Friday, March 13, 2009

The Scarlet Letter

Please share one of your Dialetical Journal entries and response. It needs to be from Chapter 17, 18, 19, and on. Identify chapter # and page #. PLEASE TRY AND CHOOSE ONE THAT HAS NOT BEEN MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES ALREADY.

In addition, talk about which character is the protaganist and which one is the antagonist and explain why.

Comment on one or more of the other students entries.

In addition go on to

http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm

Browse and scroll all the way down. Write about at least 3 different bits of interesting information concerning the Scarlet Letter that you learned from this site. Be specific. IF SEVERAL STUDENTS HAVE PREVIOUSLY reported on the same bits of information, TRY AND WRITE ABOUT SOME NEW INFO gathered from the site INSTEAD of REPEATING what's already been brought forth.

Enjoy the weekend. If any of you that took the SAT this Saturday want to comment on that experience, please feel free to.

Ms. Ojeda

55 comments:

  1. My Dialetical journal states "Pearl, I met the Black Man one time.....and he did leave this mark on me." My response to this would be is Hester trying to tell Pearl her secret but doing it in a diffrent way that may seem not as terrible as it really was? You can find my Dialetical Journal in Chapter 16 page 94. The Protaganist is the Scarlet Letter is really to me even though she committed a bad crime i really do think that Hester is the good guy because i feel that she learned from her mistake and she is trying to make everything better and making people of the town understand what she did was wrong. Also as it states very clearly in the novel that many people where appreciative of her help that she gave to all the people of the town. The Antagonist in the Scarlet Letter is most certinly Chillingworth. The reason i choose him is because he really is not a good person he is trying to make the whole situtaion worse. Also he is not being very nice to Rev.Demmisdale he is actually making a couple threats to him. Lastly it seems that he is trying to ruin Pearl and Hesters life and this is why a would call him the Antagonist in this novel.

    Corey Sax
    Period 3

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  3. One of my dialectical journal entries is from chapter 16 page 191 and it reads, "Mother,--said little Pearl,--The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides its self, because it is afraid of something on your bosom... I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” My response is that the sunshine is symbolizing the future, meaning that the sunlight hitting Pearl symbolizes the great life that she will have, however, Hester stays in the shadow which means she still has a dark future ahead of her. Furthermore, the protagonist in the story is Hester Prynne because although she has this great sin that she publically shows on her bosom, she is the one striving for good. She resembles a misunderstood hero who is shunned upon, feared, and seen inferior, yet, in her way, does good for the community. The antagonist is obviously old Roger Chillingworth because of his malicious tactics of revenge on Dimmesdale and his appalling pleasure of watching Hester suffer because of the scarlet letter. Moreover, the website http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm had some interesting information that I wasn’t aware of. One is, (because it had not crossed my mind) that Hawthorne was actually an Anti-Transcendentalist because in the “Scarlet Letter” Hawthorne “rebelled against the philosophy that man is basically good.” In addition, there are only 3 chapters in which the scarlet letter does not appear: 1, 9, and 20. Finally, the third interesting bit of information found was that one must think of the setting not just as the time and place, Boston in the 1640s, but the values and beliefs that define Puritan society.

    Sebastian Posada
    Period 1

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  4. My dialectical journal entry comes from page 195 in chapter 16, in which young pearl mistakes the minister for the Black man, whole waking through the forest.She says "Is it the Black man?". This is Ironic because Hester mentioned how she signed the Black mans book once before, and what she meant was her sin of adultery. It is ironic because the minister is the one who had partaken in that sin. What is symbolic is the fact that th minister, the holy orthodox himself, was mistaken for the black man.
    I agree with Sebastion in that the website brings up point that I was not aware of while reading the scarlet letter. I did not pick up the fact that Hester Prynne lured Dimmsdale into his position of orthodoxy, for his own benefit. hough i did realize that Hawthorne mentioned the scarlet letter, i did not realize that he mentions it over 150 times and in fact uses a plethora of phrases to describe it. Finally , i did not imagine Roger Chillingworth's to look the way his website describes him. Though i do know he has a dark and piercing personalty, didnt imagine him with a dark and sooty face, with piercing eyes.
    Saif Hamideh
    Period 1

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  5. My dialectical Journal entry you can find on chapter 16 page 191 it says, "Mother,--said little Pearl,--The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides its self, because it is afraid of something on your bosom... I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” Like Sebastian said I believe the sun is the future and it shines on Pearl but Hester on the other hand, for committing adultery she seeks to hide away from it because her future holds no good. In the Scarlet Letter I believe the Protagonist is Hester. Although, she has done her crime and pays for it by standing in front of a large crowd with an "A" stamped on her chest and her baby she still does it with no shame of what she did and try's to move on even though the crowd and the town gives her a hard time. The Antagonist you could say would be Roger Chillingworth. Not only does his name symbolize devilish but him as a person follows after his name. Chillingworth's attitude to watching Hester pay for her sin and make her pay more is cruel, as well; as trying to make their life miserable.


    http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm

    This website hold's A LOT of information I honestly did not even come across to think about. A few information that stood out was that The Scarlet Letter was The book was the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in America. Also, Hawthorn Sixty percent of the times he calls it by its full name (Referring to the scarlet letter). Last but not least, Like Sebastians post, I didnt even realize that The Scarlet Letter didn't appear in chapter's 1,9, and 20.


    Natasha Hamaoui
    P1

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  6. When analyzing any piece of literature, it is important to address not only what is right in front of the reader’s eyes, but also read between the lines; finding literary terms being applied within the piece. In chapter 16 of “The Scarlet Letter”, page 194, to be more specific, Hawthorne writes “Continually, indeed, as it stole onward, the streamlet kept up a babble, kind, quiet, soothing, but melancholy, like the voice of a young child that was spending its infancy without playfulness, and knew not how to be merry among sad acquaintance and events of somber hue”, making a simile and I would even dare to say a parallelism between the streamlet and a young child and how they are both share common characteristics when exposed to “events of somber” . Throughout chapter 16 there is a notable manipulation from every one; the women who told Pearl about her mother’s “mark”, Hester’s procrastination towards telling her daughter, Pearl, the truth about Chillingworth’s pain and the “Black Man” . Furthermore, the petulant antagonist in this chapter is Roger Chillingworth due to the fact that his only intention is to sneak into the bottom of Hester’s mind, soul and heart in order to humiliate the poor woman who has had to live her whole life with an untouchable mark on her chest. The protagonist, as usual is Hester, she is in the woods just waiting for Chillingworth to tell him the truth about Chillingworth's identity, yet, that is not the most important reason why she is the main character, she also plays many roles within this chapter, such as a mother; trying to protect her daughter from confusing herself, a woman, a fighter and a hero, these characteristics determine the different aspects as for why Hester can be nominated as the protagonist in chapter 16, just as Sebastian Posada wrote, my ideas concord with his, although I don’t think Chillingworth wants revenge against Dimmesdale but instead, his goal is to cause perturbation inside Hester’s mind . The three main pieces of information I leared from the site http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm are the definition of anti-transcendentalists, or rebelled against the philosophy that man is basically good; also, when Hawthorne wrote “The Custom House”, he was being anti-Progressive, critical of commerce, skeptical about the American dream, this fact answers many questions as to why the piece was so log, critical and analyzed; and the third fact was that every character re-enacts "The Custom House" scene in which Hawthorne himself contemplated the letter, so that the entire "romance" becomes a kind of exposition on the nature of symbolic perception.

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  7. One of the dialectical journals that i enterered for chapter 16, A Forest Walk, was "Once in my life I met the black man! This scarlet letter is his mark!" My response was "Hester Prynne confesses to her daughter that she has indeed met the black man. I interpret this as Mr.Dimmesdale is the man who Hester committed adultery with. Since Pearl calls Mr.Dimmesdale the black man, I think that when Hester says this scarlet letter is his mark she means that the adultery was when they met." In my book, the Barnes and Noble classic edition, this incident happened on page 174.

    As most of the students above me have stated, the protagonist is Hester Prynne. Although Hester has committed a sin that is highly looked down upon in her society she takes responsibility for this and wears the scarlet letter with almost a sense of pride.

    The Antagonist in the Scarlet Letter is Roger Chillingworth. He is is trying to make the whole situation with Hester and Mr.Dimmesdale a lot worse. Roger Chillingworth is hostile towards Hester and Pearl because of what Hester did and his revenge is trying to ruin their lives. Along the way, he is trying to ruin Mr.Dimmesdale.

    After viewing this website: http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm
    I realized that there is a lot of information I wasn't aware of in this novel and on Hawthorn. I agree with what Natasha learned, Hawthorn Sixty percent of the times he calls it by its full name (Referring to the scarlet letter). In addition I had no idea that Hawthorn didn't even mention the scarlet letter in chapters one, nine, and twenty. I also found it interesting that Hawthorne was actually an Anti-Transcendentalist.


