Name:______________________________________________________ Date:_________ Hour:_____
English 303
Scarlet Letter—Final Study Guide
Characters: Write a brief description for each of the following characters.
Hester Prynne
Pearl Prynne
Roger Chillingworth
Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale
Gov. Bellingham
Mistress Hibbons
Rev. John Wilson
Narrator
Short Answer—Respond to each of the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Analyze the “narrative device” of the story. In other words, explain who the narrator is, how he
figures out Hester’s story, and why he is writing the story down.
2. Clearly, Pearl is a child that is wise beyond her years. Explain several instances of Pearl seeming
to understand information that she should not be able to understand.
3. What is Pearl’s reaction to her mother when Hester has taken off the Scarlet Letter?
4. Given the end of the novel, fully explain Dimmesdale’s physical illness. Why does Dimmesdale’s
sin lead to his death, while Hester’s sin only makes her a stronger person?
5. Roger Chillingworth is driven by revenge throughout the story. In what ways does Chillingworth
change over the course of the story, and in what ways is Chillingworth’s punishment worse than
Hester’s?
6. When the meteorite creates an “A” in the sky, the townspeople and Reverend Dimmesdale
apply very different interpretations to describe it. In what way is this similar to Hester’s Scarlet
Letter towards the end of the book?
7. Explain Hester and Dimmesdale’s plan to escape. How does Chillingworth ultimately ruin this
plan?
8. Explain the three major scenes that take place on the scaffolding. What similarities do you see
in each of these scenes?
9. What ultimately happens to Pearl, and why do you think Hester chooses to remain in the
village?
10. Explain the significance of Hester’s burial in the church graveyard.
Major Themes, Motifs, and Symbols—Briefly explain how each of the following is an important theme
or symbol in the story.
The nature of evil and original sin (our natural inclination to “sin”)—
Civilization versus the Wilderness—
Night versus Day—