2.  1804—1864  Born in Salem, MA  Born “Hathorne” but changed his name to distance himself from his relatives and ancestors

3.  William Hathorne  1620s judge who prosecuted and terrorized Quakers  John Hathorne  1690s judge who sentenced “witches” to death in Salem during the famous witch trials

4.  Very shy man  Graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825  Spent years collecting stories and historical information related to Puritanism  Worked as an inspector in the Boston Customs House

5.  Claims to have found evidence and papers concerning Hester Prynne and an actual scarlet letter  Touched the letter to his breast and felt “burning embers…as if the letter were not of red cloth, but red hot iron.  No factual basis for the “documents” and “letter” but this was a typical introduction for romances at the time

6.  Romantic  Deals with the strange and mysterious  Uses symbolic imagination  Turns to the past for subject matter  Focuses on the problem of evil and the nature of sin  Examines guilt  Uses the effect of on sin on four main characters  Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale and Chillingsworth

7.  What is sin?  Is Hester’s sin a crime against civil law?  Is Hester’s sin a crime against nature’s law?  Wild rosebush growing beside the prison door  Does nature sympathize with those whom society condemned?  Unity of Place  Three scaffold scenes  Four main characters are present  Change is demonstrated in each character

8.  Very formal language—often difficult for modern readers to decode  Using imagery to create mood  Plants, light, darkness, shadow, etc  Narration mixed with dramatic scenes

9.  Historical references to give his story credence  Wanted to restore the church to its “pure” state  Did not actually seek religious freedom, just wanted a place to worship as they chose  Very intolerant of other religious beliefs— persecuted and banished individuals whose beliefs did not match theirs

10.  Role of ministers and magistrates (law officials) to enforce the laws of God  Church very linked to state  Believed they were ordained by God to establish a community under His laws  All members of the community judged the faith and works of every other member

11.  Insisted on a lifestyle of self-discipline and hard work following the will of God  Completely intolerant of sin  Any sin committed in the community would incur God’s wrath  Looked for sins so they could be publically addressed and the community could express their scorn

12.  Lived very simple, hardworking lives— idleness was an invitation to sin  “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings.  Dressed in brown, gray or black –”somber colors”  Avoided worldly pleasures  Transferred children so they weren’t spoiled by natural parents

13.  Calvinists  Believed humans were too sinful to earn salvation by performing good works or avoiding sin  People could only go to heaven through God’s grace  Pre-destination—those who were saved had already been chosen

14.  One knew whether one was a member of “God’s elect” by being able to avoid sin  Dimmesdale and Hester are concerned that they may be damned—not because of their sin itself—but because they sinned it indicated that they were already damned  The Scarlet Letter explores whether Hester and Dimmesdale are actually damned or can be redeemed

15.  Set in Puritan Salem  The story of Hester Prynne who gives birth after committing adultery  Refuses to name the father

16.  Hester is required to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her breast as a mark of her shame  Struggles to build a new life of repentance and dignity while raising her child and being shunned by her community

17.  Hester Prynne  Pearl  Roger Chillingsworth  Reverend Dimsdale  Governor Bellingham  Mistress Hibbins  Reverend John Wilson  Narrator

18.  Sin, knowledge and the human condition  The nature of evil  Identity and Society

19.  The Scarlet Letter  Pearl  The meteor  The prison  The scaffold  Nature  Sunlight  Color  Rosebush

20.  Motif: an idea or theme that is carried and repeated throughout an entire literary work  Civilization v Wilderness  Night v Day  Naming