1. The Scarlet Letter
A THRONG of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.
Why does the first sentence begin with the word “throng”?

2. “throng”?
STOP. This is an unfamiliar word. I think it means a crowd, but why did Hawthorne choose this word?
Look it up. What is the denotation (dictionary definition)?
What is the connotation (con=“with”). In other words, what meaning goes along with the dictionary definition? What does it imply?

3. “of bearded men”
Makes me think of Puritans with their formal clothes, hats, and beards. Kind of like Amish people-keeping the “old ways.” Maybe the men are more serious, more authoritative, because the culture was so gender-biased. Reminds me of the minister in Colonial House. I wonder what they’re like? The judges in The Crucible?

4. “in sad-coloured garments”
Woah. Another prepositional phrase. Hawthorne really likes to modify his descriptions!
Why are their garments “sad”? What color is “sad-coloured”? Maybe gray, maybe brown or black-dull. Maybe their lives are dull and sad.
British spelling of “coloured”=archaic American writing?

5. “and gray steeple-crowned hats”
Gray=sad coloured
Steeple-crowned=religious imagery. Remember, this is a theocracy. Do their hats symbolize how their minds work?

6. “Intermixed with women. . . ”
Finally, some women. The women aren’t described, though. I wonder why that is?
Another modifying phrase. It seems like I am in for a lot of complex sentences from Hawthorne. Crazy syntax!

7. “some wearing hoods,” “. . . And others bareheaded”
Hoods imply modesty or comfort or secrecy? Not like steeples.
Their identity seems to be unclear. The men are also unidentified-they are only part of a throng. I wonder when some individual(s) will be introduced.

8. “was assembled in front of a wooden edifice”
Hah! Finally a verb!!! The throng was assembled! That is my sentence!!!
Now, “edifice” means what?
Denotation? Connotation?
Significance?
Why wood? What type of edifice? Why is there a throng assembled there? The hunt for meaning continues!!!

9. “the door of which. . . ”
Okay, now he’s going to describe the edifice and its door. Why describe the door?
“Was heavily timbered with oak” Why heavily? What does that imply? What kind of wood is oak compared to other woods?

10. “and studded with iron spikes.”
Finally, a period!!! Wooh, wooh!
“studded” what a verb choice! What are the connotations for that???
“iron spikes”? Sounds like some kind of medieval punishment.
Hmm. .. I think I know where this is going Somebody is in trouble, and the punishment is harsh and public.

11. Reflection
What does this first paragraph tell me? About the setting, character(s), plot, theme, tone, style?
What is the genre of the text? What predictions can I make based on genre?
What questions do I have? Who is being punished? Why? What will the people to do him/her?

12. K? W? What do I already know? Hawthorne was a Transcendentalist
He changed the spelling of his name for shame.
This is a “romance” so it’s not realistic.
What do I want to learn?
Who is being punished and why?
Why is this novel such a big deal?
How does Transcendentalism play into the text?

13. How will I approach reading TSL?
Slowly
Soaking up tone and theme
Looking for symbols
When syntax is confusing, locate subject + verb.
Another strategy is to put prepositional phrases in parentheses to help locate S + V.

14. Other active reading strategies
Write questions in the text
Write summaries at the end of every page
Use the chapter titles to predict events
Use post-its to expand annotations
Plan to read to deepen skills and learn content. This assignment’s purpose is not sheer entertainment. Be patient, diligent, and engaged. It will pay off!

15. Helpfulness Reading TSL will add to your Cultural Literacy
Reading TSL carefully and thoroughly will improve your reading skills, which should help for standardized tests (ACT/SAT/A.P.)
Reading TSL may give you a new perspective on ideas of guilt and redemption

16. Cultural Significance
A magnum opus of American Literature
Presented in 13 different films/plays/adaptations
Referred to in The Simpsons, Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Nip/Tuck, Mama’s Family, Reno 911 and SNL to name a few
Disparaging the Demi Moore version is more fun if you read the book first.