Group+Three

Matt Flores Eun Lee Eric Schroeder Zach Lang


 * __Chapters 1-3__**

• Imagery/ Symbolism:
=== Rose Bush symbolizes the chance of reform. The balance of the good and bad, thorns and the flower, shows that there is good in everyone. The black flower represents the prison, which is the sin in the town. ===

• Questions/ Predictions you have:
=== We predict that the husband will come up with a plan to save Hester. He will eventually forgive her for her sin. Rev. Dimmesdale, who seemed more compassionate, may play a part in helping her as well. ===

• Other (connections to modern life or your personal life):
=== These chapters relate to the discussion we had about public shaming of celebrities. The women in Chapter 2 were talking about what they would do in this situation and which punishment they would give Hester. This is similar to how we comment on current events today even though most of us have nothing to do with the matter. ===

__**Chapter 7-10**__

• Imagery/ Symbolism:
=== The leech symbolizes Chillingworth. He attaches himself to Dimmesdale like a leech and tries to suck all the information out from Reverend Dimmesdale. Doctors used to use leeches to cleanse the patients. Chillingworth tries to cleanse as much secrets as possible from Reverend Dimmesdale before he dies. ===

• Character Behavior or Psychology:
=== Chillingworth: He gets uglier and uglier and tries to suck all the information out from the Reverend Dimmesdale about his past. He tells Reverend Dimmesdale that he should publicly confess his secret. === === Dimmesdale: His health is getting worse and is about to pass away. He is the one who raped his ex-girlfriend. Doctors believe that his soul is the problem for his sickness because he keeps so many secrets to himself. ===

Pg 106: a man burdened with a secret should especially avoid the intimacy of his physician. Dimmesdale is trying to get away from the physician to try to protect his secret.
=== Pg 117: A bodily disease, which we look upon as whole and entire within itself, may after all, be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part. This shows how his spiritual health can affect his physical health. ===

• Other (connections to modern life or your personal life)
=== We can relate this to Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods cheated on his wife with several girls. This was one of the biggest issues for last 2 months because he is a worldwide star. Reverend Dimmesdale is like Tiger Woods. He obtained fame in England and he is the father of Pearl. However he doesn’t publicly confess it. ===

16a) Hester was not scared to admit it. Dimmesdale's vigil at night showed that he was trying to hide it. 16b) The light makes it more intense, because he fears the light, and it end up being more dramatic with random lighting. 16c) Dimmesdale's screams are for dramatic effect, the rest serves to show that life goes on with or without Dimmesdale. 16d) He says "It was so dark that there was no peril of discovery" 16e) It is really long, and serves to show the mental dispute going on in Dimmesdale's head, 16f) They shared a bond of sin, and they are connected by the product of sin, Pearl, and joined as 3, they are combined sinners, yet pure because they attempt to be absolved of their sins.


 * Chapter 14-16**
 * Symbols/ Imagery**

Black Flower- The black flower symbolizes the change that has occurred in Roger Chillingworth. It shows that by now all of Chillingworth soul has become evil and his only soul purpose in life is to ruin Dimmesdale’s life

Seaweed A that Pearl wears- This is used to show how naïve Pearl still is. It helps show that pearl still does not understand the meaning of the A on her mothers clothes

Light: Light is used often to describe truth. When Pearl is asking about the A the light shows on her mother when she is telling the truth but once she starts lying the scene gets darker


 * Character Behavior and Psychology**

Roger Chillingworth: Chillingworth at this time in the book has shown that his purpose in life is to ruin Dimmesdale’s life and that he has turned completely ugly, which he admits. His evilness is seen by the change in his appearance as he has become more evil looking like the devil

Pearl: In these chapters we start to see a change in Pearl. She is still naïve and does not understand the meaning of sex or what the A means but she is starting to understand that there is a connection between her mother, Hester, and the minister Dimmesdale

Hester: Hester is starting to show her true hatred of Roger Chillingworth. She tells herself that she hates him and that she feels that she needs to inform Dimmesdale of the real reason for Chillingworth living with Dimmesdale

“ Ask yonder old man whom though hast been talking with! Maybe he can tell. But in good earnest, mother dear, What does this scarlet mean?- and why does thou wear it on thy bosom? – and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?(pg 156)
 * Interesting Passage:**

“Mother,” Said little Pearl, “ the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself”(pg161) Hester and Dimmesdale are going to leave the city so he dos not have to tell his secret
 * Question/prediction**

Roger Chillingworth won’t stop pestering Dimmesdale until he reveals what he did

How will Dimmesdale react to what Hester is going to tell him about Roger Chillingworth?

Will Pearl ever learn what the meaning of the scarlet letter?


 * Other (connections to modern life or your personal life)**

Just like Pearl in the book many children ask questions of to their parents that the parents are uncomfortable to answers. Her question could be like a young child asking their parent how they were born.

