Pearl and The Governor's Hall Questions

"Pearl"
1. Pearl was given her name because of her great cost and she was her mother's only treasure, but at the end of the chapter Hester claimed that Pearl "art no Pearl of mine! (88)". Why does she believe or want to believe that Pearl is no child of hers?

2. What is the significance of the first thing Pearl noticing in her life the scarlet letter?

"The Governor's Hall"
1. Pearl is seen as being of demonic origin to the Puritans and the children of the Puritans. However, she is also described as an "angel of judgment--whose mission was to punish the sins of the rising generation (92)". Do you view her as a being of demonic origin or as an angel of judgment? Why?

2. At the end of the chapter, Pearl began to cry for a red rose upon seeing the rose-bushes. What does this symbolize? Do the rose-bushes relate to the wild rose-bushes discussed in the first chapter of the book?

At the end of the chapter, Hester asks, "Why dost thou smile so at me?" Why do you think Roger Chillingworth is smiling at Hester in such a troubling time?

How does Roger feel about the incident between Hester and himself? Is he blaming himself? If so, why?

Chapter 5
Why does Hester feel so lonely? Is it due to the shame of what she did? The environment that she is surrounded by?

We see on page 77 that it is a form of "torture" when strangers state at the scarlet letter. Why is this torture to Hester?

Chapter 6
Compare and contrast Pearl and her mother. What similarities do you see in their current circumstances? Any differences?

On page 88, Pearl says, "I have no Heavenly Father!" What might this symbolize? How does it relate to Pearl's circumstances and her personality?

Chapter 7
Do you see any comparisons between Pearl and the scarlet letter? Where?

On page 93, Hester says, "Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee!" What does sunshine symbolize here?

The Interview - The Governor's Hall Questions

The Interview

What does Robert Chillingworth ask of Hester and why?

When convincing Hester to drink his medicine, what does Robert Chillingworth say is a worse fate than death for Hester?

Hester at Her Needle

Why does Hester spend so much time making clothes for the poor?

What was the one thing that Hester never embroidered?

Pearl

There are a lot of comparisons in this chapter that link Pearl to evil and witchcraft. Do you think Hawthorne is trying to say she was born evil or she became evil because of how the society treated her?

Is Pearl truly evil, or is our perception of her influenced by Hester and the townspeople's fears?

The Governor's Hall 

Is Pearl's dress used to highlight the contrasts between her and the Scarlet Letter or to show the similarities?

When Hester is in the Governor's Hall on p.95, she sees a reflection of herself in  a polished breastplate, and her Scarlet Letter is blown into "exaggerated and gigantic proportions." What does this symbolize?

Discussion Questions Chapters 4-7

Chapter 4
1. Why doesn't Hester condemn Roger Chillingworth by revealing his name? Is there something in it for her if she doesn't reveal his name?

2. Chillingworth says, "from the moment when we came down the old church-steps together, a married pair, I might have beheld the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path." (67). Why did he say this? Does he claim that he should have seen this because of Hester or because of him?


Chapter 5
1. After Hester gets out of jail, she has the option to leave town and escape much of the shame that comes along with wearing a scarlet letter. She chooses not to leave because "the chain that bound her here was of iron links, and galling to her inmost soul, but never could be broken" (72). Why is this "chain" so strong? Does it have anything to do with the father of her child and his location?

2. Does Hester wish the other sinners in the Puritan society were publicly shamed for their sins?


Chapter 6
1. At the beginning of the chapter, the author brings the reader closer by starting off with "we". Why does Hawthorne choose this moment to pull the reader in another step?

2. Pearl is described as "her mother's only treasure" (80). Does this suggest that Hester is happy that Pearl was born?


Chapter 7
1. When Hester looks in the suit of armor and sees that the scarlet letter makes up most of the reflection, why is she so horrified by this? Is this how other people see her (figuratively)?

2. To go to the Governor's Mansion, Hester puts Pearl in a crimson tunic. Did Hester do this to connect their fates? Was she unaware of the connection between her letter and the tunic?

The Interview and Hester at Her Needle Questions

"The Interview"
1.  Chillingworth claimed his purpose in life was to live and die unknown. Do you think he believes this is simply his destiny or his own punishment for wronging Hester?

2.  What did Hester sentence herself to when she took the oath? Do you think she will keep the oath?

"Hester at Her Needle"
1. After reading about the scarlet letter's ability to give Hester knowledge of a hidden sin in other people's hearts, what does the scarlet letter represent? Has your representation of it changed since the beginning of the book after reading this chapter?

2. Despite the society and its people's attempts to single out Hester and treat her poorly for her sins, she still manages to keep her patience and even give clothes that she made to those less miserable than her. What does this tell you about her character?

4-7 discussion questions

The Interview:

1. Who would you rather be? Hester, who was publicly shamed, or Roger, the husband whose life was ruined by Hester, the wife who never even loved him.
2. What is stopping Hester from revealing that Roger is her wife and ruining his reputation?

Hester at the needle

1. Is the author’s goal in this chapter to make us sympathize of for Hester by tellin us how she will be used as a living example of what not to do, never being able to remove the scarlet letter from her chest and the shame that comes with it?
2. When Hawthorne writes “There dwelt, there trode the feet of one with whom she deemed herself connected in a union, that, unrecognized on earth, would bring them together before the bar of final judgement, and make that their marriage-altar, for a join futurity of endless retribution”(pg. 72), do you think he is saying that marriage, like sin, both are determined by godly beings, and both have “endless retribution[s]”?

Pearl

1. Why does Hawthorne decide to break the 4th wall again when he says “We have as yet hardly spoken of the infant”, referring the Pearl?
2. Do you think that Pearl was made simply to act as a foil to Hester

The governer's hall

1. Can Hester ever truly love Pearl since she is both the only person that will accept her and a cruel reminder of how she came to be?

2. When Hester says "Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee!", was she saying that she has no happiness to offer Pearl due to her sins, that Pearl needs to find her own hapiness?

 

Questions for Chapters 4-7

Chapter 4: The Interview

1. In this chapter she seems to care for Pearl and her not getting killed, a huge difference from when she was using her shame of the baby to hide her shame of the letter. Why does she care now?
2. What is Hawthorne's view on youth/old age? He describes youth/decay as an "unnatural relationship" (67). Does this mean that the older, the worse? If perhaps, then why have the youth of Pearl whose practically the devil?

Chapter 5: Hester at Her Needle

1. What was Hawthorne's opinion on this hypocritical society?
2. If "outward guise of purity was but a lie" (78) is anybody really pure? Is he insinuating that Hestor is pure because she doesn't lie about her impurity... except by admitting she's not pure it makes her, well, not pure. Does this mean no one is pure in Hawthorne's eyes?

Chapter 6: Pearl

1. Pearl, when Hestor doubted her humanity (what kind of a mother does that?), "would turn her vivid and beautiful little face upon her mother, smile with sprite-like intelligence, and resume her play" (86). She also seems "incapable and unintelligent of human sorrow" (83) yet "sobs[s] out her love for her mother... intent on proving that she had a heart by breaking it" (83). Does she really care and is she really capable of these emotions or are these all just feigned emotions that a psycho/sociopath would fake in order to manipulate Hestor?
2. Granted this is only by association and jumping to conclusions on exactly what sun means, but if you assume sunshine is a good thing why is Pearl often associated with words that evokes the feeling of the sun?

Chapter 7: The Governor's Hall

1. What is the actual symbolism of the sun?
2. Looking on page 95 with the mirror and page 87 when Hestor is looking into her daughters eye, what can be said about reflection?