I. Introduction of the novel

A. What is the novel about?

The novel is about a woman named Hester Prynne who committed adultery in Boston, Massachusetts in the time of the mid-seventeenth century. Hester was forced to wear a crest of Letter “A” which symbolizes “Adultery” in the puritan society; the adultery she has committed bore her a child. Her former husband, Roger Chillingworth, the malefactor of the novel, is inclined to know who cuckolded him and he demands Hester to know who the father of the child is. She struggles with life in the Boston society with her daughter Pearl. Arthur Dimmesdale, the biological father of Pearl, also suffers for his sin but atones, in the end, the struggles of the four characters were concluded when Arthur died, and so did Roger. If one is familiar with the Boston Society during the Puritan movement and the founding of the Plymouth colony, one could understand what pressure and torture Hester is experiencing in the society.

B. Why is it written?

The novel was written so that sin and forgiveness could not be misunderstood by the people, and that sinners should not be condemned but be forgiven if they atone, it is the heartless society which causes other people to do such things. Good people are born but bad people are made. Also Hawthorne must be influenced and was inspired of his history, Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne could trace his family tree on both sides to the Puritans, whose unbending attitudes toward religious conformity were branded on the American, and especially the New England, consciousness. His great-great grandfather, John Hathorne, was one of the three judges at the famous Salem witch trials in 1692. The family name was spelled 'Hathorne' until the novelist himself added the 'w'.

C. What is the background of period or time it is written

Puritan movement is an arising within the Church of England in the latter part of the 16th century that sought to reform, that church and establish a middle course between Roman Catholicism and the ideas of the Protestant reformers. It had a continuous life within the church until the Stuart Restoration. Puritanism reached North America with the English settlers who founded Plymouth Colony in. It remained the dominant religious force in New England throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. In America, Puritan moralism and its sense of an elect people in covenant with God deeply affected the national character. The Puritan belief that communities were formed by covenants produced America’s first democratic institution, the town meeting. The Puritan emphasis remained influential into the 20th century. The Puritan devotion to popular education, high standards of morality, and many, if not all, democratic principles had an important effect on American life.

II. Summary

Chapter 1 – The Prison Door

A. Boston Prison

B. Puritans

C. A crowd of Puritans stood outside of the prison, waiting for the door to open for their curiosity. The prison is stained and there are also indications to show its old age and has given off a more sinister aspect of its front. The rusty iron of the prison is rusty and shows an appearance of age and decay.

Chapter 2 – The Market-Place

A. Scaffold

B. Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth

C. The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of both sexes, all painted with looks of disapproval. Several of the women begin to talk about Hester Prynne, they soon vowed that if they were the judges, they would not give Hester Prynne a light sentence. She clutches her three month old daughter Pearl near her bosom. She has sown a large scarlet A over her breast, using her finest skill to make the crest of sin and shame appear to be a decoration of such. The crowd of women were enraged when they saw how she displays the crest of letter A, and they want to rip it off her clothes. Hester is led through the crowd to the scaffold of the pillory. She goes up the stairs and stands, fully revealed to the crowd; she is in a position of shame and punishment for the next few hours. The ordeal is stressful and difficult for Hester. Hester rethinks about her past so that she could make the images in front of her vanish. Hester was born in England and grew up there. Her husband, later said to be Roger Chillingworth, first took her to Amsterdam and then sent her to America to await his arrival. Hester realizes that her life condemns her to be alone as she looks over the crowd. She gazes upon her daughter and then touches the scarlet letter that will remain a part of her.

Chapter 3 – The Recognition

A. Scaffold

B. Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, Dimmesdale and Wilson

C. On the edge of the crowd, Hester saw a white man accompanied by an indian. She recognizes the man as Roger Chillingworth, her husband, who sent her to America and remained in Amsterdam. Hester fearfully clutches Pearl harder, which caused her child to cry out in pain and torture. Roger Chillingworth asks a bystander who Hester is and what her crime was. The man informs him of her past, telling that she was sent to Boston to await her husband, but she end up with a child instead. The Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale is exhorted to make Hester tell the gathered crowd who the father of the child is. The Reverend Mr. Wilson steps forward and delivers a sermon against sin, after which Hester is allowed to return to the prison.

