The Scarlett Letter

Rizky Allivia | 16202241042
A. TITLE : the Scarlet Letter

B. AUTHOR(S) : Nathaniel Hawthorne
C. PUBLISHER :
Ticknor, Reed and Fields ( First Edition )
D. YEAR OF PUBLICATION :
1850 ( First Edition )
E. CITY OF PUBLICATION :
United States ( First Edition )
F. THEME
The story is about Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, who
keep a secret from others that Hester the lady got a children from
Dimmesdale, a puritan minister of Salem, Massachusetts. From that
idea, the theme of this story should be an experience of doing a sin,
keeping it will burden yourself but revealing it may cause bigger
problem in the society.
G. CHARACTERS & CHARACTERIZATION
The important characters of the story are :
1. Hester Prynne
Hester Prynne is a woman, told at the beginning of the story
having a child with unknown person for her husband is not with
her within two years. She is the wife of Roger Prynne ( older
than her ), a civilized man who was considered dead by the
people. Roger and his wife previously live in Amsterdam, then
they moved to Massachusetts but Roger ought to come later so

he sent Hester there alone.
Two years has passed after that and her husband didn’t even
come for her, for he was actually caught by American native.
Later she has a hidden affair with Dimmesdale, a puritan
minister of that town who later gave her a child. She appears as a
tough woman, facing that problem herself and keep the secret
between her and Dimmesdale. Even though that she was
punished by wearing a read a-shaped embroidery in front of her
chest as a symbol of her sin.
2. Pearl
Pearl is Hester’s illegitimate daughter who appears as a
mischievous figure. She looks innocent but has an ability to
perceive that others do not. In the story, she can really know
about a person by looking towards them. Like when she has a
feeling about what happened between Hester and Dimmesdale
since the beginning.
3. Roger Chillingworth or Roger Prynne
Roger is actually Hester’s husband, disguise as a doctor named
Chillingworth. He is the main antagonist figure of this story for
he look after the man who have affair with his wife after he
know that his wife gave birth to a daughter.
When he felt a strange interaction between Dimmesdale and
Hester, he then live with the minister and becoming his private
doctor. He starts his role by being a tricky man, but later in the
story he finally surrender to the love of Hester and Dimmesdale.
Not even a person except Hester know who he really is, he even
intimidate Hester not to tell anyone the truth about him.
4. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale
Dimmesdale is a puritan minister, known as a religious person
by the society since he usually gives exhortation to people i that
place. By his status, he then got a bigger conflict for he was
afraid of people will change their respect into an anger, or even
worse.
Hawthorne made him as a character who is always in a
dilemma about the mistake he had done. Roger’s presence beside
him even make it worse for he already know that Dimmesdale is
the man who has an affair with his wife.
After the long conflict, and after considering the risk he finally
reveal his secret to people in the town before his death due to hi s
illness.
5. Governor Bellingham
Governor Bellingham is the elder of the town, who spent much
of his time consulting with other town’s father. He appears as a
man who keeps his adherence to the rule, and can usually swayed
only by Dimmesdale.
6. Mistress Hibbins
Mistress Hibbins is a widow who lives with his brother, the
Governor Bellingham. In the story, she appears to behave like a
witch for she usually go to the woods at night with the “Black
Man”.
7. Reverend Mr. John Wilson
Mr. John Wilson is the elder of the clergyman, the one
respected highly by Dimmesdale. He is a stereotypical puritan
father who is sensitive to any violation of the existing rules. Just
like governor Belingham, he strictly obey to the rules. Unlike his
junior, Dimmesdale, he is even a type of person who will give a
sinner harsh punishment.
8. The Narrator
The Narrator is a man who works at the Boston Custom-House
about tho hundred years later after Hester’s story begin. He
found an old manuscript in the attic of that building which telss
the story of Hester Prynne. When then he loses his job, he write a
fictional treatment of that story for he is interested with the story
about the puritan society.
H. SETTING
1. Setting of place :
The story took place in Boston, Massachusetts. Every part of
the scene happens in the same city, only in a different places like
in the town or in the woods.
2. Setting of time :
The story start at the nineteenth century, but then it flashes
back to the main story around 1642 when Boston occupied by
many puritan community.
I. SUMMARY OF THE STORY
The story began with a prolog of a man discovering a manuscript
in a bulding’s attic and a red a-shaped embroidery. Then he read the
script and the story begin at the time of two hundred years ago.
Hester is a lady who has just gave birth to a daughter about three
or four months ago. She got prisoned because she can’t mention
who her daughter’s father really is for her husband has not been
with her about two years lately. Then she got punished by standing
in a stage in the middle of the crowd for three hours.
From there, she saw her husband who has not been seen for two
years standing in the middle of the crowd. The junior clergyman,
Dimmesdale, feels to have a responsibility for this ask Hester to tell
the truth. But she stands in her decision for keeping it as a secret.
Then she put again inside the prison when then a man come to
look for her, and he is Roger Chilllingworth or her husband. Like
the other, he is asking to Hester about the man who had an affair
with her for he is furious as he is still has a status of her husband.
But Hester’s principle cannot be easily put down so she remains
silent.
Roger might do not get the answer, hut he succeed to intimidate