    Taylor Chatting
    Period one.

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  8. One of my dialectical journal entries is from Chapter 20 on page 224. At the bottom, Hawthorn writes "Now, why the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, considered it so very fortunate, we hesitate to reveal. Nevertheless, - to hold nothing back from the reader, - it was because, on the third day from the present, he was to preach the Election Sermon; and as such an occasion formed an honorable epoch in the lift of a New England clergyman, he could not have chanced upon a more suitable mode and time of terminating his professional career." This passage caught my eye because Hawthorne again speaks personally and directly to the reader and reveals a portion of the future and of Mr. Dimmesdale's plans. I think, however, that the events will not go according as planned and that this excerpt is foreshadowing a terrible event for Mr. Dimmesdale.

    I disagree with the other students when they say that Hester Prynne is the protagonist. While Hawthorne might have began the story with Hester, he switches to focus on Mr. Dimmesdale and Mr. Chillingworth and their interactions with each other. Thus, I believe that the protagonist of the story is Mr. Dimmesdale and his plight of guilt, which is one of the themes of the Scarlet Letter. Obviously, I agree with everyone else that Mr. Chillingworth is the antagonist, as he is often characterized as malicious and sinister and is often times seeking to torment the characters.

    A few things I found interesting on the website was that the story is in a secondary degree that of Hester Prynne. Along with Taylor above me, I was interested with the fact that Hawthorne was an Anti-Transcendentalist. Although it really was not a shocker to me,mainly due to the fact that most of the characters in the Scarlet Letter have many dark attributes, it was intriguing because Hawthorne's time was that of reform in beliefs and views that included a shift to transcendentalist principles. A third bit of information that was interesting was that Mr. Dimmesdale's problem is solved when he confesses publicly upon the pillory where Hester stood. The fourth and final is that Hester's guilt is absolved through her public suffering.

    Kayl Karadjian
    Period 4

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  9. My favorite dialectical journal entry coincides with Sebastian and Natasha’s. It is from chapter 16 called A Forest Walk, found on page 191 where Hawthorne stated, “Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom… It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” “Nor ever will my child, I hope,” said Hester.” “And why not, mother?” asked Pearl, stopping short… “Will it not come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown?” My response to this quote is that Pearl identifies the scarlet letter with the metaphorical lack of sunshine in her mother’s life. Even though Pearl realizes that not all women wear the letter, she assumes that the A on her mother’s bosom is the representative of all women. Her questions “And why not, mother?” or “Will it not come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown?” suggest that sin, which is the real meaning of the scarlet letter, is an unavoidable part of life as a human.

    The protagonist of the novel is Hester Prynne. She is a Puritan woman who committed a vast sin, adultery; therefore, she must wear the letter A on her chest which signifies adulterer. Hester is the protagonist because she faces the consequences of her sin and takes great effort to settle down and become a woman of honor again and find peace within herself. The antagonist of the novel is Roger Chillingworth, he is Hester Prynne’s husband and a scholar, and uses his knowledge to disguise himself as a doctor. When he arrives in Boston and finds Hester with Pearl in the scaffold, he immediately looks for revenge on Hester and her lover Arthur Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is a malicious personage and in some parts of the novel even known as Satan’s messenger.

    After browsing through the website, http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm, I learned innumerable information concerning the Scarlet Letter. One of the many interesting facts is that Nathaniel Hawthorne was an anti-transcendentalist; therefore, he rebelled against the philosophy that man is basically good. This is exemplified in his novel because the novel deals with sin, concealed guilt, hypocrisy, and humility. Another interesting fact is that Hester committed a sin but she is neither a heroine not a sinner, but something in between. She is found in tragic circumstances because of her actions, and she is trapped in a loveless marriage and in love with another man. She is in between a sinner and a heroine because whichever way she moves, there is bound to be a sacrifice so some vital part of herself, either her honor or her deepest need. Last but not least another interesting fact is that as many authors, Hawthorne leaves us with doubts at the end of the novel. The A mentioned throughout the text signifies different things such as adulterer, able, and even angel. The author asks the reader to look at Hester from distinct viewpoints. Personally, sometimes I doubt whether I should condemn Hester for being a sinner, or admire her of responding to her responsibilities and pride.

    Joanna Berkowitz
    Period 1

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  10. One of the quote that I thought was important in the book was “Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me for I wear nothing on my bossom yet!.” This quote is located on page 367 of my book. My response to this quote was that Pearl is frequently aware of things that others do not see, and here she identifies the scarlet letter on her mother's bosom with lack of sunshine in her mother's life. I think that this shows that Pearl will someday truly undestand her mothers scarlet letter. The protagonist of the story in my point of view is Hester Prynne. Althought she commited a sin and was charged with adultery, she paid her due when she was standing in front of a multidude with an A which symbolized adultery. The antagonist of the story is Chillingworth. The reason why he is the antagonist of the story is because he is slowly killing Dimmesdale, and it seems that he wants revenge for Dimmesdales actions.
    Something that I learned from the website was that Hawthorne was an anti-transcendentalistst. Something else that I thought that was interesting was that Hawthorne refers to this symbol nearly a hundred and fifty times. The last information that I found interesting was that only in chapter 1, 9 and 20 the scarlet letter isnt mentioned.
    - Thomas Worthington
    p.1

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  11. One of my dialectical journal entries states the following, “When her elf-child had departed, Hester Prynne made a step or two towards the track that led through the forest, but still remained under the deep shadow of the trees.” this can be found in chapter 16, page 196. My response to this journal was the following; they are comparing her to an elf because elves are usually considered the Devil’s child. Hester was very brave to go in search of her child into the forest, because it was very dangerous and Puritans had a big fear towards the forest. In my opinion Hester is the protagonist and Chillingworth the antagonist. I believe this because all throughout the story Hester has ignored what other think, she doesn’t care. Chillingworth got there after two years, and expects everything to be normal and he doesn’t tell anyone that he is Hester’s husband. Besides Hester has grown throughout this experience and is trying to learn from her mistakes. I completely agree with Vicky, the manipulation during chapter 16 is extremely obvious.


    http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm

    I found this website very interesting and useful, I found here a lot of information I didn’t even come close to imagine. I didn’t know Anti-Transcendentalists exist; this meant they rebelled against the philosophy that all man are basically good. I also learned about the familiar theme which is the combination of the wife, the lover, and the husband. In this case we can find all three of this in The Scarlet Letter.


    Alma Ricart
    4th Period

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  12. The following dialectical journal was extracted from Chapter 16 (A Forest Walk), pg 193-194. “Oh, a story about the Black Man, answered Pear, taking hold of her mother’s gown and looking up, half earnestly, half mischievously…Once in my life I met the Black Man!, said her mother. This scarlet letter is his mark!” The discussion portrayed in this quoted occurs while Hester and Pearl are walking in the Forest, waiting for Reverend Dimmesdale to pass by. Pearl was incessantly asking Hester about the Black Man, and how he makes the people in the forest write their names in his book; consequently, leaving a mark on them. So she keeps on going with the questions and at the same time she grows curiosity about whether or not Hester met the Black Man, and if he is the reason for the scarlet letter. After getting annoyed by little Pearl, Hester tells her that she once met the Black Man, and the scarlet letter is his mark indeed. Personally I believe that this passage creates confusion and misunderstanding. Obviously Hester did not meet the Black Man, but when she says that she did, she is referring to either Mr. Chillingworth or Mr. Dimmesdale. I’m no certain who she really referred to, because she got the scarlet letter by having an affair with Dimmesdale; thus, technically he is the Black Man. Nonetheless, Hester could also be talking about Chillinworth, for the reason that if he would not have left her alone for all those years, she wouldn’t have had the affair.

    According to the dictionary definition, a protagonist is the main character or central figure of the story; therefore, the protagonist of “The Scarlet Letter” is Hester. The whole story revolves around her and how she deals with everyday life after having committed adultery. I completely agree with Joanna when she says that “Hester is the protagonist because she faces the consequences of her sin and takes great effort to settle down and become a woman of honor again and find peace within herself”, because these are the main reasons why Hester is in fact the protagonist. In the other hand, the antagonist is Roger Chillingworth. He was supposed to be an honorable man, but when he comes into the village we find out that his real intentions are to seek revenge from whoever stripped him from his honor (whoever slept with Hester during his absence). He is constantly playing with the mind of Reverend Dimmesdale, and this drives the reverend to the verge of his death. In contrast to Hester, Chillingworth is a current sinner, while Hester has changed after sinning.

    After surfing through http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm many important bits of information come to my mind. One of them is that the setting of “The Scarlet Letter can be viewed from two perspectives. The physical perspective is Boston in the 1640s, etc. And the in-depth perspective of the society being Puritan with strict moral values and religious beliefs. The fact that Hawthorne attempts to put a symbolism in human body is also interesting. Pearl sometimes acts as a regular child, but other times she symbolizes evil by the connotations of the words attributed to her in her description. Another important bit of information is the doubt that Hawthorne leaves the reader with about Hester Prynne. We don’t know how to interpret Hester’s past. Is she a person to admire of to despise? I believe that the sin she committed will haunt her forever, so she will never be someone to admire.

