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?