Chapter 4 – The Interview

A. Prison

B. Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth and The Jailer

C. After Hester returns to her cell in prison, she is exhausted of the day's events. The jailer allows a physician to enter and try to calm them. Roger Chillingworth, pretending to be a physician, enters and mixes a potion for Pearl, who soon falls asleep. He also makes a drink for Hester, who is afraid that he is trying to kill her. Still, she drinks his potion and sits down on the mattress. Chillingworth tells her that he forgives her, and he accepts the blame for having married her. She says, “thou knowest that I was frank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any.” He asks Hester who the father of Pearl is. He then makes Hester swear to never reveal that he is her husband. She becomes afraid of Chillingworth's goal, and she asks whether he has forced her into a bond that will ruin her soul.

Chapter 5 – Hester At Her Needle

A. Forest

B. Hester Prynne

C. Hester is released from prison and finds a cottage in the forests of the city, where she begins to build up her new life. She does not avail herself of the opportunity to escape to a new life without shame in some other city. Hester may have been inclined to remain in Boston because her secret lover still lives there. Hester is skilled at needlework; earlier shown that she displayed the scarlet letter, which allowed her to maintain a stable lifestyle. Still, her reputation as an outcast and loner causes a negative aura to be cast around her. Thus young children often creep up to her house to spy on her while she worked. In spite of her excellent needlework, she is never called upon to make a bridal gown due to her reputation. Hester spends time working on projects, she devotes the remainder of her working time to creating clothes for the poor.

Chapter 6 - Pearl

A. Hester’s House

B. Hester Prynne, Pearl

C. Hester chose the name “Pearl” to represent something of great value, namely, the cost of her virtue and place in society, Pearl turns out to be unmanageable as a child, forcing Hester to let her do what she wants. Pearl has a particular mood where nothing Hester does can persuade the child to change her stance, so eventually Hester, "ultimately compelled to stand aside”, permits the child to be swayed by her own desires. Pearl is compared to a witch in both the way she interact with other children and the way she play with them. The first thing Pearl saw in her was the scarlet letter. Pearl later played a game where she threw flowers at her mother and jumped around in glee every time she hit the scarlet letter.

Chapter 7 – The Governor’s Hall

A. Governor’s Hall

B. Hester Prynne, Governor Bellingham, Pearl

C. Hester takes Pearl with her to go to the Governor's Hall in order to deliver some gloves. Hester's main reason for going is having a conversation with Governor Bellingham to let her keep Pearl. Hester has decorated Pearl in a crimson velvet tunic with gold threads. Hester arrives at the Governor's mansion and enters. Pearl plays a game by looking into the armor and then goes to look at the garden, from which she wants a red rose. When the Governor approaches, Pearl falls quiet.

Chapter 8 – The Elf Child And The Minister

A. Governor’s hall

B. Hester Prynne, Governor Bellingham, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Misstress Hibbings

C. Governor Bellingham, accompanied by Reverend John Wilson, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, enters the manor. He first sees Pearl, dressed in scarlet outfit, standing in front of him. Pearl introduces herself and tells them her name. The men then see Hester Prynne in the background. Governor Bellingham tells her that he thinks it would be better for the child if Pearl were removed from her mother. Hester responds that she can teach the child what she has learned from the scarlet letter, at which point Bellingham indicates that the letter is the main reason why they want to remove Pearl from her custody. Hester grabs Pearl and screams that she will die before they are allowed to take away her daughter. He comes forward with his hand over his heart and argues that God has obviously given Pearl to Hester for some divine reason. He then indicates that Pearl is punishment for Hester.

Chapter 9 – The Leech

A. The City

B. Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale

C. Roger Chillingworth, Hester's real husband. After arriving at Boston and finding his wife in disgrace, he chooses to stay and live in the city. His uncommon intelligence and skill as a physician soon make him quite popular. Dimmesdale's poor health and Chillingworth's interest in the young man combine to make many of the officials try to get them to live together. The townspeople are thrilled with the way between the two men is working out. They sense that Chillingworth has undergone a profound change since arriving in Boston, going from a genial old man to an ugly and evil person.