    Oscar Betancourt
    Period 4

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  13. In Chapter 19 on page 220 I put the following quote in my dialectical journal entry: Hopefully, but a moment ago, as Hester had spoken of drowning it in the deep sea, there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received back this deadly symbol from the hand of fate.
    Since Pearl would not approach Hester because she did not have the scarlet letter she had to reattach it to her garment. This made Pearl recognize her mother and she then approached her. When she had taken the symbol off she felt free finally, but once it was reattached she felt again imprisoned in her sin. The scarlet letter has yet to leave her and has been deemed to her fate.

    I have to agree with both Joana and Oscar that Hester is the protagonist and Chillingworth is the antagonist. The entire story is based around Hester. Yes, she has committed a sin, but since then she has evolved into a lady of honor. As for Chillingworth he came with good intentions to settle down with his wife, but comes and finds her being publicly humiliated among the town. This sin she has committed has affected Roger negatively; he has become very involved with revenge and cannot let go of the past. Chillingworth pushes Dimmesdale towards death and confession and tries to make his life worse.

    As for the website we were to visit I learned numerous facts about the scarlet letter. One being that the letter A could in fact not only stand for adultery but also angel. After reading this you could say that because Hester has risen above the occasion and demonstrated sincere qualities. As for the Heart vs. the Head, I never realized the head symbolism. Throughout the story he refers to the heart among both Hester and Dimmesdale and as for Chillingworth he has over though the entire situation. Chillingworth in too much involved with revenge. Lastly, I have noticed the conflict Law vs. Individualism, sine the book was written during the transcendentalist movement. The website, though, elaborated on the conflict.
    ~Kristian Shaffer
    Period 4

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  14. Chapter 19 of the novel "The Scarlet Letter" is bounteous with thought provoking events. Among these thought provoking events one that should be held with elevated importance would be in page 220 in which Hester was unable to dispose of the scarlet letter. "Hopefully, but a moment ago, as Hester had spoken of drowning it in the deep sea, there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received back this deadly symbol from the hand of fate." Even though Hester threw the letter, she was unable to get rid of it and it came back and ended up where it had started. This could indeed be foreshadowing of what is to come, she was unable to get rid of the scarlet letter this time will she ever be able to get rid of it? Just when everything seemed to be going flawlessly, little Pearl refuses to acknowledge Hester as her mother without the scarlet letter, an object she has seen since she was brought upon this world. However, they scarcely mention Mr. Chillingworth, Dimmesdale and Hester are not taking to consideration how far he is willing to go to shatter Dimmesdale as if he were glass.

    It is quite blatant who is the protagonist of this story, as said before by several of other people Hester is the protagonist. I disagree with Kayl obviously,however I can prove my point. Hester goes through a journey, similar if not a HEROS JOURNEY a journey which protagonist seem to often endure. The other characters aid/obstruct her journey. Kayl said Dimmesdale was the protagonist however Dimmesdale is one of the characters who cause and are present throught the journey. There are two main antagonists in the story "The Scarlet Letter", those two would be Dimmesdale and Chillingsworth. Stories can have more than one antagonist, surprised no one has caught on to this, for example in Batman throughout an episode of his extensive journey there is more than one villain, therefore there is more than one antagonist. Roger Chillingworth is the "villain" and Dimmesdale is the reason Hester has to undergo this journey.

    The website itself was quite repetitive however some of the information was rather interesting and useful even though most of it was unnecessary such as the number of times he refers to the scarlet letter however it is subjective. However what I did find useful was that it made me realize Hester is a hero and she undergoes a heros journey. The rhetoric question "Is Hester a glorious heroine, standing up to an unduly repressive society in the name of love and freedom?" located in the article helped me come to this conclusion. I also found it quite funny when they said: "we cannot help wondering what Hester ever saw in the man." they said this right after they described him. Nonetheless I despise this article as it gave away the ending. I will not mention it for those who do not wish to know it such as myself before reading this article. The article also confirms that mistress hibbins is a witch,the article explains she is a witch to be able to break free from the narrow minded restrictive society.

    Steven Erenst
    4th period
    Finally my internet started working...

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  15. In chapter 17, Hester Prynne says, "That old man!- the physician!-he whom they call Roger Chillingworth!- he was my husband!" With this quote, Hester Prynne is declaring to Dimmesdale that she was married to Chillingworth, the man who he is living with and being medicated by. Dimmesdale is furious after finding out, yet he forgives her and says that he is a worse sinner than they are. This quote demonstrates Hester Prynne's urget need to tell him her secret, no matter how much trouble it leads to. By her being willing to tell him such a fact, we see her deep love for him and by him forgiving her, we also see his strong love for her. Pearl was not conceived in infatuation, rather she was conceived in true love, considereing that its been seven years already and there is still a fire flame of love burnning between Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne.

    The protagonist in "The Scarlet Letter" is Hester Prynne. The whole story line revolves around her life and the events in a Puritan town. The story shows how she admits to her mistakes, accepts the punishment,and later pulls though even stronger by becoming famous for her needle-work in the town and by gaining the respect of many of the townspeople. She is a character who learns from her mistakes and who learn to deal with the consequences of her actions. She is also very strong because she decided to stay in the town after she was let out of jail, instead of running away to another town. The story portrays her as a great protagonist because she even becomes a sort of hero in the town, it says that the town replaces the letter "A" for adultery and trades it for able. Able to succeed and move on with her life. On the other hand, the antagonist of the story is Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne's ex-husband. He comes into town as this random man who happens to be very skilled in the medical field and is accepted as a doctor due to the lack of medical aid in the town. However, she has no interest in the well-being of the town, he truly wants to find Pearl's father because he is seeking revenge on him. He wants to gain back the honor he lost by Hester sleeping with Dimmesdale.Like Oscar said, " In contrast to Hester, Chillingworth is a current sinner, while Hester has changed after sinning." Hester and chillingworth are true opposites. Hester learn from her mistakes to become a better person and Chillingworth just becomes more agressive as the novel continues.

    On the website: http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm, there were several key concepts. The fact that the scarlet letter is a key symbol in this novel. Which moves on to Pearl, who came from that scarlet symbol. Pearl is portaryed as a symbol also and often times she is referred to as the elf-child and other times as a symbol of Hester's sin. Lastly, as the article states, " As Hester herself admits, she has irreparably wronged her husband. And so she bears some responsibility for the corruption of Chillingworth's soul." Hester is strong enough to live day to day with her sin yet it wont just disappear and Chillingworth knows that. He almost sometimes seems to ready hold that against her to make her feel even worse.


    Carla Quintana
    Period 1

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  16. While reading Chapter 16, A Forest Walk, my favorite dialectical journal would have to be on Page 191 towards the bottom of the page, about 3/4ths down. It say "Mother, said little Pearl, The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” My initial commentary towards this particular quote would have to be about how sunshine might be able to illustrate most upcoming events. Additionally, the reader is able to infer that the sunlight that the sunlight that was striking Pearl represents the magnanimous life that she will have despite all other comments.
    I believe that the protagonist in this piece of literature, The Scarlett Letter, is Mrs. Hester Prynne since she has great in the future. Mrs. Prynne is portrayed as a less important and subordinate human being but she does guiltless actions upon others.
    The antagonist of The Scarlet Letter would have to be Chillingworth due to all the detrimental forms of avengement on Dimmsdale.
    The website http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm contains an accumulation of information that startled me when I read it. Such as Hawthorne being an Anti-Transcendentalist and arguing with the philosophy that “man is good.” I, also, never knew that Nathaniel Hawthorne had a pessimistic personality. Since he was a part of the Transcendentalist era, I thought that instead of having a depleted personality, he would be an inspirational and motivating person. At last, I was stunned by the fact that Nathaniel Hawthorne had economic difficulties despite him writing The Scarlett Letter and it being well known
    Jonathon Lenett
    Period 1

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  17. In chapter 17 page: 96 it say that '' They both knew that it was time to talk about the past, but they began by chatting about the weather and other small talks''. My reaction to this that as i started reading this sentece i said to myslef How come they started talking about another subject instead of talking about what really mattered? but then my conclusion was that they didnt know what to say because it was actually the first time they actually talked to face to face after 7 years. To me the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter is Hester because she's the main character and the whole story is basically about her punishment and the reasons why she kept Pearl's father a secret for 7 years even though she wanted to tell that person that he was her father she just didn't know how because through the biginning of the story it states that Hester refuses to say who her husband is or even respond to any question's that have to do with that topic. Also the antagonist of The Scarlet Letter is Chillingworth because he's not a very nice person, do to the fact that he made the whole situation worse and made Hester look bad because he never supported her in any way he just hurt her and he's also not nice to Reverrand Dimesdale because he threating him during their times in court and by asking him questions that would make him feel guilty for what he did to Hester in the past.
    Stefania Berman
    Period: 3

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  19. One of my quotes was “Let her see nothing strange-no passion nor eagerness- in thy way of accosting her” “Our Pearl is a fitful and fantastic little elf, sometimes. Especially she is seldom tolerant of emotion, when she does not fully comprehend the why and wherefore. But the child hath strong affections! She loves me, and she will love thee!” (Chapter 19, page 216) Here, Hester tries to convince Dimmesdale that Pearl will love him, she wants him to get along with her so they can travel in harmony. She tells him how beautiful and smart Pearl is, and she tries to tell him that everything is going to turn on well and that she will love her father.

