English with Thouvenel: Honors 4: The Scarlet Letter vs. The Awakening

The Scarlet Letter Notes

A Romantic critique of American hypocrisy: the first settlers were quick to judge anyone who was a threat to their sense of community, faith, and power
sin: any selfish act that impinges upon the personhood or property of another
penitence: true contraction for the act of sinning and the accompanying actions that keep the sinner from repeating the infraction
penance: a series of behaviors or tasks designed to repay the person sinned against
Feminism: the belief that equality is not based on gender
Fairy Tale: written by the literate for the literate
restoration: the “hero” loses his or her place which is returned after he/she passes through the forest and passes a series of trials
the rise: the “hero” starts with nothing and gains everything after he/she passes through the forest and passes a series of trials
the forest: a place where the rules are totally different and unknown; everyone enters, not everyone leaves and not everyone leaves sane
coded language is used to give the story multiple levels of meaning
The Characters

Hester Prynne: the hero who is forced to take full responsibility for her sins and suffers a mental breakdown before rising to meet every trial and face her shadow
Arthur Dimmesdale: the stand-in for every person corrupted by the safety of their life at the expense of others; he is the damsel in distress who fails to understand what meeting his shadow is about (only when he finally faces himself is he freed)
Roger Chillingworth: he entered the forest, faced his shadow, and returned to society slightly cracked; his issues were exacerbated by greed and revenge; however, even he has a moment of redemption
Pearl Prynne: Hester’s illegitimate daughter; a shadow for each of the adults, she is seen by her society as flawed simply because of the circumstances of her birth

Anne Hutchinson: a female religious leader who was banished by the “good people” of Boston
The Rose Bush: a piece of nature/the forest that has creeped into the town
Native Americans: represent the unknown which the Puritans assume means evil, the witches hope means freedom, and th reader is to come to understand that they represent our otherselves/shadows
The Clergy: must maintain order because order is power and power keeps them/the community safe…
The Graveyard: home of the bodies, not the souls; the place between civilization and the forest (chaos); the place between life and death

Chapters 10-11 (Hester as the Sheltered Wife transformed into Hester as the Intellectual)

What purpose do the graveyard conversations between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale serve in the narrative?
What purpose do the graveyard conversations between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale serve for the reader?
How do Dimmesdale and Chillingworth function as shadows?

How are the events on the scaffold a representation of hypocrisy?
How has Dimmesdale been transformed by guild? Is it penitence or penance?
How has Chillingworth been transformed by revent? Why does Hawthorne choose to make the transformation physical?

How is The Scarlet Letter a Romantic era critique of the Colonial era?
How does The Scarlet Letter qualify as a feminist fairy tale?
How do the forest and graveyard represent specific characters in The Scarlet Letter? Which characters?
Which character’s transformation matters the most to modern readers? Howso?

The Awakening Discussion Questions

In what ways is Leonce a good husband?
In what ways does Leonce see Edna as property? How is this typical of the time period?
How is Edna not a typical wife or mother for her time period?
What are some examples of culture shock Edna (from the conservative Bible Belt) suffers from in Creole New Orleans?
What does the sea represent?
How is Edna waking up?
What is the one thing Edna is truly afraid of losing?
Does Edna recognize choice versus consequence? Does she apply those lessons or ignore them?
Is Edna ever truly independent? Explain.
How are Hester Prynne and Edna Pontellier similar? Why do they face the world so differently?
How is Alcee Arobon a predator? Why?
What does Dr. Mandelet recognize that neither of the Pontellier’s do?
How is Enda’s “goodbye dinner” a turning point? Think beyond the move, that’s obvious.
If Edna is married to Leonce and in love with Robert, why does she enter a sexual affair with Alcee?
What about Madame Rantignolle’s birth changes Edna’s life? Why?
The Awakening: Analytical Questions

Is Edna Pontellier capable of love? Explain fully.
How are Leonce Pontellier, Robert Lebrun, and Alcee Arobon shadows? What do they each reflect?
How are Edna Pontellier, Madame Reisz, and Adele Ratignolle shadows? What do they each reflect?
How does Enda’s personal journey reflect the idea of “coming of age”? Explain fully.

English with Thouvenel