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The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Scarlet Letter reading schedule. Wed., 9/10 Chapters 1-5 with sticky or traditional notes due Thursday, 9/11 Chapters 1-5 quote quiz Thurs., 9/18 Chapters 6-11 with notes & Quote Quiz Wed., 9/25 Chapters 12-18 with notes due & Quote Quiz

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The Scarlet Letter

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  1. The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne

  2. Scarlet Letter reading schedule • Wed., 9/10 Chapters 1-5 with sticky or traditional notes due • Thursday, 9/11 Chapters 1-5 quote quiz • Thurs., 9/18 Chapters 6-11 with notes & Quote Quiz • Wed., 9/25 Chapters 12-18 with notes due & Quote Quiz • Thurs., 10/2 Chapters 19-end with notes due & Quote Quiz • Wed., 10/8 Literary Criticism due; Short Answer in class **Remember, if you are absent on a quiz day, you are responsible for making up the quiz the very next day (no exceptions). I reserve the right to give you the most difficult quiz! So don’t be absent (unless you’re puking…)! ** Consider forming a reading tradition: reserve a special day, have a special place, have a special treat… Form a study group or book club to meet the day before to discuss. Be scholarly and diligent. Read every word and be proud. Do not use on-line summaries.

  3. Required Reading Notes You must have a minimum of 3 post-its or notes on a separate sheet of paper per chapter (except for chapter one), annotating what you see as an important quotation/ line. Write full sentences or do it note-style. For example: In this quote, Hester is talking to _________ while they are _____________about ____________. She is extremely _____________ and one can tell ____________… ______________ responds by ____________ and Hester reacts to this by _____________. The scene feels ____________ and ______________. Cover SOAPST: H >Ch in the cell, H tries to persuade him to leave her alone, Ch is obsessed about finding out the secret, very tense, strange, freaky!! Ahhh! Your notes: 1) Keep you focused and awake 2) Make sure you are studying the text not just reading it 3) Use your notes to review before the quote quiz 4) Use notes during discussion 5) Use notes for your in-class short answer response

  4. Nathaniel Hawthorne • 1804-1864 • Born in Salem, Massachusetts • Great-great-great-great grandfather, John Hathorne, was judge at Salem witch trials • Notice that he added a w to his last name. Why? • To distance himself from his ancestors?

  5. The Custom House • You do not need to read this section of the book • Appointed surveyor at Salem Custom House (which accounts for the first part of The Scarlet Letter) • This is where he wrote (and grained great success with) The Scarlet Letter. • Describes the interior/exterior of the Custom House • Describes Hawthorne’s feelings about his native town of Salem • Makes critical comments about the Whig party/ reveals Hawthorne’s involvement as a Democrat

  6. Fact or Fiction? • Although Hester Prynne is fictional, she may have been derived by a woman to whom Hawthorne’s ancestor meted out punishment. • Hester Craford, for fornication with John Wedg, as she confessed, was ordered to be severely whipped. The whipping was delayed until six weeks after she gave birth to the illegitimate child.

  7. Historical Context • Boston Colony founded 1630 • 1000 Puritans • John Winthrop (leader) • Puritans (established during reign of Queen Elizabeth – thus the reference to her) sought to “purify” the church and wipe out all traces of Catholicism (thus the negative Catholic comments) • Boston was ruled by a theocracy and the government was not intended to provide religious freedom to all • Recognized the Bible as the sole source of religious authority • Predestination • Public humiliation • Those who didn’t fit in (i.e. Quakers) were dealt with harshly.

  8. Predestination • All things are controlled beforehand by God. • All deserved damnation because of original sin; however, God elected to save some anyway. • One could not influence that destiny by good works or alter the divine plan. • Nonetheless, Puritans fought to remain righteous, suppressing the desires of the flesh (sex) • Harsh discipline wasn’t necessary to punish, since God would do that. It was to show others what would happen if they did the same thing.

  9. EVERYTHING IS AN ARGUMENT. • You will write on the following: • What is Hawthorne’s argument as seen in The Scarlet Letter? • How does he form his characters and why? • What are his messages? • About sin…sinners…secrets…Puritan society…? • What power verbs would you use? • Watch for his rhetorical choices: his word choice, characterization, plot twists, symbolism (especially with nature; he was friends with Transcendentalists Thoreau and Emerson), etc. • Read, study, and take notes with this in mind!

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