Literary Device: Personification –> “Remorse” and “Cowardice” acting as people
Context: talking about Dimmesdale when he is up on the scaffold at night, his torn emotions
Importance: shows how Dimmesdale is torn between his emotions of fear (of the judgement of him community and God) and his emotions of regret (he feels awful for what he has done – want to own up for it) ; Dimmesdale has to choose which path to go down- one of secrecy forever, filled with regret, or owning up to his sins and openly repenting to God
Literary device: metaphor –> spring that controls the engine = Dimmesdale’s secret
allusion — the rack = torture device
Context: talking about Chillingworth’s influence on Dimmesdale’s actions (both his current influence on everyday things since they live together, and the potential influence he could have due on Dimm to the fact that Chill knows his secret)
Importance: draws attention to how Chillingworth has control over Dimmesdale
Literary Device: simile –> “as if a company of devils…”
Context: Dimmesdale is on the scaffold at night, feeling torn inside, and lets out a very loud scream unconsciously
Importance: shows the terror and misery of his scream; emphasizes how loud it was — all of the town and beyond (evils!) could hear it
Literary device: metaphor–> comparing Chillingworth to a serpent/bug/worm…Serpent=evil just like Chillingworth
Context: Hester is disturbed by Chillingworth being so clingy to Dimmesdale – trying to figure out if he knows about them
Importance: clearly illustrates not only Chillingworth’s actions towards Dimmesdale, but shows you that Hester knows too
Literary Device: Simile –> “like a snake…”
Context: when Chillingworth has just arrived at the town and sees Hester on the scaffold, and asks a person in the crown why. the reason he hears is the cause of this reaction
Importance: shows that he is very upset, and evil (snake = devil)
Literary device: allusion –> Greek myth, Athena tells warrior to do these things (plant teeth, grow enemies)
Context: talking about Pearl when she is little (they they are describing they life for the first 7 years in the cabin)
Importance: Pearl also on has Hester, no friends~unusual for a kid her age, shows how she is weird —- imagines enemies?
Literary Device: metaphor –> Pearl = scarlet letter
Context: in Governor Bellingham’s house. talking about Hester and Pearl (wither Hester can keep her or not)
Importance: Pearl = scarlet letter
. punishment to her mother
. only thing Hester has left
. wearing bright red – very decorative (physically looks like the scarlet letter)
Literary device: none
Context: when Pearl is asking Hester where she came from, and Hester says “from the heavenly father”
Importance: Pearl doesn’t know that Dimmesdale is her father / doesn’t really accept that he is
Literary device: simile –> “like an uprooted weed that lies wilting in the sun”
Context: talking about Chillingworth’s transformation after Dimmesdale dies
Importance: Chillingworth’s purpose in life was for revenge on Dimmesdale — now that he is dead, his goal fufilled, he has no reason to live
Literary device: personification –> “showed itself with an unrelenting smile”
Context: revealed to Hester via Pearl about Chillingworth’s plan to bomb her and RAD’s escape – Chill smiles at her from across the crowd -> Hester despairs
Importance: Hester is thrown into misery and despair again — No escape
Chillingworth knows about RAD and Hester’s relationship — who knows what he will do! (since he wants revenge more than anything else)
Literary device: simile –> “like the shine…”
Context: Dimmesdale giving advice to the old lady (in the street)
Importance: Dimmesdale doesnt believe anymore — her wrinkled and ashy face shows just as much “divine gratitude” and spiritual knowledge as he did–> NONE. he thinks that what he just said to her was absolute crazy nothingness
Literary device: simile -; “like a lost jewel…”
irony that the “jewel” will only bring “great misfortune” to the owner
Context: Hester has cast down the scarlet letter on the forest floor, it lays there
Importance: while the “A” may look pretty, it seals you face in misfortune and desparity – locks it in place
. when Hester takes off the A, she transforms as if all her trouble are immediately gone -; A = lock
Literary device: simile –> ” like a shapeless piece of driftwood”
Context: talking about news about Pearl to the Bostonians once she and Hester leave
Importance: people of the town never really hear about Pearl again- she disappears from their lives and their society — pearl has left that part of herself behind —- she is freed!
Literary device: metaphor –> ransom = payment
jesus-> ransom for sin
Context: trying to convince Dimmesdale to not give up and die and blame himself
Importance: Hester thinks that their sorrows/grief should have canceled out their sins – that they are okay now — while she is comforting Dimmesdale, she is also trying to comfort herself
Literary device: simile–> “as being of great price”
Context: first description of Pearl herself
Importance: not only is Pearl valuable to Hester in that she is her child, but also that Pearl came at a high price
. loves her, and is tortured by her
Literary device: simile–> “like the reflection of a furnace”
“like one of those gleams of ghastly fire…”
. allusion –> Paul Bunyan
Context: talking about Chillingworth’s demeanor – how he acts, what he does, etc
Importance: he gets really excited only when hes onto something about finding something out about Hester — the only thing he is living for is revenge
Speaker: Narrator
Literary Device: simile –> “as if a company of devils…”
Context: Dimmesdale is on the scaffold at night, feeling torn inside, and lets out a very loud scream unconsciously
Importance: shows the terror and misery of his scream; emphasizes how loud it was — all of the town and beyond (evils!) could hear it
Literary device: metaphor –> threshold = their true feelings / what has been on their minds
Context: when Hester and Dimmesdale are just starting to talk when they meet in the forest
Importance: shows that they just don’t resume to their close relationship – but both want and need to get their true feelings across to the other — both worried about the other, have always cared but were to scared to be open about it
Literary device: metaphor –> unfinished sermon = him feeling / being incomplete
Context: talking about Dimmesdales sermon sitting on his desk, how he couldn’t finish it
Importance: the fact that it was already unfinished means that he was uncertain in the truth of what he was writing; now Dimmesdale has made up his mind – his mentality is now completely changed. he rewrited his sermon – determination to be truthful, displays that he is a changed man now
Literary device: personification – “murmuring”
Context: when Hester and RAD and Pearl are leaving the forest – how they are leaving the forest (how the forest, acting like people, is dealing with what just happened)
Importance: shows something isnt quite right with the apparent joyful event of finally working stuff out between Hester and RAD —- foreshadows that things will not go as planned!