Amberly Green
November 30, 2007
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Amsco School Publications, Inc., 1970.
Quote
1. “The door of the jail being flung
open from within, there appeared,
in the first place, like a black
shadow emerging into the sunshine,
the grim and grisly presence of the
town-beadle, with a sword by his
side and his staff of office in his
hand.” (Hawthorne 43)
2. “It was so artistically done, and
with so must fertility and gorgeous
abundance of fancy, that it had all
the effect of a last and fitting
decoration to the apparel which she
wore; and which was of splendor in
accordance with the taste of the age,
but greatly beyond what was
allowed by the sumptuary
regulations of the colony.”
The Scarlet Letter
Paraphrase or Summary
When the jail door opened, there
first emerged, like a dark silhouette
and broke through into daylight. It
was a harsh and gruesome
appearance of the town official,
armed with a weapon on his side.
The scarlet letter that Hester wears
on her chest is very beautiful and
intricately sewn. The decorative
“A” was to last and must always be
worn. It was superior over other
clothes of the day and far ahead of
what was acceptable of the fashion
of the settlement.
Rhetorical Strategy Effect of Function
Simile Hawthorne’s comparison of the
town official to a “black shadow
emerging into the sunshine”
paints a clear picture of the
seriousness of the issue before
the town. Because adultery was
such a shameful act, the town
officer had to condemn Hester
with a very harsh punishment.
The dark shadow represents the
dark sin committed and the even
darker punishment that Hester is
to receive.
Irony It is ironic that despite Hester’s
appalling and disgraceful act of
sin, a beautiful and artistic “A” is
a token of her punishment. This
contradiction heightens the
shame placed upon Hester.
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(Hawthorne 44)
3. 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.” (Hawthorne 50-51)
4. “To say the truth, there was much
need of professional assistance, not
merely for Hester herself, but still
more urgently for the child; who,
drawing its sustenance from the
maternal bosom, seemed to have
drank in with it all the turmoil, the
anguish, and despair, which
pervaded the mother’s system. It
now writhed in convulsions of pain,
and with forcible type, in its little
form, of moral agony which Hester
Prynne had born throughout the
day. (Hawthorne 59)
5. “—Live therefore, and bear about
thy doom with thee, in the eyes of
men and women,--in the eyes of his
whom thou didst call the husband,--
in the eyes of yonder child!”
(Hawthorne 61)
A painful terror warped itself along
his skin, like a serpent sliding
quickly over them, and pausing,
with its creases and bends exposed
for everyone to see.
Truthfully, Hester and especially
Pearl needed specialized help.
Pearl’s nourishment came from her
mother. Along with her food, the
child drank all of the torment,
suffering, and misery which
permeated through Hester’s body.
Now, it was twisted in tremors of
hurt and aggressively in its small
shape of honest pain, the child was
born.
Chillingworth is telling his wife
(Hester) to live and to accept her
judgment with him before
everyone.
Simile Hester and her husband have
made eye contact. This
comparison is between Rodger
Chillingworth (her husband) and
a snake. Snakes are commonly
crafty and rouge. This
comparison shows the readers
that Chillingworth, like a snake,
is likely sneak around and attack
whoever has slept with his wife.
Strong diction: The strong diction used by
turmoil, anguish, Hawthorne in this sentence
despair, convulsions conveys to the reader the
of pain, moral agony suffering both Hester and Pearl
endured. Hester and her child
need more than physical help.
Not only did Pearl receive
nourishment from her mother,
the child also consumed pain and
agony from Hester. Both needed
cleansing from the inward
turmoil that constantly tore
inside of them.
Anaphora Hawthorne’s parallel phrases
Asyndeton beginning with “in” and his
omission of conjunctions,
replaced with “—“ further
heighten the shame Hester must
endure. Anyone Hester will ever
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6. “No matter whether of love or
hate; no matter whether of right or
wrong! Thou and thine, Hester
Prynne, belong to me. My home is
where thou art, and where he is. But
betray me not!” (Hawthorne 64)
7. “Were it God’s will…I could be
well content, that my labors, and
my sorrows, and my sins, and my
pains, should shortly end with me,
and what is earthly of them be
buried in my grave, and the spiritual
go with me to my eternal state,
rather than that you should put your
skill to the proof in my behalf.”
