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Scarlet Letter Summaries

In: English and Literature

Submitted By Mattbencz
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The Scarlet Letter summaries.
Chapter 1
This chapter somewhat introduces seventeenth-century Boston, where a group of gloomy, sad Puritans stand in front of an old prison in Boston, which seems to be a horrible and degrading place. By the descriptions given (heavy oak door, with spikes) it sounds like the prison is meant to keep and hold deadly murderers and ax murderers. The area around the prison is gray and gloomy. Decay and ugliness are in the author's descriptions, the only thing that sticks out is a lovely wild rosebush, blooming by the prison door. I believe the rosebush links us to Hester. They are both in full bloom, the rosebush in numbers of roses, and Hester in her humiliation. They both stand out. Chapter 2 The chapter opens to townspeople talking about Hester Prynne’s sin. Hester comes out of the prison and walks to the scaffold wearing an elaborately embroidered scarlet letter A on her breast, and carrying a small infant in her arms. When she did this she was to be ashamed of her sin, and the townspeople made mockery and fun of her. One of the most ugly woman in town implied that she be killed for her sin. As Hester looks out over the crowd, she realizes that her future will be lonely, being alone. Just her daughter and herself. When she realizes this, she squeezes Pearl so hard she starts to cry. The market place is described as the punishment of Hester.

She was compared to Mary.

Chapter 3 While standing on the platform, Hester sees and somewhat recognizes a man in the crowd who is accompanied by an Indian. The man asks another person watching who she is and why she is being publicly shamed. The bystander tells the man that she has committed adultery. (The scarlet A is for Adultery.) Hester recognizes the man to be Roger Chillingworth. Her husband. She goes to say something, but from the crowd, he shushes her. When she

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