__**Chapter 17-21**__ When the scarlet letter does not land on the water, it symbolizes that Hester would never be able get rid of scarlet letter because she committed the ultimate sin, adultery. Pearl does not accept Hester when she threw the scarlet letter away. The scarlet letter was the only way for Pearl to recognize her mother. The flood of sunshine through the woods symbolizes that both Dimmesdale and Hester got joy from their new hope to escape from their sin.
 * Imagery/ Symbolism

Pearl doesn’t talk to her mother when she threw her scarlet letter away. When Hester tries to throw the scarlet letter to the stream, it lands on the land. This tells us that Hester can’t get rid of scarlet letter, and Pearl knows it. Pearl rubs off Dimmesdale’s kiss because she still does not know that Dimmesdale is her father, and it was uncomfortable for Pearl. She thinks that Dimmesdale is embarrassed with her because when she asked him to hold her hand, Dimmesdale denies her. This insulted Pearl. Even though Dimmesdale learns Chillingworth’s true identity, Dimmesdale doesn’t really get offended and he starts to write a newer and better sermon. He accepts his sin and starts his new life.
 * Character Behavior or Psychology

Pg 177: So speaking, she undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves. The mystic token alighted on the hither verge of the stream. Pg 207: But, at that instant, she beheld old Roger Chillingworth himself, standing in the remotest corner of the market-place, and smiling on her; Pg 176: And be the stern and sad truth spoken, that the breach which guilt has once made into the human soul is never, in this mortal state, repaired. It may be watched and guarded; … But there is still the ruined wall, and, near it, the stealthy tread of the foe that would win over again his unforgotten triumph.”
 * Interesting Passage

How would Hester react to Chillingworth when she sees Chillingworth on the boat? Why did Hester and Dimmesdale decided to move to Europe?
 * Questions/ Predictions you have:

Pearl not comfortable around Dimmesdale is similar to when a child’s parent divorces and gets a new parent. In the book, Pearl wipes off Dimmesdale’s kiss off her cheek because she feels uncomfortable around Dimmesdale. It is understandable because Peal doesn’t know that Dimmesdale is her father. Just like Pearl, when a child get a new parent, he or she will feel uncomfortable for first few months because he or she knows that it’s not his or her true parent.
 * Other (connections to modern life or your personal life)


 * __Chapter 22 – 24__**


 * Symbolism**
 * The symbol on Dimmesdale’s chest: some people say that they hadn’t seen anything and it was just an emotional pain. It symbolizes the guilt that he kept the secret about the adultery.
 * Pearl’s kiss to Dimmesdale: it symbolizes her forgiveness of Hester and Dimmesdale.


 * Character Behavior or psychology**
 * Dimmesdale: he starts to show the real side of him and shows that he loves Hester and Pearl. Because his secrets were all revealed, he could prepare the proper and better sermon, and he could die in peace.
 * Roger Chillingworth: he wants Dimmesdale to die and he lost the purpose of his life. It shows that he had no life throughout and since he has nothing to do, he dies.
 * Pearl: she changed. She is not a demon child anymore and she found who her father is. She is no longer considered as the lie and sin of her mom, so that makes her less-demon like child. She can live peacefully like other children.
 * Hester: After Dimmesdale and Hester reveal the truth, she is finally able to live the town without the pain of scarlet letter.


 * Interesting Passage**
 * Pg 230: “So Pearl – the elf-child, - the demon offspring, as some people, up to that epoch, persisted in considering her – became the richest heiress of her day, in the New World.” This passage shows that Pearl is not demon child anymore.
 * Pg 200: “On this eventful day, moreover, there was a certain singular inquietude and excitement in her mood, resembling nothing so much as the shimmer of a diamond, that sparkles and flashes with the varied throbbings of the breast on which it is displayed.” This shows that on this day, Pearl was special, she wasn’t the demon child that she once was, and is now a proud woman, capable of spreading outside of the sphere of childhood.


 * Questions/Prediction you have:**
 * Will Pearl able to escape the scarlet letter that haunted her life?
 * Will Hester ever able to escape the scarlet letter?
 * Will Pearl learn from her mother’s lesson?
 * Will Pearl able to interact with other children?
 * Why would Chillingworth devote his life to revenge? Is it worth of the outcome?
 * Why would Hester return to the village few years later?


 * Other (connection to modern life or your personal life)**
 * The mob mentality is apparent, especially in the final scenes at the scaffold. When the minister admits his sin of adultery, the crowd labels him automatically. Therefore, when he lifts his shirt, many of the crowd members see a letter “A” on his chest. They could be imagining it, but other people feel like they should be seeing it too and play along. The opposite happens as well with the people who don’t see the letter. These are the good people that don’t label a person based on their sins.