    Clearly, Hester is the protagonist. Everything revolves around her and Pearl, and everything changes depending on her. Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are fighting because of her, because of what she did and because of what she is doing after she was punished.

    The antagonist is Chillingworth; he is the one conspiring to get Hester back and to get rid of Dimmesdale. He is a very manipulative character who wants to do everything in his way so he can get what he wants.

    In the web page I found out that, in the Custom House, Hawthorne himself contemplated the letter, so that the entire "romance" becomes a kind of exposition on the nature of symbolic perception. He didn't only mean adultery as the subject, he meant everything in general and how everything relates to the different actions. I also found out that in The Scarlet Letter, passion justifies nothing, while its denial justifies all, and even Hester must finally accept loneliness and self-restraint instead of the love and freedom she dreamed. Another curious fact is that puritanism in the Scarlet Letter is related with the author, the Puritan strain in his blood ran clear, there are passages in his diaries, kept during his residence in Europe, which might almost have been written by the grimmest of the old Salem worth. So this is a prove that he knew about Puritans, even though he might be off in some facts.

    Luis Carducci
    Period 1

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  20. One dialectical journal of mine was from the first page of Chapter 18, “A Flood of Sunshine”. The narrator conveys, “The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, solitude! These had been her teachers, -stern and wild ones, - and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.” This quote expresses the entire novel’s theme of sin. Hester’s sin brought “shame, despair and solitude,” but also brought great things as well. For one, Hester got her daughter Pearl. She also achieved a new level of self knowledge. Although the narrator is conveying that of what Hester had learned was of “much amiss” his tone is explores a different realm of emotion, esteem. The irony of this cite is that Hester’s teachers were “wild ones.” Hester’s atonement was developed so she would learn from being “wild” and committing adultery and now that she is atoning from her sin, she is learning new “wild” emotions. This quotation portrays the theme of The Scarlet Letter.

    Hester is the protagonist of the novel. Hester chooses to alienate herself within the community. Hester is a smart character who has very passionate emotions. She has control over them and knows how to push and pull them.

    The Puritan society is the antagonist of this novel. None of the Puritans give Hester a chance to explain the situation. The Puritans choose not to pursue Hester and ask for the truth, they simply gawk at her in the beginning and then use her to make garments.

    On the website I found the amount of symbolism compelling, there was a lot more of symbolism than I realized. The website stated that “The Market- Place” symbolizes choice. The citizens have a choice to stare at poor Hester, with a child or they could go on with his or her life. Just like at a market- place they can choose to buy spinach or to buy broccoli.
    I also found this cite interesting and had me questioning a few things, “TAYLOR, GENERAL Zachary Taylor was the 12th president of the United States. His election in 1848 cost Hawthorne his job as Surveyor of the Customs.” Why would the second president cost Hawthorne’s job?
    I also agreed with, “Above all it is Hester Prynne whose passion and beauty dominate every other person, and color each event.” Hester was an individual, she had passion and hope.

    I took the SAT Saturday for the first time. It was frightening, even just filling out the usual name, address, etc... but I felt great after I took it. I went in feeling prepared and confident. Then I felt accomplished that I finished the laborious (SAT word!) test. I’m very nervous about my scores. The writing prompt was decent. It went something along the lines of “Does being ethical effect being successful?” I wish they gave more time for that section! I wasn’t sure which side would be best to write about.

    Beverly Jaret
    P1

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  21. The Dialectical Journal I chose is from Chapter 18, page 212. "A crimson flush was glowing on her check, that had been long so pale. Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty, came back from what men call the irrevocable past, and clustered themselves, with her maiden hope, and a happiness before unknown, within the magic circle of this hour." The strange meeting between Dimmesdale and Hester let out more information about the history of the scarlet letter issue. However, after the couple talks about fleeing to Europe, a sudden happiness filled Hester. The excerpt mentions she went back to being herself, joyful and happy, which some thought that she would never recover. Although it was a joyful moment for both, this situation could also be considered a turning point in the story. It's now when Hester gains back the old person she carried before.
    Now that we've gone deeply into the story I've been able to identify the protagonist and antagonist of the story. Due to the dramatic change taken place in the story and her good-will as a character, Hester could be considered the protagonist. She shows her development into a good character as she experienced some type of journey. However, old Roger Chillingworth shows throughout his whole appearance in the story that he is related to the Devil and evil characters. One of this instances is when he offers to take care of good young minister Dimmesdale and ends up filling him with evil thoughts.
    In addition, the website provided by Ms.Ojeda gave me some background information which I really needed. For example, "The gesture of putting his hand over his heart is to be related to Dimmesdale’s own private scarlet letter which has evidently been growing increasingly vivid and painful." Also, "It was an age between wars, when America, having beaten England for the second time--in the War of 1812--was flexing its adolescent muscles. Hope was in the air, and also a feeling of impatience with the imported, second-hand, European way of doing things. "Down with the past" might have been the slogan of the time. Americans sensed a fresh, creative task at hand in the building of a new country. It was a task that called for strong backs, clear eyes, and open minds." This information gave me a sort of clarification on the story, which so far I've been understanding pretty good. However, the one last piece of information that attracted me was when the writer mentions; passion justifies nothing, while its denial justifies all. This statement is very deep and allowed me to deeply analyze the story.

    Lucas Baistrocchi
    Period 4

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  22. While reading Chapter 16, A Forest Walk, my favorite dialectical journal would have to be on Page 191 towards the bottom of the page, about 3/4ths down. It say "Mother, said little Pearl, The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!” My initial commentary towards this particular quote would have to be about how sunshine might be able to illustrate most upcoming events. Additionally, the reader is able to infer that the sunlight that the sunlight that was striking Pearl represents the magnanimous life that she will have despite all other comments.
    I believe that the protagonist in this piece of literature, The Scarlett Letter, is Mrs. Hester Prynne since she has great in the future. Mrs. Prynne is portrayed as a less important and subordinate human being but she does guiltless actions upon others.
    The antagonist of The Scarlet Letter would have to be Chillingworth due to all the detrimental forms of avengement on Dimmsdale.
    The website http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm contains an accumulation of information that startled me when I read it. Such as Hawthorne being an Anti-Transcendentalist and arguing with the philosophy that “man is good.” I, also, never knew that Nathaniel Hawthorne had a pessimistic personality. Since he was a part of the Transcendentalist era, I thought that instead of having a depleted personality, he would be an inspirational and motivating person. At last, I was stunned by the fact that Nathaniel Hawthorne had economic difficulties despite him writing The Scarlett Letter and it being well known
    Jonathon Lenett
    Period 1

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  23. MY Dialectical journal from chapter 17 is on page 197. It stats, "... he distinctly beheld a form under the trees, clad in garments so sombre, and so little relieved from the gray twiligt in to which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkened the noontide, that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow." I like Hawthorne describes the scenery in the oart. The words he uses gives a good image. My personal opinion is that Hester Prynne is the antagonist and Chillingsworth is the protagonist. Hester is the antagonist because althought she may have committed and inexcusable crimen she is eventually accepted by the community and is still seen as a good person. Chillingsworth is the protagonist because although in the beginning of the book, he may have seemed to be a good person, he changed and is now doing bad. He is tricking Dimmesdale and is doing evil.

