1. A Fishbowl Questions “ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES…”
The ScArlet Letter… A
Fishbowl Questions
“ON A FIELD, SABLE,
THE LETTER A,
GULES…”

2. Group One
Why is it that Hester’s sin is the one that receives primary focus?
What role does the individual play in the story?
Interpret this quote:
“ Tempted by a dream of happiness…And the infectious poison of that sin had been thus rapidly diffused throughout his moral system…” (152).

3. Group Two… What role does society play in this story?
What is significant about Pearl being the “demon” child? What does she represent?
Interpret this quote:
“…the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness…and became…looked upon with awe, yet with reverence, too” (179).

4. Bonus Question…
Make a case that this story is about Arthur Dimmsdale, and not about Hester Prynne.
Consider:
The Archetypal angle
Hawthorne’s view of our basic nature
The Individual v. Society