1. OF SIN AND SCARLET The Scarlet Letter Project Christopher Ball Period C-D

2. NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. He was a descendant of Puritan settlers; his father was famous in witch-executing trials, and one of his ancestors was one of the first New England Puritan settlers. He didn’t want to be remembered for his father’s actions, so he added the “w” to his last name. His father died at sea due to illness, and this made his mother overly protective. Hawthorne turned out to be very shy and bookish because of his mother, traits that made him into the writer that he was. Hawthorne started writing after graduating from Bowdoin College and published his first book. It did not achieve much success, however he kept writing. Some of these works were considered his best, but for some reason, he denied the publication of his stories twice. His poor income forced him to work as a Boston Custom House measurer. By 1824, he earned enough to marry Sophia Peabody. Hawthorne continued to write, but it still failed to support him. He returned to Salem and was appointed surveyor of the Boston Custom House, however he was dismissed when Zachary Taylor became president. Being free from work, he published many works, one of which was The Scarlet Letter. He devoted himself to writing and resided in Europe for a few years. He befriended many writers such as Holmes, Emerson, Melville, and Longfellow. Hawthorne wrote one last novel, The Marble Faun, before falling ill and dying on May 19 th, 1864, in Plymouth, New Hampshire. He was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts. Although he is gone, he is still referred to as one of the greatest American writers. As Longfellow said in a review of Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales, “Another characteristic of this writer is the exceeding beauty of his style. Indeed he uses words as mere stepping-stones, upon which, with a free and youthful bound, his spirit crosses and recrosses the bright and rushing stream of thought.”

3. CONFLICT ANALYSIS-HESTER PRYNNE Hester Prynne had to overcome a lot of things during the story The Scarlet Letter. The most major of all of her conflicts was one between her and the Puritan community of Boston, Massachusetts, when the community expected perfection. All of this starts on page 48, where the women of the town start to gossip about Hester and the punishment she received, saying that she was not punished enough. “The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen, but merciful overmuch,-that is a truth,” said one of them. From then on, after she was convicted, she tried to make the most of her life despite her previous actions and tried to become a better person because of it. This doesn’t seem to be enough for the community, as all they can remember her for is her sin. As it says on page 73, “Thus, the young and pure would be taught to look at her… as the figure, the body, the reality of sin.

4. CONFLICT ANALYSIS-HESTER PRYNNE As a result of the way she is treated, Hester goes to live in a small cottage on the outskirts of town. She tries her hardest to raise Pearl to be a mature and God-fearing individual, however the community is afraid of Pearl’s attentive and wild personality. The community calls her a demon, stating that she is the product of sin and at some point saying that Pearl should be taken away from Hester. However, for the community expecting perfection out of Hester, they do not seem to have much of an idea about perfection, either. The community treats Hester like she is the only person who has done wrong, while in reality, they are also blind to the fact that they are also imperfect. For example, the Puritan children are taught to hate Hester and to treat her badly. As the children said on page 93, “Behold, verily, there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!”

5. CONFLICT ANALYSIS-HESTER PRYNNE This conflict caused Hester to become more depressed inside. She wasn’t happy and the scarlet letter seemed to become a part of her life that she dwelled on obsessively, as did the community. The conflict ends when Hester and Pearl travel back to Europe. Pearl gets married, and Hester returns to her cottage on the outskirts of Boston. However, at this point in the story, the meaning of the scarlet letter had changed in the community, making Hester a well known, almost celebrity among the community. Women would come to her for advice, and she was heralded as a hero.