    Karina Carrion
    pd. 1

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  24. I took the SAT this weekend and I thought that many of the questions were extremely difficult. I will follow up with more information tommorrow in class.
    Jonathon Lenett
    Period 1

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  26. Dialectical Journal Entry
    “But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman. She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest, amid the gloom of which they were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods. For years past she looked from the estranged point of view at human institutions, and whatever priests or legislators have established; criticizing all with hardly more reverence that the Indian would feel for the clerical band, the judicial robe, the pillory, the gallows, the fireside, or the church. The tendency of her fate and furious had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, - stern and wild ones, - and they had made her strong, but taught her mush amiss.” (Page.208 – Paragraph 2)
    • The reason why I choose to write the whole paragraph instead of the one strong quote, “The Scarlett letter was her passport….. But taught her much amiss”, was because to understand that one text you had to read before it. This text really explains how positively Hester Prynne used her shame. She didn’t isolate herself because of shame and despair but instead she used it as her passport to a world which was “forbidden” to the people of her community. Since the scarlet letter for her was a benefit, it was her passport, she decorated the letter instead of hiding it she used it to express her purity and inner courage to the people. Nathaniel Hawthorne shows transcendentalism in his writing as Hester discovers herself, spiritual self. Hester Prynne has welcomed the shame, despair, and solitude with open arms. I also wanted to correlate one peace of information from the website as a tribute to the explanation of the entry, “In fact, the best deeds of Hester's life come about through her fall from grace. Her charity to the poor, her comfort to the broken-hearted, her unquestioned presence in times of trouble are the direct result of her search for repentance. If Hester had not sinned, she would never have discovered the true depths of tenderness within herself.

    http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm
    I truly learned too much information from the website, some of which I was already aware of but it cleared it even more like the gesture of putting the hand over the heart and the repeated mention of the chest, bosom, and heart. New information which I was really glad to have encountered in the text because that information brings forth the true plot of the story to me is:
    • Hawthorne refers to this symbol nearly a hundred and fifty times
    Sixty percent of the times he calls it by its full name, “the scarlet letter.”
    Also called: “the embroidered letter”
    “the ignominious brand”
    “the fatal symbol”
    it appears forty times in part B, the five chapters which deal with the struggles of Pearl and Hester
    Hawthorne uses it only twice in the next three chapters, part C
    In the middle chapters it is used three times:
    “the embroidered letter glowing upon her bosom”
    “letter A” glowing in the sky
    • In his conclusion, Hawthorne describes A D and H P as both buried under the same tombstone on which is inscribed “On a Field, sable, the letter A, gules.”
    • The Custom House" throws light on a theme in The Scarlet Letter which is easily overlooked amid the ethical concerns of the book. Every character, in effect, re-enacts "The Custom House" scene in which Hawthorne himself contemplated the letter, so that the entire "romance" becomes a kind of exposition on the nature of symbolic perception. Hawthorne's subject is not only the meaning of adultery but also meaning in general; not only what the focal symbol means but also how it gains significance.
    I truly didn’t think that the custom house had anything to do with the actual story of The Scarlett Letter but the website explains the symbolism of the custom house and the fair reason behind the addition of the custom house to The Scarlett Letter. Subsequent to reading this text I understand that the custom house is actually like a summary to The Scarlet letter and that’s why it is used as an introduction.

    Sahar Jafar
    Period 4

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  27. The dialectical journal I liked the most was on page 191, where it says: ""Mother, said little Pearl, The sunshine does not love you...for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!”. To my understanding, this piece is referring to the future, that Pearl still has a light, open road ahead of her. Reading further, it says that Hester is standing in a shadow, which could mean that Hester would still have a dark future.

    The protagonist in "The Scarlet Letter" is Hester. Since the beginning of the book, up to where I've read, the whole story is based on Hester. Clearly, Hester is the main character of the story.
    The antagonist in this story is Chillingworth. Aside from him being the father of pearl, Chillingworth is trying to get revenge on Hester and Dimmesdale. He tries to corrupt Dimmesdale's life, and tries to make Hester's situation worse.

    Browsing through http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm , I found it very interesting to know that Hawthorne was an Anti-Transcendentalist. This website holds a lot of information that I didn't know, or that I didn't understand.
    I also got to know more about the author himself.

    Steven Marcano
    Period 4

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  28. One of my dialectical journals are on page 198, 2nd paragraph and it states "It was no wonder that they thus questioned one another's actual and bodily existence, and even doubted of their own." This was when Hester and Dimmedale meet in the forest on a rare occasion. This is the first time that Dimmesdale and Hester are in an intimate setting. Hester calls Dimmesdale by his first name (Arthur) and which they begin to hold hands. I think that this quote could be forshadowing something abnormal.

    The protagonist in this story is Hester Prynne, the Puritan women that comited adultery and has the scarlet letter on her chest. Hester is strong and very passionate and she has gone through alot in the past years through excrusiating shame and derision. She very alienated and which causes different choices to make in her community. She makes irrational decisions that sometimes might lose her daughter.

    The antagonist in this story is Chillingsworth. Chillingworth represents pure evil and his experiments and "medical practices" is on the edge of witchcraft and murder. I agree with Luis Carducci and I think that Chillingsworth is a really manipulative character.

    Their is a massive amount of information on this website and its very useful in reading the Scarlet Letter. A couple things i noticed that were eye-catching was that the Scarlet Letter appears forty times in part B, the five chapters which deal with the struggles of Pearl and Hester. Another fact,I really liked reading about Hester's viewpoints and one that stood out that I thought was interesting was the 2ng one pertaining to her being a criminal. Last, I liked reading about Chillingsworth's character and how he has an adventurous mind and is very brave, which I agree.

    I did not take the SAT this weekend but I am taking them June 6.

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  29. Dialetical Journals are tools one uses in order to completely analyze a piece of literature, and it eases the ability to read between the lines. In my Dialetical Journals from chapter 17 of "The Scarlet Letter", on page 200, Dimmesdale says, "..-and then look inward, and discern the black reality of what they idolize? I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am!". In this quotation, Dimmesdale explains the mask he puts on in front of the community. He is seen as a man of God, as he is set on a pedastool for his good works. However, in reality, he is not what he seems, for he is a man of sin. In this quotation, he involves the "agony of heart", which may be referring to feeling regret towards creating this false reputation, or to his actual heart pain he has from the invisible "A".

    I would have to agree with Kristian Shaffer when she says that Hester is the protagonist and Chillingworth is the antagonist. Hester is the protagonist because despite her sin, she is the character that matures the most throughout the story and remains a powerful character working for what's right rather than what's easy for herself. The story revolves around her and her actions. Chilling worth is the antagonist because he is the malicious character who, discreetly, is destroying the protagonist and Dimmesdale, her partner. Not only that, but Chillingworth also gives off the sense of a demonic character.

    The website provided, http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm, includes an immense amount of information that further expands my knowledge on "The Scarlet Letter". One piece of information that I found to be the most interesting was that Hawthorne was considered an "anti-transcendentalist". In hindsight, I see Hawthorne as an anti-transcendentalist as he does not portray everyone as being, by instinct, "good". If Arthur Miller would have lived in the era of transcendentalism, he would have been considered an anti-transcendentalist as well. Another point that I found interesting was the fact that Hawthorne was an introvert and spent most of his young years reading. This most likely had a great effect on his future writing skills, especially those in "The Scarlet Letter". Finally, this website emphasizes on Pearl as a symbol, and reading the interpretations was rather attention-grabbing.

    Daniela Gonzalez-Jatar
    Period 4

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  30. '' They both knew that it was time to talk about the past, but they began by chatting about the weather and other small talks''. In chapter 17 page: 96 second paragraph I understand why they weren’t to the point in this conversation because the haven’t seen each the in 7 years. They where more interested or in shock of seen each other. The protagonist in this story to me is Hester because in today society its ok what she did, and my mind is on this modern day not back then in there extreme religion. I think everyone in that town was wrong because they are to harsh on poor Hester. So in summation I think if Hester was to commit adultery today it would not be considered bad most people would complete understand what she going threw. So it all depends on the culture or the time period. The Antagonist is Chillingworth. He is just trying to make the hole situation harder for everyone, specially to Rev.Demmisdale he is actually making a couple threats to him also to Hester and Pearl. from the site I learn a lot more about the scarlet letter this goes into more detail. I agree with Cory about Hester been the protagonist .I took the sat it was very very long the test now am getting ready for the act I hope is not that long.

    Arturo Sifontes
    period 3

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  32. I agree with Victoria, stating, “It is important to address not only what is right in front of the reader’s eyes, but also read between the lines.” This is why I have chosen the following quote for a piece of my dialectical journal. “But thou shalt leave it all behind thee! It shall cumber thy steps, as thou treadest along the forest-path; neither shalt thou freight the ship with it, if thou prefer to cross the sea. Leave this wreck and ruin here where it hath happened. Meddle no more with it! Begin all anew! Hast thou exhausted possibility in the failure of this one trial? Not so! The future is yet full of trial and success. There is happiness to be enjoyed! There is good to be done! Exchange this false life of thine for a true one...” I put this quote from chapter 17 on pages 206 to 207 in my dialectical journal because I felt it had a strong message being portrayed by Hester. Here one can see that she is showing her love for Dimmesdale. She mentions that he should go somewhere else, starting over new with her and Pearl. The way she talks to Dimmesdale here, is a way of trying to persuade him that he is better off escaping with her to a new place where they can live a life with no sins, but just with the love they have for one another. Stating, that he could be whatever he wants, anything it takes that gets him farthest ways from death. This marks the beginning of their new plan for life together, and I feel that this is important for the rest of the book. Their new plan might even change the way they go upon living their lives now.

