Table of Contents
How did Hester handle the discipline of Pearl?
Hester tries to discipline her in a gentle way, much different than the Puritan standard of harsh punishment, but it does not work. Hester finds Pearl all the more difficult because Pearl cannot play with other children. Hester asks her if she came from the Heavenly Father.
What are Hester’s three punishments?
She receives three punishments from the townspeople, who claim they will free her from her sin. The community orders Hester to go to jail, wear a scarlet letter on her chest, and stand on the town scaffold for hours.
How did Hester’s punishment affect her?
After a few years of torture from the letter and from Pearl, Hester begins getting overly familiar with her punishment, and it no longer has the affect it once had. Her helpfulness causes people to give the meaning “able” to the letter, rather than “adulteress,” as it is supposed to mean.
Why does Hester have trouble disciplining Pearl?
page 88 – Why does Hester become frustrated trying to discipline Pearl? Nothing she said or did had any affect on her behavior. She was forced to stand aside while Pearl did whatever she wanted. Hester suggests that God sent Pearl to earth.
Why did Hester name her child Pearl?
A beautiful flower growing out of sinful soil, Pearl is so named because she was “purchased with all [Hester] had—her mother’s only treasure!” Because “in giving her existence a great law had been broken,” Pearl’s very being seems to be inherently at odds with the strict rules of Puritan society.
What is Hester’s sin punishment?
Hester Prynne’s sin was adultery. This sin was regarded very seriously by the Puritans, and was often punished by death. Hester’s punishment was to endure a public shaming on a scaffold for three hours and wear a scarlet letter “A” on her chest for the rest of her life in the town.
What was the worst part of Hester’s punishment?
In Hester Prynne’s case, as sometimes happens, her sentence required her to stand for a certain time on the platform, but without having her head held still—the worst part of the punishment. Knowing her role, she climbed the wooden steps and stood on display above the crowd.
Does Hester feel guilty?
Hester Prynne’s guilt is publicly exploited. She has to live with her shame for the rest of her life by wearing a scarlet letter on the breast of her gown. Arthur Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is just as guilty of adultery as Hester, but he allows his guilt to remain a secret.
Is Pearl easy for Hester to raise?
Although raising Pearl was difficult, she was the cause of Hester’s redemption later in the story. In retrospect, the conflicts of raising Pearl caused Hester’s transformation throughout the book. As a result, Pearl’s bad influence on Hester caused her to change for the good, enhancing Pearl’s future.
Who does Hester not sew for?
While Hester Prynne (the protagonist from Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter)is able to sew “for the ceremonials of pomp and state” she was not allowed to “embroider the white veil.” Hester has been charged and sentenced with committing adultery proven by her illegitimate child, Pearl.