Chapter 10 – The Leech And His Patient

A. Cemetery and Dimmesdale’s house

B. Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth

C. Chillingworth realizes that Dimmesdale is hiding some kind of secret. He therefore spends a great deal of time and energy. Dimmesdale failed to realize that Chillingworth is in fact his enemy. He is so terrified of everyone in the town finding out his secret that he is blind to any enemy within his own abode. The two men are interrupted by Pearl and Hester walking through the cemetery outside. Pearl is jumping from gravestone to gravestone, and she finally starts dancing upon a large, flat stone. When Hester tries to make her stop, Chillingworth then tells Dimmesdale that as his physician he cannot cure him—his ailment sees to come from his spirituality. Chillingworth demands to know what sort of secret Dimmesdale is hiding. Soon, Dimmesdale falls asleep while reading. Chillingworth takes the opportunity to place his hand over Dimmesdale's heart and then leaves before the minister can awaken. He is incredibly full of joy after having felt Dimmesdale's heart.

Chapter 11 – The Interior Of The Heart

A. Dimmesdale’s house

B. Hester, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale

C. Chillingworth figured out that Dimmesdale is the true father of Pearl. Dimmesdale never figures out that his strongest enemy is the man whom he considers his friend and physician. Dimmesdale is so overwhelmed with shame and remorse that he has started to become famous for his sermons. His ability as an orator is enhanced by the fact that he feels far more sinful than many in his audience. Dimmesdale also has become a masochist, and he uses chains and whips to beat himself. Fasting causes him to have hallucinations in which he sees his parents, friends, and even Pearl and Hester

Chapter 12 – The Minister’s Vigil

A. Scaffold

B. Dimmesdale, Bellingham

C. Dimmesdale left his house until he reaches the scaffold. He climbs the stairs and imagines that he has a scarlet letter on his chest that the world can see. Hester and Pearl are at the scaffold because they have been at Governor Winthrop's deathbed. The next day, after a sermon. The sexton hands him his glove, telling him that it was found on the scaffold where Satan must have left it. The man then tells Dimmesdale that last night, a large A was seen in the sky, which was interpreted to mean "Angel" in honor of Governor Winthrop's death.

Chapter 13 – Another View Of Hester

A. Woods

B. Pearl, Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth

C. Hester's reputation has changed over the seven years since she had Pearl. Her devotion to serving the sick and needy has given her access into almost every home, and people now interpret the A as meaning “Able” rather than “Adultery”. Hester's looks has also changed over the years, but for the worse. Rather than having her youthful good looks, she now seems more like a shell of a human. Rather than living in passion and feeling, Hester spends most of her time devoted to thought. Hester resolves to help Dimmesdale by rescuing him from Chillingworth. She has grown strong enough as a woman to see that her pact with Chillingworth, in which she promised not to reveal who he really is, was the wrong decision. She decides to meet him, and soon she finds him in the woods collecting medicinal herbs.

Chapter 14 – Hester And The Physician

A. Governor’s hall

B. Chillingworth, Dimmesdale

C. Hester sends Pearl away for the moment and reaches Chillingworth. He tells her that the council thinks she may be allowed to remove the scarlet letter in due time, to which she replies that no earthly power can decide such a thing. Hester then notices the changes that have taken place in Chillingworth over the past years. She sees that he has gone from a soft-spoken scholar to a fierce man. Hester then tells Chillingworth that she plans to reveal his true identity to Dimmesdale. He is unmoved by this, telling her that nothing he or she does can alter the way things now stand. She pleads with Chillingworth to pardon Dimmesdale for what happened so that he can let go of his revenge. Chillingworth replies "Let the black flower blossom as it may".

Chapter 15 – Hester And Pearl

A. Woods

B. Hester, Pearl

C. During her mother's conversation with Chillingworth, Pearl has managed to play all by herself. Her last act is to make the symbol of the scarlet letter put it on her chest. Her mother asks her if she knows what the letter means, but Pearl only knows it is the letter A. Hester then asks Pearl if she knows why her mother wears the letter. Pearl answers that it is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart. Pearl then demands that her mother tell her what the A stands for and why the minister keeps putting his hand over his heart. Hester lies about the letter for the first time ever, saying that she wears it for the gold thread.