    In “The Scarlet Letter,” the protagonist, or the main character, is Hester Prynne. This book is the seven year journey of Hester’s life. It shows how one had to live with committing the act of adultery and the punishment given. Hester is portrayed as a very strong women, dealing with what she did and accepting the punishment for what it was. The antagonist, a character that creates an obstacle that the protagonist must overcome, in “The Scarlet Letter” is Roger Chillingworth. The man who Hester took the hand of marriage with, who came finally two years after he was suppose to, causes the obstacles throughout her life. The antagonist, also known to be a villain, represents Chillingworth in the way he treats Dimmesdale. Chillingworth’s main goal was to find who committed this sinful act with his wife; therefore, when he grew suspicious of Dimmesdale’s involvement, he didn’t give him the best care he should have. Not only was Chillingworth a villain to Dimmesdale, but he creates the obstacle of Hester keeping quiet about his and her relationship. I disagree with what Steven said. Of course some stories have more than one antagonist, but I don’t see how one could think of Dimmesdale as one. In no shape or form does he depict a villain; however, he does throw the obstacle of Hester being quiet about his name when it came down to who was the other one involved, but I feel as though they both want it to be unknown.

    On the website, http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm, I learned some interesting facts about “The Scarlet Letter.” One thing that I found interesting is that Hawthorne believes there is a war between the heart and the head, showing this in his book when the heart leads Hester and Dimmesdale astray, but the intellect thoroughly stumps Chillingworth. A second thing I found was, the reason for Hawthorne to represent Chillingworth as the devil was due to the fact he was terrified of Chillingworth's hungry and far-reaching mind. The third and last thing that I found to be the most interesting is that the book was only taken place in two locations, the market-place and the forest.

    Lastly, I did take the SATs on Saturday. This was my first time taking them, and it wasn’t as bad as I expected them to be. I actually thought it was easier than expected to be. One thing that I realized is that one really does need to learn how to pace theirself. When I started the test I found myself finishing right when time was done, but towards the end I found a good pace to go at and was able to finish the test with some time to spare.

    -Ashley Fuchs
    Period 4

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  33. My dialectical journal entry says that, “When her elf-child had departed, Hester Prynne made a step or two towards the track that led through the forest, but still remained under the deep shadow of the trees.” Which is found on page 196, Chapter 16. My reaction to this excerpt within the chapter was a kind of disgusted feeling. I felt that they were comparing the baby to an "elf," which was a degrading thing to say about a new born baby such as Pearl. An infant being innocent, and pure, should not be compared to something as small, meek, and powerless as an elf. Pearl is supposed to signify something beautiful that has come out of something "wrong," and "immoral." And that statement does not stand for either, like it should.

    I agree very much so with Beverly's entry when she stated that Hester was indeed the protagonist. Hester is a very empowering woman. She knows, and is living with what she has "done," in the strongest way possible, even with her strongly religious Puritan background.

    The antagonist of the story I would say is definitely Chillingworth. I strongly agree with Tomas. He is just basically trying to get back at the town for his past misfortunes. He is stubborn, and he also wants major revenge on Dimmesdale.

    Within the website, I was amazed at what symbolism the Scarlet letter holds in it's writing.
    -I learned that the most powerful and simple motif in the book is the scarlet letter itself
    Hawthorne never tells the reader in so many words what the “A” stands for.
    Some examples;
    First referred to in chapter two:
    “the mark”
    “a certain token”
    “the letter A”
    “the SCARLET LETTER”
    “the red letter"
    “the scarlet letter”
    “the ignominious letter”
    “the letter A"
    again “the scarlet letter”

    Hawthorne refers to this symbol nearly a hundred and fifty times!
    Sixty percent of the times he calls it by its full name, “the scarlet letter.”
    Also called: “the embroidered letter”
    “the ignominious brand”
    “the fatal symbol”

    -As for some of the symbolism that falls within Pearl, "She is Hester's treasure, the pearl of great price, purchased with her mother's peace of mind and position in society."

    -As for the symbolism in the Market place,
    "The market-place is public. It lies at the very heart of the tiny enclave of civilization the Puritans have managed to carve out of the vast, untouched continent. The market-place contains both the church and the scaffold--institutions of law and religion. It is where criminals like Hester are punished, where penitents like Dimmesdale confess, and where men put on the faces they wear for the world."

    I would have never guessed for any of these people, places, and things to have such a meaning in depth behind them!

    Paulina Gregory
    Period 1

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  34. Ch. 17 Pg. 203
    “Thou shalt forgive me!” cried Hester, flinging herself on the fallen leaves beside him. “Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!” Pg. 203

    In this part of the story Hester is stating her true love for Dimmesdale. She ask for his forgiveness and begs that he lets God do all the punishing and let them be together. To me if they got together it would be a great thing. Pearl seems to like him and she has never had a boyfriend.

    The protagonist in this story is Hester. I agree with Steven when he says that Hester takes the role of a Hero. She is the main character in the story. The antagonist is the scarlet letter. The letter symbolizes all the trobbiles Hester has.

    The first interesting thing i came across was about the custom house. It says we might not think the humor was funny. I didn't even think there was any humor in there. The forest was a way to be by yourself and do what ever you wanted to. Last i never new that Hawthorne was a Anti-Transcendentalist.

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  35. In chapter 19 on page 222 of The Scarlett Letter there was a quote that stated "And the melancholy brook would as this other tale to the mystery with which its little heart was already overburdened..." I thought that Hawthorne's word choice like "little heart" inferred that the brooks heart was "weak" and that it had sustained abuse for a long time. It also inferred that occurrences at the brook had taken place before. It makes the reader question what happened and how it is relevant to the novel.
    In Chapter 20 on page 225 a quote stated "No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true." This quote proved to the reader that Arthurs secret will be revealed to the town before he flees to England with Hester. The perfect time for his secret to be revealed would be when he makes his speech the day before he leaves town.
    To be an antagonist is to oppose the main character. Pearl is a perfect example of this. In chapter 19, she shows that she doesn't like Dimmesdale. When he kisses her brow she ran to the brook and cleaned her face of his kiss. She also refused to cross the brook to get to Hester and Arthur because her mother had taken the badge off. She doesn't like to see Hester without the badge, for some reason she doesn't really know who her mother is without it.
    A protaganist is the main character. The protaganist in the Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne. Throughout the novel, it shows that Hester has evolved as a person for the better, for she now understands peoples sins and is empathetic towards them. She also has to overcome struggles between Pearl, and try to find some common ground between Roger Chillingworth. Since she was basically outcasted from society, she went from not being able to forgive herself to being somewhat content with what she has done and is now trying to persuade Arthur to do the same.
    I found that a lot of students didn't see Pearl as an antagonist. Yes, she is not as evil as Chillingworth, but to me, that answer is obvious and superficial. Hawthorne is constantly dropping hints about something odd and wrong about Pearl, and that needs to be taken into account because everything that is put into the novel connects to something else and is worthy.
    On the website I noticed how they commented on the fact that although Hawthorne was living during the transcendentalist period, he held rather Puritanic morals. The novel hadn't really gone into depth of Hibbins so the fact that there is a connection between the governor and herself (she is his sister) it might foreshadow something in the future. The analysis of Pearl was helpful because the simplest of details like the way she dresses shows how different she is from other Puritan children and makes her an outcast even more.
    Tiffany Vega Period 1

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  36. My Dialetical journal states “Arthur! Arthur Dimmesdale!” this is Hester calling out to Dimmesdale in the forest. This is when Hester is trying to find Dimmesdale to tell him about chillingworth, and who he really is. Dimmesdale is so paranoid and worked up about his whole situation with Hester and confessing that he thinks her calling his name are spirits in the forest. I agree with Sebastian in the fact that the protagonist in “The Scarlet Letter” is Hester Prynne because although she has done wrong by committing adultery, but she has become a better person because of it and has become more respect in town because of her good deeds to the people. The antagonist is obviously old Roger Chillingworth, because of how he is trying to get revenge on Dimmesdale, and is making him suffer, while he is also making Hester suffer by her seeing Dimmesdale suffering.

    I learned a lot from the Website http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm. Some things that I learned were some of the Themes, Puritanism’s, and some of the Symbolism of “The Scarlet Letter”. I also learned some of the meanings of the vocabulary, for instance Burdock: Which is a coarse weed with burrs. And Beadle: Which is a minor parish official whose duties included keeping order; here the beadle seems to function as a town-crier. I had also learned some Literary terms such as "The Custom House" Which is a sign of departure in American literature.

