:  punished  by  having  to  hide  secret  about  relation  with  Hester,  
causes  him  to  torture  himself  (whipping  fasting,  scars  letter  A  on  his  chest),  is  tortured  
by  Chillingworth  as  a  consequence,  destroys  his  religious  integrity,  ends  up  dying  on  
scaffold  through  final  confession  on  scaffold
...
 
 
 
Pearl  :  serves  as  a  punishment  for  Chillingworth  who  has  not  treated  Hester  with  care  ;    
She  suffers  from  indirect  punishment  from  mother  :  is  also  excluded  from  society,  does  
not  know  her  fathers  identity  for  long  time,  cries  when  seeing  scarlet  letter  A  as  a  baby,  
seen  by  others  as  a  demon  child
...
 People  of  town  quickly  realize  that  he  is  
tormenting  Dimmesdale  more  than  anything  else
...
 
Also  punishes  Hester  by  his  presence  and  constantly  trying  to  frighten  like  some  devilish  
figure  and  finding  out  who  she  has  had  pearl  with:  “Doth  thy  sentence  bind  thee  to  wear  
the  token  in  thy  sleep  ?  Art  thou  not  afraid  of  nightmares  and  hideous  dreams?”  
As  Hester,  Pearl  and  Dimmesdale  attempt  to  leave  to  Europe,  Chillingworth  appears  to  
stop  them  once  again  by  announcing  that  he  will  board  the  ship
...
 
Existence  only  turned  towards  hurting  others  and  doing  evil  !  punished  by  living  a  
miserable  life
...
 

Govern  Bellingham:  he  is  not  punishes  yet  issues  punishments  (punishment  according  to  
what  is  deemed  right  by  religion  !  religion  and  state  are  closely  intertwined)
...
 
 
 
Benefit  of  punishment,  dimensions  of  punishment  (in  same  ways?),  effects  of  
punishment,  causes  …  
 
Benefit  of  punishment,  dimensions  of  punishment  (in  same  ways?),  effects  of  punishment,  
causes  …  
Punishment  is  usually  put  in  place  in  order  to  serve  as  a  lesson  and  prevent  events  from  
happening  again  ;  punishment  can  be  pyshical,  or  touch  a  person’s  emotions  (shame  and  guilt
...
 Punishment  caused  by  breaking  of  rules  or  laws  or  codes  
imposed  by  law  and  society  :  in  the  Scarlet  letter,  religion,  law  and  state  are  intetwined  meaning  
any  moral  violation  is  a  legal  violation  and  has  direct  consequences
...
 
-­‐  Hester  not  impacted  by  puritan  religion
...
 Accepted  because  seems  pure
...
 
-­‐Hester  believes  in  God  but  not  the  religious  aspect  of  it  (man  made  concept)
...
 
-­‐  Unites  people  of  the  village  but  divides  characters  away  from  each  other
...
 natural  law:  
 
Human  law  :  mix  of  state  law  and  religion/puritanism  (characterised  by  sad  life)
...
 
Human  law  !  scaffold  
In  theory,  every  one  abides  to  human  law  except  Hester    
Hester  gets  the  feeling  that  Scarlet  letter  has  brought  her  awareness  of  other  people’s  
sins
...
 
Physically  alienated  in  cottage
...
 
 
Natural  Law  :    
 

Seems  to  follow  more  principles  of  good  and  bad  ;  enforced  by  each  person’s  conscience  
through  feelings  of  shame  and  guilt
...
 
Even    
Pearl  tortures  Dimmesdale  
Natural  law  often  associated  with  light  and  darkness  (following  or  not  following  the  
law)
...
 
Dimmesdale  associated  with  darkness  !  dim  p
...
 Knows  her  deed  is  evil  ;  feels  
ashamed  ;  p
...
 
Chillingworth  associated  with  darkness  !  leech  ;  chill  !  dark  
p
...
 
Hester  punished  by  human  law  but  blessed  by  natural  law  ;  Arthur  protected  by  
human  law  but  punished  by  natural  law
...
 
