Table of Contents
- 1 How does Hester use her needlework?
- 2 Why is Hester’s needlework so popular?
- 3 How does the narrator describe the townspeople?
- 4 Who does Hester spend a great deal of time sewing clothing for besides herself and her daughter?
- 5 Why does Hester decorate her scarlet letter?
- 6 What does Hester do at the close of Reverend Wilson’s sermon on sin?
- 7 Why is Hester not allowed to do needlework?
- 8 Why does Hester want to sew for the community?
How does Hester use her needlework?
Hester is a gifted artist with the needle and she is able to make a living with her fine needlework. Her work adorns burial shrouds, baby christening outfits, military uniforms and even government officials’ robes. The one area in which her work is not acceptable, however, is for weddings and wedding clothing.
Why is Hester’s needlework so popular?
Hawthorne chooses needlework for Hester’s talent because there are no other art forms that conform to his need’s for Hester as well as this one. “It was the art—then, as now, almost the only one within a woman’s grasp—of needlework.
What does Hester’s needlework represent?
She stitches both skill and shame into the ‘A’, and to absolve the sin by removing the symbol would deny a part of herself. A symbol meant to denote shame becomes Hester’s identity, perhaps even her success story. It is through her needlework that Hester rises above this sin, scorn, shame.
What reason does the narrative give to explain the popularity of Hester’s needlework?
What reason does the narrative give to explain the popularity of Hester’s needlework? Its ornate craftsmanship fits perfectly with the style of the time. Its elaborate beauty is popular despite being at odds with the Puritan ideal.
How does the narrator describe the townspeople?
How does the narrator describe the townspeople? They all give severe looks of disapproval towards Hester Prynne and they start whispering about her.
Who does Hester spend a great deal of time sewing clothing for besides herself and her daughter?
She spent a great deal of time making crude garments for the poor, though she could have easily spent it practicing and perfecting her art.
How does Hester feel about her needlework?
Although Hester has what Hawthorne terms “a taste for the gorgeously beautiful,” she rejects ornamentation as a sin. We must remember that Hester, no matter how much she inwardly rebels against the hypocrisy of Puritan society, still conforms to the moral strictness associated with Puritanism.
Why do you suppose the townspeople are willing to hire Hester to make clothing for public ceremonies funeral apparel and baby linen but not bridal veils?
The people of Boston are willing to hire Hester to make clothing for public ceremonies, funeral apparel, and baby linen but not bridal veils. Why do you suppose they make this exception? It is supposed to show purity and love and Hester is not pure.
Why does Hester decorate her scarlet letter?
She wears a scarlet letter A on her gown as a symbol of the sin she has committed which is adultery. She has decorated the letter with gold threads around it showing us that she is not going to let this incident bring her down. Hester does suffer emotionally and cries often in her cottage.
What does Hester do at the close of Reverend Wilson’s sermon on sin?
What does Hester do at the close of Reverend Wilson’s sermon on sin? He wants to seek revenge on Hester’s lover. After leaving England, what event delays Chillingworth’s arrival in Boston? He is captured by Indians.
How has Hester changed over the last 7 or so years?
Hester has become more active in society. She has become more speculative, thinking about how something is “amiss” in Pearl, about what it means to be a woman in her society, and about the harm she may be causing Dimmesdale by keeping Chillingworth’s identity secret.
Why does Hester choose to stay in Boston?
Her decision to stay was based on her need to repent for her sin, her love for her daughter Pearl, and her love for the Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne must stay in Boston as a result of her feelings over her sins, her daughter, and her love for Dimmesdale.
Why is Hester not allowed to do needlework?
Because Hester has committed adultery, her work is not considered appropriate for brides. In Puritan society, brides were expected to be chaste virgins, so to have needlework done by a woman who was an unwed mother was considered inappropriate and wrong.
Why does Hester want to sew for the community?
The very community members most appalled by Hester’s past conduct favor her sewing skills, but they deem their demand for her work almost as charity, as if they are doing her the favor in having her sew garments for them.
What does Hester do in the Scarlet Letter?
Hester is a gifted artist with the needle and she is able to make a living with her fine needlework. Her work adorns burial shrouds, baby christening outfits, military uniforms and even government officials’ robes. The one area in which her work is not acceptable, however, is for weddings and wedding clothing.
What did Hester do to support herself and Pearl?
She supports herself and Pearl through her skill as a seamstress. Her work is in great demand for clothing worn at official ceremonies and among the fashionable women of the town — for every occasion except a wedding. Despite the popularity of her sewing, however, Hester is a social outcast.