The Scarlett Letter Response Questions

Vince Gong

Mrs. May

English 11-3

4 December 2016

The Scarlett Letter Response Questions

Chapter 3: The Recognition

Chapter 4: The Interview

2. Hester had a moment of fear and uncertainty from the moment that she saw the man. The obvious movement of clutching the child closer to her body justified that the man and she was acquainted in some way. The stranger acted likewise as we saw his “face darken(ed) with a powerful emotion” which was replaced by a modicum of calm (54). During their exchange, his movement of his finger to his lips confirmed the fact that he knew her. At that moment, the reader can infer that he is probably the husband that was cheated on by Hester. The events that follow would be ironic as he questions what her sins are to a nearby townsmen. He ends up trying to dig up the identity of the other man who Hester had an affair with but was unsuccessful. This whole time, Hester was fixing her eyes upon the stranger who would confirm his identity in the following chapter.

8. Hester is most definitely confused and frightened about Chillingworth’s goals in obtaining the identity of her new lover. Even though the question was popped in a casual and crafty manner, Hester did not take the bait when asked about “the man lives who has wronged us both” (66). Instead Hester retaliated with a firm “That thou shalt never own” (66) that led to a shift in the atmosphere to a tense one as Chillingworth vows to discover the name of the man not for exposure but solely for that knowledge. He is confident that the Heavens would be the one to judge the man and that he didn’t need to interfere. This conversation was ended on an ominous note as Chillingworth asked for discretion on her part as to not reveal his identity to anybody with the threat that in the case she did that he would reveal her other lover to the magistrate and ruin his life. He proceeds to glance at her with a plotting look inside his eyes and tells her that her promise would cost someone else’s soul. Though she made the promise, she now feels off guard and uncertain about any consequences that may come from this promise with the devil.