Pearl  follows  Hester  everywhere  
 
Revenge  :  
 
 

Revenge : he action of hurting or harming someone in return for an injury or
wrong suffered at their hands
Punishment : the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offence:
Society  punishes  Hester  and  does  not  take  revenge  on  her
...
 If  Pearl  some  
kind  of  punishment,    
-­‐  Soft  type  of  revenge  :  Hester’s  revenge  on  Puritan  society  through  fighting  off  the  
punishment  given  to  her;  manages  to  gain  puraitans  respect  and  trust  again
...
 
-­‐  Pearl  takes  no  revenge  on  anyone,  except  maybe  on  Chillingworth  as  she  is  a  beautiful  
child  and  represents  purity  in  every  single  way;  child  who  could  never  have  been  
produced  by  Chillingworth
...
 
-­‐  Effects  of  revenge  on  Chillingworth  :  takes  over  his  appearance  :  “his  dark  complexion  
seemed  to  have  grown  duskier,  his  figure  more  misshapen”
...
 
Revenge  on  society  with  desire  to  embark  for  Europe
...
 

-­‐  Pearl’s  rebelliousness  towards  Dimmesdale  adds  to  his  sinfulness  and  adds  to  reader’s  
impression  about  Dimmesdale
...
 
 
Revenge  somehow  brings  death  and  can  contribute  to  re-­‐establish  the  truth
...
 
Hypocrisy  considered  a  sin  in  Puritan  society
...
134  :  “I  shall,  indeed,  stand  with  thy  mother  and  thee  one  other  day,  but  not  to-­‐
morrow!”  “The  daylight  of  this  world  shall  not  see  our  meeting”
...
 
Hester  hypocrite  towards  Pearl  :  p
...
 “Tell  me  then  ,  what  thou  art,  and  
who  sent  thee  hither”
...
 
 
Hypocrisy  of  Puritan  community:  
Accept  Dimmesdale  when  he  comes  out  with  his  sin  but  not  Hester
...
 !  most  of  them  have  done  similar  sins
...
 
Only  not  hypocritical  is  Pearl
...
78  “Had  Hester  sinned  alone”
...
 
 
AJ  !  1  week  !  24th  of  Feb  ;  WH  (forget  anything  with  Joseph  in  it,  not  very  rich  in  
detail;  importance  of  setting)!  2  weeks  !  14th  of  March  
Hedda  Gabbler  !  2  weeks  ;    
DOS  !  2  weeks  
Gatsby  !  2  weeks  
Hamlet  !  2  weeks  
 
 
Appearance  vs
...
 
Chillingworth  :  considered  by  some  people  as  heavenly  intervention  due  to  knowledge  
with  plants
...
 Known  as  “leech”
...
 
Hester  :  unjustly  represented  as  an  adulterer  in  beginning  of  book
...
53
...
 Serves  as  Puritans  society’s  scapegoat
...
 Pact  with  
the  black  man  ;  governor  Bellingham  represents  hypocrisy  of  Puritan  society
...
 Hester  says  she  would  go  to  dark  side  if  Pearl  taken  away  from  her
...
 
Appearances  are  necessary    ;  people  adjust  their  appearance  to  adjust  society  in  which  
they  live
...
 
 
Chillingworth’s  physical  appearance  changes  !  looks  more  and  more  evil  on  the  outside  
!  appearance  changes  to  fit  reality
...
 
Is  being  a  woman  in  itself  shameful  -­‐>  punished  differently  ;  “was  existence  worth  
accepting,  even  to  the  happiest  amongst  them  p
...
 
Scaffold  is  a  symbol  of  shame  and  guilt  !  Hester’s  punishment  +  Dimmesdale’s  death
...
 
Pearl’s  person  :  Pearl  appears  to  be  an  evil  creature  in  the  eyes  of  her  mother,  constantly  
reminding  her  mother  of  her  sin
...
 16  
Self-­‐torment  and  passion  :  Dimmesdale  carves  initials  in  flesh
...
 
