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Who is the narrator?. Recap of The Custom House and introduction to our narrator. What does Hawthorne allude to in the legend of the rose bush?. The Prison Door & the Rose Bush. What is the significance of the single rose bush that grows outside of the prison door?
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Who is the narrator? • Recap of The Custom House and introduction to our narrator. • What does Hawthorne alludeto in the legend of the rose bush?
The Prison Door & the Rose Bush • What is the significance of the single rose bush that grows outside of the prison door? • What does Hawthorne alludeto in the legend of the rose bush?
Chapter One - Symbolism Prison Door – 15 or 20 years after it was built, the door already looks weathered and old. “Like all that pertains to crime, it seemed never to have known a youthful era.” (p.46/p.50) i.e. innocence Represents: harsh justice of Puritan way strict and unrelenting life door to a place of darkness & sin
Chapter One - Symbolism Rosebush – juxtaposed against all that the prison door represents; beauty in the midst of sorrow and condemnation. “…In token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to [the condemned criminal.]” (p.46/p.50) Represents: kindness, forgiveness, God’s grace Allusion to Anne Hutchinson – taught that God communicated directly with the people rather than through church officials (against Puritan beliefs) and was later banished. Prepares reader for the woman who is about to walk out of the prison door, Hester Prynne.
Dialectical Journals Quotations or Passage, properly cited: “This rose bush, by strange chance, has been kept alive in history; but whether it had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness, so long after the fall of the gigantic pines and oaks that originally overshadowed it,--or whether, as there is fair authority for believing, it had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Anne Hutchinson, as she entered the prison-door,--we shall not take upon us to determine” (46). Sample Response: Hawthorne focuses his narrative on a single rose-bush growing outside of the prison-door. Though the rose bush may have “merely survived out of the stern old wilderness,” it has a second and more profound meaning within the context of The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne alludes to Anne Hutchinson, a martyr who had been banished for teaching against Puritan belief, as the source of the rose bush. The growth of a rose bush “under the footsteps of the sainted Anne Hutchinson” draws a parallel to the woman who is about to walk out of the prison door and into the market place, Hester Prynne.
Chapter Two - Symbolism Scarlet Letter – represents an awful sin, but yet Hester has made it fine and ornate, much more beautiful than “what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.” (p.51/p.55) Represents: adultery, sin, punishment By embroidering the "A" so finely and ornately, Hester takes control of her own punishment. The letter showcases her talent and artistry, skills that allow her to make a living, qualities of strength and independence which set her apart—as does her love of beauty. WHY IS THIS SYMBOL REDUNDANT?
Images Smug self-righteousness of the people: • Seeking out and punishing sin publicly • Women convince themselves that she is more sinful than they. Rather than seeing their own potential sinfulness in Hester, the townspeople see her as someone whose offenses outweigh or wipe out their own. The scaffold – (first of 3 important scenes involving the scaffold) – Hester embraces her reality (literally, as Pearl, and figuratively); implies a separation from Puritan ideals and that Hester will stand outside of, but still surrounded by, the Puritan order from now on.
Images Hester: • dignified, elegant, independent, radiantly beautiful, graceful • Scarlet letter – fine red cloth, embroidered with “fantastic flourishes of gold-thread.”
Dimmesdale ~shows compassion and an understanding of the human condition that Bellingham and Wilson do not have. ~also seems spineless and somewhat sinister ~instructions to Hester about confessing her lover’s name are confusing. He does not speak straightforwardly.
Chillingsworth ~Hester is afraid of him. What does she know that we don’t? ~admits his part in the affair: he was not the right husband for her and he was away from her too long. ~BUT then he says he will use his knowledge for vengeance ~name has meaning: Chillingsworth. He has no human warmth ~forces Hester to become a keeper of everyone’s secrets, thus stripping her of any chance at redemption or a happy life.
Pearl • In small groups, discuss chapter 6, “Pearl.” • Add details to your character chart. • What does Pearl represent in the novel? We will discuss chapter 6 as a class, so please write down any questions or insights you have during your small group discussion.