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  37. As I made my dialectical journals for chapter 17 of "The Scarlet Letter" one of the quotes that I commented on was on page 183 of my version. The author describes, "With sudden and desperate tenderness, she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom; little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter." For some reason this quote makes me envision Hester as extremely vulnerable and weak, the way she yearns to be so close to him. I also noted on the continuation throughout the book of people being drawn to the scarlet letter, and always end up near it, when with Hester. I would have to agree with Steven Marcano that in this story Hester is the protagonist and Chillingworth is the antagonist. Hester goes through a constant struggle to protect herself and her child while Chillingworth is constantly trying to deceive everyone.
    The website http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm provided me with some great information on this story. One question that it asked regarding Mistress Hibbins really caught my eye; Why would a lady of means and education choose to be known as a witch, when she was likely to end up at the stake? This is very true, i had never really thought about it. The different meanings for the letter A where interesting as well. One last thing that caught my eye was how they portrayed the theme in this article.
    I took the SAT this saturday, it feels as if a big brick has just been pulled of my shoulders; what a relief. I have to say they where not as hard as I expected them to be. I'm ecstatic to see the results.

    Emanuela Verardi
    P-1

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  38. My dialectical journal was taken from chapter 19 page 220. Hester said, “I must bear its torture yet a little longer… until we shalt have left this region.” This quote brings a lot of meaning. First, before Hester said this, Pearl told her to put the scarlet letter back on. This proves that Pearl is so used to seeing her mom with the scarlet letter. To Pearl the scarlet letter has become part of her mom. Also, here the author is foreshadowing that the three of them are going to escape and leave the town where their affair began.
    The protagonist of The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne. The book revolves around her life and the scarlet letter she displays to the world. She is the one that confessed her sin of adultery and everyday she has to live knowing what she didn’t thanks to the constant reminder of the scarlet letter. After a few years, she gets used to it and the citizens know who she is and what she did. Now she is dealing with her husband that doesn’t want to confess his true identity and his lover who doesn’t want to confess his sin.
    The antagonist is definitely Roger Chillingworth. After finding out that his wife had an affair with Mr. Dimmesdale he wants revenge. That is the reason why he uses his intellectual knowledge and pretends he is a doctor. He is taking care of Mr. Dimmesdale causing him to die slowly. Chillingworth is consuming Mr. Dimmesdale. She is taking over his life, almost like a stocker. Roger is also affecting Hester. Ever since chapter four on page 80 she has told him that his presence bothers her. She said “Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the forest round about us?”.
    The first interesting information I found on this website was the part where it talked about the individual vs. society. This conflict is in the reader’s mind. We don’t know whether to side with the citizens of Boston or Hester. The whole opinion of the book would change drastically if we pick one or the other. In addition another part I found interesting was when the website talked about the symbolism of the book. For me it was extremely helpful since I could not find the symbolism right away when I was reading the book. What I enjoyed reading the most was the part where it explained The Custom House. I found interesting that the writer of the website said, “His was not the usual optimistic note of American writers.” That is a huge clue telling us that Hawthorne was starting to be a romanticist and shifting his views with the era of Transcendentalism. In this section it was also interesting to find that the custom house was a horrible atmosphere to be working on The Scarlet Letter. That even though he found his story line there, it wasn’t the perfect place to stop writer’s block.

    Carolina Celis P. 4

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  39. My dialitical journal comes from chapter 16. In the quote, "Once in my life I met the black man! This scarlet letter is his mark!" , Hester Prynne confesses to her daughter, Pearl, that the Scarlet letter comes from a man. It is important to realize that Hester calls him a "black" man, because it once again makes the connection between black and evil. From the website, http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm, I learned that Hawthorne was considered an anti-transcendentalist, which I found surprising. Another fact took me by surprise was that when young Hawthrone was very studious and read a great amount. Finally the fact that the website makes the reader realizes that the "Custom House" is a summary of "The Scarlet Letter" and that's why it is used as an introduction.

    Felipe
    Period 1

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  40. One of my dialectical journals is from chapter 18, page 212. "A crimson flush was glowing on her check, that had been long so pale." My response to this was that Hester had returned to her old self. She was finally happy with herself. In this novel, it is easy to tell that Hester Prynne is the protaganist and Roger Chillingworth is the antagonist. Hester is trying to do good. She committed a sin, but has grown so much through out the novel. Chillingworh is the antagonst because at firist I thought he was a good person, but now he is evil. He has been threating Reverend Dimmsedale.

    From the site that you gave us I found 3 very intresting facts. One was that Hawthorne was an Anti-Transcendentalist. I learned that Hawthorne tries to put symbolism into the human body. Finally, I learned that Reverend Dimmesdale's problem was solved when he confessed publicly upon the pillory where Hester had stood.

    Danielle Leon
    P-1

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  41. "Throwing his eyes anxiously in the direction of the voice, he indistinctly beheld a form under the trees, clad in garments so sombre, and so little relieved from the gray twilight into which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkenedthe noontide, that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow." This sentence on page 197 at the beginning of Chapter 17 is quite interesting because of its relevance to one of Pearl's beliefs. In this sentence it explains that Hester's figure is very dark and resembles a shadow. As Pearl walks through the forest in the sun, she frequently remarks how the sun is avoiding Hester. This statement from the text reinforces Pearl's observation.

    In "The Scarlett Letter", Hester Prynne holds the role of the protagonist. She is the protagonist mainly because of her leading role in the society. Hester, when first convicted of adultery, was the main focus of society as the majority looked down upon Hester. Throughout the novel, Hester does more charity work than many of the people in her town. Despite the constant abuse she recieves, she continues to do good. Chillingworth is the antagonist in this novel because he lives on the characteristic of revenge for what Hester's crime. He commits many unadmirable acts in his time with Dimmesdale and Hester. Dimmesdale considered him to be an even worse person than themselves.

    In reading through the website, I found many interesting bits of information. The website reinforces that Dimmesdale's pain in his heart was his own secret scarlett letter. Although I thought this, I was not certain. I also found it intriguing to find that the author was an anti-trancendentalist. The website offered many important facts that helped me learn more about "The Scarlett Letter" and the author Nathaniel Hawthorne.

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  42. "The Scarlet Letter" is composed of 24 chapters; chapter 19 contains a phrase that, while being repeated prior to this chapter many times, shows the relationship of Pearl her mother (Hester Prynne) and the scarlet letter.On chapter 19, page 216 we will find this phrase, "In her was visible the tie that united them. She had been offered to the world, these seven past years, as the living hieroglyphic, in which was revealed the secret they so darkly sought to hide — all written in this symbol...", it is clearly shown that Pearl is a representation of the scarlet letter. In addition, even though so obvious, Pearl is the physical symbol and living proof of the scarlet letter; of the adultery that had been committed. Even with no sign of the scarlet letter anywhere, Pearl will remain as the symbol .

    I am not sure who the protagonist is. Hester Prynne might be the protagonist because she is the causer of the whole revelation of the book. She contains an important role throughout the novel. Nevertheless the progression would not be effective without Pearl; I believe that Pearl is the main character because she symbolizes the scarlet letter. Not only is she the living proof of the situation that Hester had encountered but she also helps the realization of various events in the story; she keeps the reader excited as well and when I think about the book she is one of the characters who is in the novel a great amount of time.

    I learned much from Nathaniel's personal life; information on how he wrote the book, the story behind "The Custom House", which was very interesting and many more. Lurking through the website,
    http://staff.gps.edu/gaither/scarlet_letter_notes.htm,I learned important information concerning the author.

    Daniela Panzacchi
    Period 1

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  43. The antagonist is Roger Chillingworth; with his evil acts of revenge towards Dimssdale. All he has in his mind is unnecessary thoughts; hatred and revenge are not good emotions to have and Chillingworth had no preventions from acting upon these thoughts.

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  44. The journal entry I chose was, "O Hester Prynne, thou little, little knowest all the horror of this thing! And the shame!-the sick and guilty heart to the very eye that would gloat over it! Woman, woman, thou art accountable for this! I cannot forgive thee!" In this dialogue between Hester and Dimmesdale, a different and darker side of Dimmesdale is revealed. Anger like that was not common of him. For a while he could not possibly think of forgiving Hester for telling him that she was married to Chillingworth, but eventually he did.

    In this novel the protagonist is Hester Prynne. Like Carla said, the novel revolve around Hester's journey through her life and how she found a way to reach the sunlight that once was restricted to her. The antoagonist would be Roger Chillingworth because as the novel progressed his ambitious need to acquire revenge on Dimmesdale for sleeping with Hester grew stronger and never learned to forgive and change for the better by meditating over his own mistakes like Hester proved to do.

    From the website, I was pretty surprised becuase I was not aware that Hawthore was an anti-transcendentalist. Also, now I have realized that it is true when it says that Dimmesdale eventually becomes the center of the book. And through out the book the guilt of Dimmesdale is pressed on even harder by his repentance.

    Jose Maldonado Period 1

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  45. Chapter 16 in “The Scarlet Letter” is entitled “A Forest Walk.” My dialectical journal entry comes from this chapter. In this quote Hester is talking to her daughter Pearl and states “Once in my life I met the black man! This scarlet letter is his mark!” My interpretation of this is that she is speaking of the man that she committed adultery with. This man is Mr. Dimmsdale. I say this because Pearl refers to him as the black man.