“No  man  for  any  considerable  period  can  wear  one  face  to  himself  and  another  to  the  
multitude,  without  finally  getting  bewildered  as  to  which  may  be  the  true”  chp
...
 
He  appears  as    
 
Conflict  :    
 
Pearl  being  provocative  towards  mother  who  tries  to  give  her  a  religious  education  but  
she  refuses  it
...
 Whole  conflict  between  hiding  of  
identity  by  Dimmesdale
...
 society  :  Hester  not  having  good  influence  on  her  child;  the  yare  shaming  Hester  
through  her  education
...
 
Without  conflict  no  li  
 
Cowardice  :  
 
Puritans  :  act  as  a  gang
...
   
Hester  publicly  humiliated  at  market  place
...
 
Cowardice  leads  to  guilt
...
 
Dramatic  irony  and  situational  irony
...
 
Dimmesdale  spends  a  lot  of  time  with  character  who  destroys  him  !  even  though  was  
supposed  to  make  him  feel  better  !  irony  :  “could  not  recognize  his  enemy  when  the  
latter  appeared”
...
 
Must  know  when  talking  of  sinners  that  nobody  believes  that  he  is  a  sinner
...
 Pearl  is  
innocent  and  sense  that  Dimmesdale  is  somehow  her  father
...
 
Physical  self-­‐punishment    
Chillingworht  coward  by  not  confronting  Dimmesdale  instead  of  torturing  him
...
 Chillingworth  choses  innocent  young  woman  as  wife  
!  not  morally  correct
...
 
Dimmesdale  however  should  have  been  less  of  a  coward  than  Chillingworth
...
 
-­‐  Love  can  win  over  social  conventions  :  “dear  little  Pearl,  wilt  thou  kiss  me  now  ?  Pearl  
kissed  his  lips
...
 !  Dimmesdale  not  under  Chillingworth’s  “spells”  
anymore  !  can  fully  express  love
...
 Though  she  is  shamed,  she  
decides  to  stay  !  decision  governed  by  love
...
 
Puritan  :  English  portestants  of  late  17th  who  regarded  the  reformation  of  the  church  of  
England  under  Elizabeth  as  incomplete  and  sought  to  simplify  and  regulate  forms  of  
worship  
No  one  would  admit  being  catholic  under  Elizabeth  ;  never  know  if  shakespear  was  a  
catholic  !  which  religion  does  ghost  belong  to  (temptation  or  guidance  ?)  
Hester  considers  scarlet  letter  A  as  black  man’s  mark
...
 Women  might  be  the  weaker  sex,  but,  the  way  Hawthorne  sees  it,  
they  have  plenty  of  power
...
 
“halo  of  misfortune  and  ignominy”  !  oxymoron  of  religion  ;  expression  of  irony
...
 
Gender  role  is  key  since  it  allows  for  Hawthorne  to  establish  his  view
...
 
Scarlet  letter  as  a  symbol  of  her  alienation;  bodies  sin  by  wearing  scarlet  letter  !  loses  
her  individuality
...
 It  runs  away  and  hides  itself,  because  it  is  afraid  of  something  on  your  bosom
...
 
Alienated  !  must  make  a  living  by  helping  others  despite  being  insulted
...
 
Foreshadows  her  alienation  from  society
...
 
 
Scaffold  as  place  of  alienation  !  public  alienation  as  a  punishment
...
 Alienated  not  
only  from  society  but  also  from  his  own  family  !  not  trying  to  re  establish  peace  but  
rather  trying  to  find  out  who  Pearl’s  father  is
...
 
Pearl  is  one  of  a  kind  !  different  from  all  other  children;  alienated  from  birth
...
 
When  Hester  fought  to  keep  Pearl  -­‐_>  reminds  her  constantly  of  her  sin  !  keeping  her  
serves  her  as  a  lesson
...
 
Chapter  3  and  7  ;  mysterious  numbers
...
 
“Felt  alienated  for  7  years”
...
 
