What is the Custom House about in The Scarlet Letter?
A nameless narrator (who has a similar biography to Hawthorne) describes his job as chief executive officer of a Custom House, the place where taxes were paid on imported goods. The narrator describes his Custom House colleagues as “wearisome old souls” and Salem, the town where it was located, as old and run-down.
Do I need to read the Custom House in The Scarlet Letter?
However, in order to experience the dramatic and literary contrast between the old and the new (new, meaning 19th century standards versus those of the 17th century where the novel is set) “The Custom House” is quite recommended to be read.
What is the point of the Custom House?
A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting customs duty on imported goods.
What does Hawthorne find in the Custom House?
Finally, the preface serves as means of authenticating the novel by explaining that Hawthorne had discovered in the Salem Custom House the faded scarlet A and the parchment sheets that contained the historical manuscript on which the novel is based.
Why is the Custom House important to the Scarlet Letter?
The Custom House serves the small ship traffic going through the port, but it is usually a quiet place requiring only minimal work. The connection between Salem and the Puritans is made early on. Hawthorne’s family originally settled in Salem, and he is a direct descendent of several notable ancestors.
Why does the narrator lose his job in the Custom House?
Why does the narrator lose his job in the customhouse? He is incompetent. He spends too much time writing when he should be working. The other inspectors dislike him personally.
Who was the worst sinner in Scarlet Letter?
Arthur Dimmesdale
What is Hester’s secret?
Hester’s secret sin was revealed to everyone in town, which kept it from being able to eat her up inside. Rather than avoid the past, she instead attempts to complete tasks in an effort to seek forgiveness.
Who is Hester’s secret lover?
However, Hester’s secrets harmed many more people, including her lover Dimmesdale and her husband Chillingworth. Her secrets hurt Dimmesdale the most.
What is Hester’s punishment?
Hester’s punishment was to spend a little time in jail; she is released three months after the birth of her child, the child her Puritan community believes was conceived in sin since Hester’s husband has been missing for two years.
What is Hester’s punishment in Chapter 2?
When chapter two begins, Hester Prynne has been found guilty of adultery. She has born a child of this liaison and is in prison with the baby, something horrifying by today’s standards. As part of her punishment, she must stand on the scaffolding and be viewed by the townspeople, shamed for her sin.
Why is Hester granted a lesser sentence?
Why is Hester’s punishment less severe? The usual punishment for adultery is death; however, the magistracy of Massachusetts decided not to sentence death to Hester because they felt that she was “strongly tempted to her fall” and that “her husband may be at the bottom of the sea.”
Did Hester Prynne deserve her punishment?
Because of the society in which Hester lived, she deserved to be punished for her sin. However, under her circumstances, Hester deserved a lesser punishment. Most believed Hester’s husband was dead at sea and would never return. This fact alone lessens the severity of Hester’s adulterous act.
Why does Dimmesdale hide his sin?
Arthur Dimmesdale did not confess his sins for all the wrong reasons. He didn’t confess for mostly two reasons those being: his belief that man did not judge other men but only God can do that or that he will better serve his people with a sinful heart and not a sinful appearance.