    In "The Scarlett Letter" Hester is the protagonist. She is the main character of the novel and the plot is centered around her. Some may argue that she is not the protagonist because she sinned, but is a good person. Hester cares deeply about her daughter Pearl. She matters more to Hester than anything else. Hester being the protagonist makes Chillingworth the antagonist. He is the opposition to Hester. He is Hesters husband, yet he does not do anything to support her.

    The website gave a lot of information I would not have known otherwise. One of them is that the scarlet letter was not mentioned in chapters 1, 9, and 20. This is not something noticeable, but I found this very interesting. Another fact is that Hawthorne is an anti-transcendentalist. I did not realize this while reading "The Scarlet Letter." The third fact that I found out is that the letter A could also stand for "angel". This is extremely symbolic, because at first the A did stand for "audultery", but by the end you can argue that it could also stand for "angel".
    Arash Afshar
    Period 4

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  46. The Dialectical Journal I am going to share was taken from chapter 18 on page 209. It reads, “Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, --stern and wild ones, --and they had made her strong, but taught her amiss.” I felt that this was proof that shame, despair, and solitude were lessons that were taught by the scarlet letter. Hester needed to feel the pain from each one of them; becoming the real purpose of the punishment.

    In The Scarlet Letter, I would say that the protagonist is Hester Prynne. She shows a lot of growth throughout the novel. She is also very brave and courageous in any situation. The antagonist would have to be Roger Chillingworth. He seems to be plotting against Dimmesdale and trying to figure out his deepest secret. Chillingworth wants to use it against him as some kind of vengeance for committing adultery with Hester.

    As I read “The Scarlet Letter Notes”, I found a few things that I thought were very interesting and that caught my eye.
    • Only in chapter 1, 9, and 20 does the scarlet letter not appear.
    • He (Hawthorne) was never a best-selling author, and a lack of funds was a problem he would wrestle with all his life.
    • But her (Hester Prynne) sin is a cause not of evil but of good.
    • Other readers say that, despite the demonic imagery surrounding him, Chillingworth remains very much a man.
    I learned that all of the characters could be seen in many different angles. It can make them look good or bad from the decisions they made throughout the book.

    ~Krystal Taveras
    Period 4

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  47. One of the Dialectical journals is as follows:

    Pg. 154 "Arthur Dimmesdale gazed into Hester's face with a look in which hope and joy shone out, indeed, but with fear betwixt them, a kind of horror at her boldness, who had spoken what he vaguely hinted at, but dared not to speak."

    The following excerpt exemplifies that Reverend Dimmesdale admires the courage that Hester shows. He sees confessing as a ray of sunshine, the last glittering piece of hope. However, Dimmesdale shows that cowardness overwhelms him and he lacks the courage he needs to stand up and confess.
    _________________________________________________

    I agree with Arash Afshar as I had not noticed that the Scarlett Letter wasn't mentioned in neither 1, 9, or 20 and I also found this intrigueing. I was also suprised at the statistics that Nathaniel Hawthorne had made reference to the Scarlett letter over five hundred and fifty times! With only 60% of the time calling it the "Scarlett Letter".

    The last excerpt that caught my attention on the website as when it mentioned that Pearl was "purchased with her mother's peace of mind and position in society." I had never thought of it in such a way that Pearl was "purchased" with her mother's social position. It would be like giving ones dignity for a piece of jewelery now a days.

    -Brandon Sproul
    Period 4

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  48. One of my Dialetical Journals can be found in chapter 18 page 102 “Am I really feeling joy and hope again?” the minister (Dimmsdale) wonder aloud. My commentary is that Dimmsdale has been so miserable that feeling good seems surreal.

    Now, the protagonist I believe is Dimmsdale because even though the story appeals to be concentrated in Hester the real main character is Dimmsadale, he is agonizing with the fact that he committed the crime of adultery but hasn’t have the courage to confess to anybody. Also we can see that he is the protagonist because the evil force in the story is against him. The antagonist is clearly Chilinworth he is evil and gets pleasure out of the misery of Dimmsdale because he is the lover of Hester.

    About the site first of all I want to say that I found it very interesting this provided me with information that I wasn’t aware and that I was interested to know because I found the book very interesting. First, I found very interesting what the author of the site points out when he states “Only in chapter 1, 9, and 20 does the scarlet letter not appears.” It’s fascinating how this symbol plays such a great role in the drama. Next, the author of the book has been inspired by his puritans ancestors leading him to read many book about them. This makes him very aware of the culture of the puritans making this story even more interesting considering the fact that is in somehow realistic for those times. Finally, this quote captivated me “And yet, Chillingworth's is a mind untendered by mercy, humanity, or compassion. He is all head and no heart. His probing intellect, as we know from his dealings with Dimmesdale, recognizes no "Stop" or "Caution" sign.” I found this character so powerful I feel that he represents how hate can destroy a person its amazing how the author makes this character come out of the pages and gives him live by making the reader hate him for being so cruel. All and all, this story is interested and I’m willing to read the original version.

    Laura Calderon
    Period 3

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  49. My Dialectical journal states "A Forrest Walk." Which is the title of chapter 16. The forest might represent the sin and evil edges of the devils reach and may be that's the line Hester and Pearl are on. Furthermore, the protagonist in the story is Hester Prynne because although she has this great sin that she publicly shows on her bosom, she is the one seeking redemption in order to redeem herself, and she is striving for this redemption through Pearl. The antagonist is Roger Chillingworth because of his objective of revenge on Dimmesdale and to suck the life out of him. As well I didn't know Hester's guilt is absolved through her public suffering, and that Hawthorne refers to the Scarlet Letter nearly a hundred and fifty times, and that only in chapter 1, 9, and 20 does the scarlet letter not appear.

    P-4

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  50. In my dialeltical journal for chapter 18 says "No, no Hester. I havent been forgiven, because i hav not confessed." Reading what the Reverend said tells me that he is a false man, because after all the years hes been keeping this a secret and all of his testimonys were false because if he commited such acts,and as a man of God he should have been the first to confess before Hester. Thats why he feels so much guilt in his heart. I bealieve that the protagonist in the story is Hester, because how can someone expect a women to be alone for 2 years so young and not have a child, or even knowing if her husband is still alive. The Antagoist in the story is Dimmsdale, because if you put yourself in Chillingworths position you would be so hurt knowing that your wife was being unfaithful to you. It really hurts, and the fact that Dimmsdale feels the way he does is his own fault. In my opinion Chillingworth has every right to tourment Reverend Dimmsdale, and hopefully since Dimmsdale is such a coward he diserves to die.
    Per.3

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  51. A quote that I found interesting in "The Scarlet Letter" is in chapter 17 page 200. "I could daily betake myself, and be known as the vilest of all sinners, methinks my soul might keep itself alive thereby. Even thus much of truth would save me! But now it is all falsehood!- all emptiness!- all death!" In this quote the reader can see how Dimmesdale descibes his pain. If the people of the village could see him for who he truely is then his heart could bear the pain, which is how Hester is living.But his life of lies is what makes his soul deteriorate.

    I believe the Protagonist in the story is Hester because she stands for what she believes in and has only good intentions in her soul. She has commited a sin of passion but this does not belittle her integrity and honor. The antagonist is clearly Chillingworth. He symbolizes evil and revenge and is trying o ruin the lives of the protagonist and of the holy minister, Dimmesdale. His revenge is the root of his evil and has devoted his life to the destuction of their lives.

    Something from the article that I found to be shocking was that Hawthorne was against the trancendental philosophy. It is also interesting to find out that Dimmesdale's pain was his own scarlet letter that he kept secret. It is somewhat dissapointing to know this before I read it on my own. Also the anaylsis of all the characters shed some light for me because the book is sometimes hard to understand.

    Michael Rufrano
    Period 1

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  52. My dialectical journal says "Not now, my dear child, but in days to come he will walk hand in hand with us," I chose this sentence because it was saying that although Rev. Dimmesdale was not with them that moment at some point he was going to come out and face the people standing at their side. However, it could also mean being reunited after death which would be killing all hope instead of provoking it.

    The Protagonist in the story is definitely Hester because the story revolves around her. The antagonist seems to be Mr. Chillingworth, but I would believe that Rev. Dimmesdale is more of an antagonists because he does the exact opposite of Hester and is the one that causes the problem.

    I, also, found the fact that Hawthorn was not a transcendentalist quiet disappointing. Everything else seemed kind of obvious. I would like to add that, like Oscar said, the comment of the black men is confusing, but at the same time, at the beginning of the story, around page 80, Hester mentions this "Black Men" and says it is Mr. Chillingworth, her husband.

    Nicolas Santacruz
    Period 4

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  53. I think the Protagonist in the story is Hester because she stands for what she believes in and has only good intentions in her soul. She has commited a sin of passion but this does not belittle her integrity and honor.The antagonist is obviously old Roger Chillingworth because of his malicious tactics of revenge on Dimmesdale and the way he got pleasure from watching Hester suffer because of the scarlet letter.

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