The Scarlet Letter

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-scarlet-letter

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote The Scarlet Letter?Hawthorne's ancestors were involved in the Salem witch trials
2. What is the primary literary movement?American Romanticism, with elements of psychological realism
3. What is the setting specificity?Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony
4. What does the red 'A' on Hester's chest mean?It was a symbol of her sin, but later it came to mean she was strong and helpful.
5. Why did people in 17th-century Boston judge Hester so harshly?They believed sin was a public offense that could harm the whole community, so they punished her publicly.

Theocracy: A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.
Psychological Realism: A literary technique that focuses on the inner thoughts and feelings of characters.
Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.