Hester not to tell others about his true identity. Then he come out of
the prison after finish talking with her.
As the time passes, little Pearl grow to be a cheerful kid, full of
curiosity, but a mischievous girl at the same time. Then the
governor look after her behavior for he can’t believe to such woman
to take care of a children due to her past’s mistake. So the governor
ask little Pearl who created her, and she said that she is not created
by anyone but her mother picked her from a rose bushes. By this
answer, the governor thinks that she cannot teach Pearl well so they
want to take her from her mother. There, Hester beg for the
governor not to take away her daughter from her for she is a gift
from the god for her. This time, Dimmesdale shows a strange
expression about Pearl that makes Roger suspect that he might be
the man who has an affair with his wife.
Pearl grow within the time, and Dimmesdale starts to think to
reveal all that has been hidden for a long time. Roger who lives with
him also try to make him reveal it by giving his opinion.
Dimmesdale feels an anxiety by seeing his daughter growing
without father, so he begin to have a dilemma.
Then one night, he comes to the stage in the middle of the town
and thinks about the mistake he had made. He felt the quiet
atmosphere when suddenly Hester and Pearl passed by. He calls
them and ask them to go up to the stage with him, for he wants to
stand there with them. Then a large meteor come across the sky,
leaving a big A letter above them. This is a serene moment for the
family until Roger come and call Dimmesdale. So they all go back
to their home soon.
The next day, Hester made up her mind to tell Dimmesdale the
truth aboul who Roger Cillingworth really is. She goes with Pearl to
the forest where Dimmesdale told to attend a ceremony there. While
they walk down the path, she saw Dimmesdale walking through that
path too so she come after him.
Then she told him about the truth of who Roger really is. It is
hard for Dimmesdale to accept the truth at that time, but then he do
not care about that anymore. There, that little family finally united
as a family. They planned to move to other country, England and
leave their past in Boston after the election speech four days later.
So they go back to the town, waiting for the day to come.
On the election day, all people in that town come to the stage
where Dimmesdale will give a speech there. The crowd cheer when
Dimmesdale come to the stage. He looks immensely sick that time,
for he cannot even walk straight. He asked Hester and Pearl to go up
with him, then he reveal the secret that he is Pearl’s father. After
that short speech, Dimmesdale kissed Pearl and passed away his
life.
J. COMMENT
1. Pros :
 This story contains an unusual romance story, light but not

boring. It is a simple but ended with a touching ending.
2. Cons :
 The story took place in a town, so people might get bored for
discovering only those places.

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Rizky Allivia | 16202241042

A. TITLE : the Scarlet Letter

they moved to Massachusetts but Roger ought to come later so

Roger might do not get the answer, hut he succeed to intimidate

 This story contains an unusual romance story, light but not

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