10 questions on plot, characters, and themes. Free to take, so you can see exactly what to review before class.
1. Why does Hester refuse to name Pearl's father when the Puritan magistrates demand it on the scaffold?
2. How does Roger Chillingworth's behavior toward Arthur Dimmesdale change after he discovers the minister is Pearl's father?
3. What does Hester do with the scarlet letter when she meets Dimmesdale in the forest?
4. What happens to Arthur Dimmesdale at the end of the novel?
5. How does the community's view of Hester change over the seven-year period of the novel?
6. What is Pearl's primary symbolic function in the novel?
7. What does the novel suggest about the difference between public shame and private guilt?
8. How does Chillingworth's character change throughout the novel?
9. What does Hester's decision to continue wearing the scarlet letter after she is no longer forced to do so reveal about her character?
10. What role does the Puritan community play in shaping the events of the novel?
0 of 10 answered
How this guide is built
This guide is built from the original text to help you get oriented fast. It is designed for recall, paper planning, and getting unstuck, but it is still a paraphrased guide, not a substitute for the reading itself. Double-check anything important before you turn in formal work.
