Question

The Scarlet Letter
By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Chapter II: The Marketplace
Part 1: What effect does the scarlet A have on the tension in the scene described in this excerpt?

A. It creates a focal point for both the crowd and Hester's pain.
B. It is a buffer between Hester, her child, and the townspeople.
C. It makes a statement about the will of the community to punish.
D. It suggests Hester's punishment is easily transformed into beauty.

Answer 1

Part B:
Select two quotations that help support the answer to Part A.

E. …such as must always invest the spectacle of guilt and shame in a fellow-creature
F. a thousand unrelenting eyes, all fastened upon her, and concentrated at her [scarlet A]
G. Of an impulsive and passionate nature, she had fortified herself to encounter the stings
H. Yet there were intervals when the whole scene, in which she was the most conspicuous object,
the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom
I. and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real.
J. …who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom.

Please enter the letters associated to your answers, in alphabetical order, into the blank provided. Please use commas to separate your letters, but do not include spaces. Example: A,E,F

Answer 2

Part 1 D part B, G. Of an impulsive and passionate nature, she had fortified herself to encounter the stings
Part c: E. …such as must always invest the spectacle of guilt and shame in a fellow-creature
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