 
 
Link  to  AJ,  red  girl,  CLOD,  valley  of  ashes,  Willy  Loman  (expects  life  to  go  a  certain  
way)(Willy  not  made  for  being  a  salesman)(cannot  cope  with  dichotomy  in  his  life),  
Hamlet  alienates  himself  (living  in  another  dimension),  Hedda  Gabbler  (has  no  ambition;  
alienated  from  what  she  wants  to  be;  denies  all  those  opportunities  due  to  her  social  
position),  Heathcliff  (different  from  others  around  him;  consequences  of  his  alienation  
are  dramatic;  fact  that  he  has  no  moral  code,  no  sense  of  right  and  wrong,  transgreses  
codes  of  morality  constantly;  anyone  who  transgresses  human  morality  must  be  
alienated  in  some  sense
...
 
Heaney  alienated  because  not  the  man  that  his  grandfather  and  father  were  !  trying  to  
overcome  that  sense  of  alienation  by  writing  poetry  and  getting  back  in  mainstream  of  
life
...
 
Un  welcoming,  aggressive,  unpleasant  environment
...
 
Cemetery  and  prison  go  against  principles  of  Utopia  mentioned  previously
...
 
“ponderous”  :  heavy  and  imposing
...
 
New  sense  of  religion  corroded  over  the  years
...
 
Vegetation  finds  something  congenial  soil    
Black  flower  !  corruption  ;  contradiction  with  rose  bush
...
 
Rose  bush  is  “wild”    “rooted  at  the  threshold”  (much  more  powerful)
...
 
“shall  not  take  upon  us  to  determine”    :  meaning  resides  in  interpretation  from  reader  
and  not  determined
...
 
Used  for  medicinal  practices  by  Chillingworth  
Green  letter  A  !  not  linked  to  sin  and  passion  but  nature
...
 
 
Sunshine  :  Pearl  in  light  shows  that  god  approves  of  Pearl,  light  of  purity  and  truth  that  
is  representative  of  Pearl
...
 Gatsby  is  pure  of  heart  !  associated  with  natural  light
...
 49  
Idea  that  putting  something  in  the  dark  for  long  enough  !  it  becomes  itself  in  danger  of  
losing  purity
...
 

“gorgeous,  luxuriance,  fancy”  !  linked  to  Gatsby
...
 
Dark  and  abundant  hair  !  Thea  in  hedda  Gabbler  !  hated  by  Hedda  because  
represents  sensuality,  sexuality,  beauty,  jealousy
...
 Importance  of  hair  for  Tom  Buchan  !  
very  coarse  and  unrefined  
George  Wilson,  thin  long  hair
...
 
The  Red  Girl  …  
 
“Glossy”  !  sense  of  defiance  since  she  cannot  be  in  the  sunshine
...
 
Halo  !  compared  to  angel
...
 
Sense  of  magic  and  supernatural
...
 
 
Punishment  turns  into  an  embellishment  ;  Hester  manages  to  trun  around  the  rules  and  
situation
...
   
Arriving  on  the  scaffold    
 
Hester  as  a  force  of  nature  as  she  goes  against  the  human  codes
...
 Able  to  reverse  things
...
 
p
...
 
Movement  up  and  down:  “I  ask  not  wherefore,  nor  how,  thou  hast  fallen  into  the  pit,  or  
say  rather,    thou  hast  ascended  to  the  pedestal  of  infamy,  on  which  I  found  thee
...
68  
 
Physical  setting:      
-­‐  construction  of  prison  cell  and  cemetery  upon  arrival  of  Puritans  !  tendency  towards  
punishment  and  death
...
 
Pearl  refuses  removal  of  scarlet  letter  in  forest  tends  to  show  that  impact  so  strong  that  
it  is  regardless  of  setting
...
 
Heathcliff  stays  in  place  to  reek  revenge  !  Willy,  Bim,  Baba
...
 
“Sterile  soil”  !  death  of  Salesman  (garden  where  seeds  cannot  grow)
...
 
Sterility  of  passion  !  unnatural  position  for  Hester  to  be  in
...
 