Chapter 16 – A Forest Walk

A. Woods

B. Hester, Pearl

C. Hester takes Pearl on a walk into the woods because she has heard that Dimmesdale will be walking along the forest path. She needs to meet him in order to warn him about who Chillingworth really is. Pearl asks her mother to tell her a story about the Black Man who is said to haunt the forest. The Black Man is a myth about the devil. Dimmesdale then starts coming down the forest path and Pearl saw him. She asks her mother because he has a mark on his chest as well.

Chapter 17 – The Pastor And The Parishoner

A. Woods

B. Hester, Dimmesdale

C. Hester called Dimmesdale. Hester offers to be his friend but she tells him that he is living with an enemy. She reveals that Chillingworth is her former husband. He tells Hester that he cannot forgive her for not telling him. He begs her to tell him what to do now that he cannot live with Chillingworth any longer. Hester advises Dimmesdale to leave the settlement and go into the wilderness where he can live. He declines the very thought but she presses him to take up a new name and go to Europe.

Chapter 18 – A Flood Of Sunshine

A. Woods

B. Dimmesdale, Pearl, Hester

C. Dimmesdale allows himself to leave and he wants to go with Hester. He is happy once he makes the decision to go. Hester tells Dimmesdale that he must get to know Pearl so that he can love her the way she does. She called Pearl who is standing in the sunshine to meet Dimmesdale so that the both of them can get to know each other.

Chapter 19 – The Child At The Brook-side

A. Woods

B. Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale

C. Hester watched Pearl walks up to the stream and stops on the other side and stood in the sunlight. Dimmesdale is anxious that Pearl should cross the stream, and he asks Hester to make her hurry. Pearl starts screaming and points to Hester's chest, where the scarlet letter was removed. Hester finally has to get up and cross the stream, reattached the letter and put her hair back under her hat. Hester drags Pearl up to where Dimmesdale is sitting. Pearl again asks if the minister will walk into town with them. Dimmesdale gives her a kiss on the forehead, but Pearl runs away and washes the kiss off.

Chapter 20 – The Minister In A Maze

A. Town

B. Dimmesdale, Mistress Hibbins, Chilingworth

C. Dimmesdale returns to town aware of having a new life. He has much more energy than when he left earlier and everything about him looks different. He is approached by various people. He is even tempted to teach dirty words to small Puritan children. Mistress Hibbins hears him complain that he is tempted. She asks Dimmesdale when he will be returning to the forest so that she may join him. He tells her he is never going back and she replies that at midnight they will soon be together in the forest. She left leaving Dimmesdale afraid of what he has done with Hester. Dimmesdale finally returns home and studies. Chillingworth enters and offers to make some medicine for Dimmesdale so that he will have enough energy to write his Election Sermon. It is meant to be the highlight of the clergyman's career to date, and it is an important speech. Dimmesdale didn’t accept the offer and instead orders some food he sits down and starts writing continuing all through the night and even in the morning.

Chapter 21 – The New England Holiday

A. Town

B. Hester, Pearl, Chilingworth, Dimmesdale

C. Hester and Pearl got into the town and enters the marketplace, which is full with people. The holiday is to celebrate the election of a new Governor when everyone stops working. Hester and Dimmesdale have worked out a plan to escape on their ship. But Roger Chillingworth talks to the ship's captain who comes over to Hester. He tells her that he is adding Chillingworth to the crew for the voyage since he can always use another physician. Hester barely reacts in her outward expression, but after the captain goes she sees Chillingworth smiling at her.

Chapter 22 – The Procession

A. Town

B. Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, Chilingworth

C. A large parade of soldiers marches to the town. Dimmesdale towards the end of the procession appears to have far more energy than ever before. Pearl tells her mother that she wants to ask him to kiss her at which Hester tells Pearl to hush. Mistress Hibbins comes up to Hester and tells her that she knows Dimmesdale and Hester met in the woods. She said that she knows about Dimmesdale having received a sin and knows that he is hiding it. Hester takes Pearl and goes to stand near the foot of the scaffold in order to listen to Dimmesdale's speech. Pearl then takes off and runs around playing. The ship's captain gets Pearl to come to him and he gives her a message. Pearl returns to her mother and tells her that Chillingworth has told the captain that he will make sure Dimmesdale gets on board and that Hester only has to worry about herself and Pearl.

