The Scarlet Letter Questions on Puritan Society
The Scarlet Letter
In The Scarlet Letter, what is the symbolism of Bellingham's luxuries?
The novel's architecture and its luxuries are symbolic of the characters' hypocrisy.
The Scarlet Letter
In The Scarlet Letter, why is the opening scene important to the rest of the novel?
The opening scene in "The Scarlet Letter" is crucial as it sets the dark and solemn mood, highlighting Hawthorne's critique of Puritanism and its harsh justice system. It paints a picture of a gloomy...
The Scarlet Letter
What is the probable allusion in "the minister and she would need the whole wide world to breathe in" from The...
The phrase "the minister and she would need the whole wide world to breathe in" alludes to the oppressive nature of Puritan society, where Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale feel suffocated by...
The Scarlet Letter
Name three crimes and their corresponding punishments in The Scarlet Letter.
In The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan society enforces harsh punishments for various crimes. Adultery, as committed by Hester Prynne, results in public shaming and wearing a scarlet "A". Witchcraft,...
The Scarlet Letter
Why does Hawthorne start The Scarlet Letter with thoughts on the need for a cemetery and a prison?
Hawthorne begins with the need for a cemetery and a prison to highlight the inevitability of death and crime in any society, including the Puritan theocracy. This introduction sets up a theme of...
The Scarlet Letter
In The Scarlet Letter, what does the narrator say about a Puritan's willingness to express excitement, friendliness,...
The narrator in The Scarlet Letter observes that Puritans rarely express excitement, friendliness, or joy. In Chapter 21, Hawthorne describes the townspeople's "unwonted jollity" during a holiday,...
The Scarlet Letter
How is Dimmesdale a victim of a hostile society in The Scarlet Letter?
Dimmesdale, the clergyman and father of Pearl with Hester, is a victim of a society that he knows will react harshly and punitively to his sin of adultery.
The Scarlet Letter
According to The Scarlet Letter, why are prisons necessary in society?
Prisons are deemed necessary in society as depicted in The Scarlet Letter due to the human nature that involves sin and the inevitability of wrongdoing. Nathaniel Hawthorne highlights that even in a...