Scarlet  letter:  Threshold  at  beginning  with  prison  door  !  entering  in  moral  story
...
 The  room    
 
-­‐  The  scaffold:  physical  structure  that  serves  to  display  punishment  of  characters
...
 
-­‐  Time  of  day:  in  the  night  moment  of  secrecy  and  liberty  (Dimmesdale),  daytime  things  
must  be  hidden  again  because  they  can  be  clearly  seen  in  the  daylight  (Dimmesdale)
...
 
 
-­‐  Begins  on  a  “June  morning”  !  presence  of  Rosebush,  presence  of  sunshine  !  standing  
in  boiling  sun  on  scaffold  for  three  hours  (sense  of  shame  and  heat)
...
 Walks  through  walls  when  going  back  into  past  !  
past  and  present  are  one  in  the  story  (no  real  flash  backs,  for  Willy  it  is  always  in  the  
present)
...
   
Greenery  growing  on  roof  !  sense  of  oppression
...
 
 
 
2
...
 
 
 
 
 
Cathy  and  Hester  famous  for  passionate  love  !  express  love  in  very  different  ways
...
 Never  any  
indication  of  sexuality  with  Cathy
...
   
Hester  turns  physical  passion  into  something  beautiful  -­‐>  Pearl
...
 
Gatsby  and  Daisy  :  kiss  in  the  car;  but  apart  from  that  not  physical  relationship  that  
matters
...
 No  shame  in  
that  for  a  woman
...
 Not  like  
Hester
...
 
 
 

3
...
 
Does  not  reveal  identity  because  does  not  want  shame  of  people  knowing  his  wife  is  an  
adulterer
...
 
Litcharts  scarlet  letter  
 
p
...
 
Daisy  talking  about  her  daughter  :  “tenderness  will  be  crushed  out  of  you”
...
 
Connection  of  nature  plant  flowers  and  female  sexuality  and  passion  are  all  linked
...
 
Hedda,  Catherine,  Ophelia  passion  feeling  
Bim  passion  and  thought;  fear  of  engaging  with  life  that  prevents  her  from  moving  on
...
 
Men  trhough  theories  have  changed  entire  ways  of  seeing  things  (earth  and  sun)
...
   
Free  thinking  would  have  condemned  her  to  death  more  quickly  than  act  of  adultery  
with  Dimmesdale
...
Those  with  freest  minds  seem  least  
respectful  of  societal  rules,  do  not  need  to  act  unusually
...
 
“The  thought  suffices  them,  without  investing  itself  in  the  flesh  and  blood  of  action”  !  
Hamlet
...
144  second  section  :  feminist  section  
“The  scarlet  letter  had  not  done  its  office”  
Up  to  woman  to  change  themselves  and  change  their  expectations
...
 
Wonders  if  she  must  kill  herself  and  Pearl  !  link  to  Hamlet
...
 
Tragedy  for  her  is    
Another  woman  would  have  left  or  committed  suicide
...
 
Hester  in  very  emotional  state  after  scaffold  appearance  and  not  in  any  position  to  cope  
with  him
...
 
 

Chp  8  p
...
 Very  much  attached  to  his  roots  back  in  
England,  the  things  he  owns,  and  showing  off
...
 
Governor  Bellingham  described  as  a  decapitated  head  on  a  plate  -­‐>  Hawthorne  mockery
...
 We  shouldn’t  think  that  our  forefathers  had  any  problems  
with  surrounding  themselves  with  luxury
...
 Somebody  has  mentioned  fact  that  Pearl  should  be  taken  away  from  
Hester
...
What  seems  to  be  the  most  memorable  aspect/them/symbol    
 
2
...
 In  WH  scenery  is  wild  and  ghastly  (awful)  !  valley  of  ashes;    
depict  a  setting  …  
 
5
...
 Country  setting/landscape  ;  establishing  values  within  a  work  of  literature  ;  place  of  
virtue,  primitivism  and  ignorance
...
 Internal  combustion;  …  provides  one  of  the  necessary  conditions  for  suspense  to  
occur  
 
11

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