Chapter 23 – The Revelation Of The Scarlet Letter

A. Town

B. Dimmesdale, Chilingworth, Pearl, Hester

C. Dimmesdale finishes his sermon and the crowd erupts in loud applause. It marks the highest point of Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale then loses the energy which had sustained him ever since meeting Hester in the forest. He slowly walks over to the scaffold. Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold calling Hester. Chillingworth tells Dimmesdale that there is no chance he could have escaped except on the scaffold where he would have been safe. Hester is terrified that all three of them will die after this. Dimmesdale then indicates that he has secretly worn the badge of the scarlet letter the whole time without anyone knowing it.

Chapter 24 – Conclusion

A. Conclusion

B. Dimmesdale, Chilingworth, Pearl

C. Soon after Dimmesdale dies, Roger Chillingworth also passes away. He leaves all of his estate to Pearl, who immediately becomes the wealthiest heiress. Hester and Pearl then disappeared for several years. Hester returns to live the rest of her life in her cottage, and she becomes famous throughout the community for her help with the poor and sick. The narrator infers that Pearl is happily married and living overseas in Europe. Hester eventually dies and is buried in the cemetery at the site of the King's Chapel.

III. Generalization

Through the tale of Hester Prynne's and Arthur Dimmesdale's transgressions of conventional morality, Hawthorne offers an assessment of the Puritan consciousness, a code of thought and action that helped form the American psyche. He uses historical materials to create a novel about universal, timeless human problems, the struggle of the individual to achieve freedom in a society that imposes considerable restraints, and the dilemma individuals’ face in balancing personal feelings against social or moral norms. Also that the sinners always have the chance to atone and to be forgiven, of course they are given punishments and sanctions but these give them the chance to turn back and to renew their lives. Hawthorne demonstrates that individuals who have sinned in the eyes of their fellow citizens are still capable of exceptional goodness, while those who relentlessly pursue the exposure and punishment of sinners are often the real villains, just like Roger Chillingworth.

IV. Conclusion

I conclude that the subject of The Scarlet Letter, adultery, is a sensitive topic. The author focuses on the effect of adultery on the community and the lives of the people. The Hero and the Heroine of the story realize they must make amends for their sin, they are presented quite sympathetically. The villain of the novel, Roger Chillingsworth, is the one character intent on exposing the sinners. It may be easy for readers to misunderstand regarding sin and forgiveness. The heartless society drives people such as Hester and Arthur to seek fulfillment for their emotional needs outside accepted social boundaries. Everybody sins in their own faults, those who atone are forgiven for a price in the eyes of the mediocre society but still, those who pursue the punishment of the sinners are those who sin heavily and the most.

V. Values of the novel

1. PRIDE – Chapter 2, Hester wears the embroidered Letter A which symbolizes “adultery” with pride, no shame and guilt.

2. CUNNING – Chapter 4, Roger asks Hester not to tell the society that he is the father of Pearl to deceive them. Chapter 21, Roger talks to the Captain of the ship so that he can add to the ships’ crew.

3. PERSISTENCE – Chapter 6, Pearl is unmanageable as a child and Hester can do nothing to change her desires.

4. DEVOTION – Chapter 7, Hester tries to persuade Governor Bellingham not to take Pearl away from her. Chapter 13, Hester provides for the sick and needy.

5. FAITH – Chapter 8, Governor Bellingham told them that Pearl was obviously given to Hester for a divine reason.

6. REPENTANCE – Chapter 11, Arthur was a masochist and punishes himself with whips and chains.

7. FAITH – Chapter 12, The letter “A” appeared on the sky and the people thought that it stands for “Angel” in honor of the Governor Winthrop

8. PERSEVERANCE – Chapter 20, Arthur writes his election sermon in the night until the morning

9. TRUTH – Chapter 3, When Dimmesdale was exhorted to tell the who the father of the child of Hester is to the people.

10. PIETY – Chapter 20, When Arthur writes his sermon in the night until the morning

Novel Analysis

AAThe Scarlet Letter

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

By Angelino Jose, B. Francisco