(Hawthorne 104)
8. “And I conceive, moreover, that
the hearts holding such miserable
secrets as you speak of will yield
them up, at that day, not with
reluctance, but with a joy
unutterable.” (Hawthorne 113)
It does not matter if you love me or Parallelism
if you hate me; it does not matter Steady beat
whether it is wrong or right. Hester Rhyme
Prynne, you are mine and you
belong to me. Do not be disloyal to
me!
“If it were in God’s plans… I would Parallelism
be happily satisfied, that my hard Polysyndeton
work, and my sadness, and my
transgression, and my hurt, will
soon finish with me, and all the
worldly things taken to my grave,
and my spirit follow me for eternity,
rather than you healing me.
Additionally, I imagine that the Foreshadowing
mind’s keeping such wretched
secrets as you take will willingly
surrender at that time with an
unspeakable happiness.
encounter will know about her
dark past. Chillingworth is
clearly explaining that her sin
cannot and will not hide.
The steady beat of the sentence
represents the steady life that a
husband and wife should lead
together. Chillingworth is upset
that his wife betrayed him and
his word choice shows that. The
short, exclamatory sentence at
the end set Chillingworth’s angry
tone.
Hawthorne’s parallel phrases,
connected with conjunctions,
combine all of Dimmesdale’s
unwanted earthly belongings. All
add up and pile onto one another,
ending in Dimmesdale’s death.
Because Dimmesdale is a
minister and a respectable man
of the day, he feels he cannot
reveal his secret. If he exposes
his dark sin, he will no longer be
respectable and will be a
hypocrite. Dimmesdale is hinting
to Chillingworth that he will not
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9. “Rodger Chillingworth, however,
was inclined to be hardly, if at all,
less satisfied with the aspect of
affairs, which Providence—using
the avenger and his victim for its
own purposes, and perchance,
pardoning, where it seems most to
punish—had substituted for his
black devices.” (Hawthorne 121)
10. “Your clutch is on his life, and
you cause him to die daily a living
death; and still he knows you not.”
(Hawthorne 149)
11. “There is no good for him,--no
good for me,--no good for thee!
There is no good for little Pearl!
Chillingworth was prone to not be
pleased with relationships. Fate—
using the punisher and his sufferer
for his own intention, and perhaps,
forgiving, where it needs to be
punished the most—had replaced
his dark strategies.
You have a hold on Dimmesdale’s
life and you are the reason he
suffers daily; and yet he still dose
not know your real identity.
Nothing good will come for
Dimmesdale, for me, for you, or for
Pearl! No course will direct our
keep his secret forever, but will
“[joyously]” confess his
transgression.
Alliteration The “p” words in this sentence
Personification add emphasis to Hawthorne’s
strong diction and to the words
he wants to be stressed. By
capitalizing “Providence” and
referring to it as “him,”
Hawthorne gives the word
human characteristics and the
word becomes dominant over
others.
Oxymoron Hawthorne’s use of oxymoron
(“living death”) shows that
Dimmesdale can not escape his
sin, so he must live with the
knowledge of it everyday.
Chillingworth’s presence in
Dimmesdale’s life is a constant
reminder of the wretched sin he
committed. Even though
Dimmesdale does not know that
Chillingworth is Hester’s
husband, Chillingworth is still a
torment to him and reminds him
daily of the inescapable reality.
Dimmesdale is in a trap.
Parallelism Hawthorne’s successive phrases
Anaphora mimic the maze Chillingworth
Asyndeton and Hester stumble through. Just
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There is no path to guide us out of steps out of this gloomy, convoluted as the phrases continuously
this dismal maze!” (Hawthorne mess! repeat each other, Chillingworth
151) and Hester will forever be stuck
in disarray.

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