The Scarlet Letter

Novel | Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Brief Questions in “The Scarlet Letter”

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Brief Questions in “The Scarlet Letter”

  • Why did Hawthorne write “The Custom-House” as an introduction?
Ans: He wanted to share his experience in the Custom-House and prove the story’s historical truth.
  • What did the narrator find in a storage room?
Ans: He found a piece of red cloth and a record of Hester Prynne’s story.
  • How did the narrator feel after losing his job as Surveyor?
Ans: At first he was bitter, but later felt free to write The Scarlet Letter.
  • How does Hester walk from the prison to the scaffold?
Ans: She walks proudly, looks at the crowd, and does not hide her scarlet letter.
  • Where is Dimmesdale seen while Hester is on the scaffold?
Ans: He stands above her on a balcony of the meeting-house.
  • What does Dimmesdale ask Hester to do?
Ans: He urges her to name the father of her child if she wishes.
  • What promise does Chillingworth make Hester give?
Ans: She promises to keep his real identity a secret.
  • Where does Hester live after her punishment?
Ans: She lives alone in a small cottage on the edge of the town.
  • How is Pearl described by the author?
Ans: Pearl is beautiful, wild, and full of spirit.
  • How does Pearl play with the scarlet letter?
Ans: She often touches and laughs at the letter on her mother’s dress.
  • What changes appear in Chillingworth over time?
Ans: His face grows evil, and people think he serves the devil.
  • Why does Dimmesdale cry out on the scaffold at night?
Ans: He screams in fear, feeling his secret guilt is exposed.
  • What does the light of the meteor show?
Ans: It shows Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale standing together as one.
  • What wins Hester respect after seven years?
Ans: Her quiet life, kindness, and charity win her respect.
  • How can men and women become equal, according to Hester?
Ans: Men must change their views, and women must believe in their own strength.
  • Why does Hester feel guilty about Dimmesdale’s sickness?
Ans: She feels her silence lets Chillingworth torture Dimmesdale.
  • When is Hester untrue to the scarlet letter?
Ans: When she lies to Pearl about the letter’s meaning.
  • What rumour has Pearl overheard?
Ans: She heard people say her mother meets the devil in the forest.
  • How does Dimmesdale react when Hester tells him the truth?
Ans: He is shocked and angry when he learns Chillingworth is her husband.
  • What does Dimmesdale think about Chillingworth?
Ans: He says Chillingworth’s revenge is a greater sin than adultery.
  • How does Pearl behave in the forest?
Ans: She feels free and happy among the trees and animals.
  • What is the meaning of Pearl’s reaction to the minister?
Ans: She wants Dimmesdale to confess his sin openly.
  • What does Pearl’s washing off the minister’s kiss mean?
Ans: It means she will only accept him when he confesses.
  • How does Chillingworth interfere with Hester’s escape plan?
Ans: He finds out and books passage on the same ship.
  • What is the irony on the day of the Election Sermon?
Ans: The crowd praises Dimmesdale, not knowing his secret sin.
  • What is Dimmesdale’s sermon about?
Ans: It is about God’s love and hope for the Puritan people.
  • Where are the four main characters in the last scaffold scene?
Ans: Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth stand together on the scaffold.
  • What is the effect of Chillingworth’s gift to Pearl?
Ans: His property makes Pearl rich and helps her move to Europe.
  • What is the central moral of The Scarlet Letter?
Ans: “Be true! Be true! Be true!” is the novel’s moral lesson.
  • What is a scaffold?
Ans: It is a raised wooden platform used for public punishment.
  • Why does Hester choose to live in Salem?
Ans: She feels tied to the place of her sin and her lover.
  • What is The Scarlet Letter?
Ans: It is a historical romance written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850.
  • When does Dimmesdale feel relieved?
Ans: When Hester refuses to reveal his name.
  • Why does Hester accept her punishment?
Ans: To admit her sin and protect her lover’s name.
  • How do people explain the meteor in the sky?
Ans: They think it forms an “A” for “Angel” to honour Governor Winthrop.
  • Who is Pearl?
Ans: Pearl is Hester’s illegitimate daughter.
  • Who is Chillingworth?
Ans: He is Hester’s husband living under a false name.
  • Where does Hester spend her last years?
Ans: She returns to Boston and lives again in her old cottage.
  • What does the letter “A” stand for?
Ans: It first means “Adultery” but later stands for “Able.”
  • Why is Chillingworth called a ‘leech’?
Ans: Like a leech, he drains Dimmesdale’s life to expose his sin.
  • What happens to Chillingworth after Dimmesdale’s confession?
Ans: He loses his purpose and dies within a year.
  • What is the setting of the novel?
Ans: It takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 1640s.
  • Why does Dimmesdale cry out on the scaffold?
Ans: He screams in horror, thinking his guilt is seen by all.
  • What is the role of Pearl in the novel?
Ans: She is both a real child and a living symbol of sin and redemption.
  • What does the letter “A” symbolize in the story?
Ans: It means “Adultery” but later comes to mean “Able” and purity.

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Nathaniel Hawthorne
Literary Writer
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from The Scarlet Letter