1 Script: N. Hawthorne Editor: M. McLaughlin Producer: M. Hoffmeister

2 THE SCARLET LETTER- THE CUSTOM HOUSE THE CUSTOM HOUSE THE CUSTOM HOUSE Frame story Frame story Fiction within a fiction Fiction within a fiction Serves to intro the scarlet letter and Hester Prynne Serves to intro the scarlet letter and Hester Prynne

3 SETTING Boston, 1642 Boston, 1642 Grim Grim Stern Stern Joyless Joyless Somber Somber Frontier Frontier Primitive Primitive Dark Dark Repressive Repressive

4 SETTING A. The Marketplace A. The Marketplace Public Space Public Space Church-religion/state Church-religion/state Scaffold-law Scaffold-law Prison-Puritan mind-set Prison-Puritan mind-set

5 SETTING B. The Forest B. The Forest Private Space Private Space Dark Dark Secret Secret Individual Individual Freedom Freedom Escape Escape

6 CHARACTER HESTER PRYNNE HESTER PRYNNE Commits adultery – Commits adultery – Wife of Roger Chillingworth (Prynne) – Sinner/Heroine? – Strong woman – Individual

7 CHARACTER ARTHUR DIMMESDALE ARTHUR DIMMESDALE – Minister/saintly – Hero – Hypocrite – Coward – Weak – Guilty – Sinner

8 CHARACTER ROGER CHILLINGWORTH ROGER CHILLINGWORTH – Doctor/Scientist – Cold-hearted – Scholar – Deformed – Single-minded – Fiend-like

9 CHARACTER PEARL PEARL Treasure/pearl of great price Treasure/pearl of great price Dressed in red/gold- elaborate decoration Dressed in red/gold- elaborate decoration Unusual child Unusual child Character as symbol (What does Pearl mean?) Character as symbol (What does Pearl mean?)

10 THEMES Law-nature Law-nature Individual-society Individual-society Sin-redemption Sin-redemption Heart-head Heart-head Public-private Public-private Woman- society/marriage Woman- society/marriage

11 SYMBOLS Colors-red, black, gold Colors-red, black, gold The letter “A” The letter “A” The rose The rose The forest The forest

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