Chapter 2:
3. What traits characterize the women of Salem? How might their collective demeanor be a product of Puritan society? What is the artistic function of the "young wife" within this group?
-The women of Salem do not have a voice in certain things but are very judgmental. A man in the crowd comes up to a group of women as says "I'll tell ye a piece of my mind. It would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne. What think ye, gossip? If the hussy stood up for judgment before us five, that are as the worshipful magistrates have awarded? Marry, I trow not!" Then the women continue to talk about Hester with this man and he even joins in.
4. What is Hester's first action in the novel and what does it reveal about her character? Describe her demeanor as she emerges from the prison.
-When the prison door opens their is a guard that is their to lead Hester out of the prison into the open air; Hester repelled him off he shoulder and stepped into the crowd free-willing. This shows that Hester is a women who is not afraid of what she did and is not going to hide behind her scarlet letter ever. Hester demeanor is was almost carefree. Hester walks out of the jail freely with no shame in what she did and if she does she does not let the world know she is upset with what she did.
5. According to the narrator, what is our greatest "outrage...against our common nature"? do you agree? How might this opinion on the part of the narrator shape the telling of this story?
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-The women of Salem do not have a voice in certain things but are very judgmental. A man in the crowd comes up to a group of women as says "I'll tell ye a piece of my mind. It would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne. What think ye, gossip? If the hussy stood up for judgment before us five, that are as the worshipful magistrates have awarded? Marry, I trow not!" Then the women continue to talk about Hester with this man and he even joins in.
4. What is Hester's first action in the novel and what does it reveal about her character? Describe her demeanor as she emerges from the prison.
-When the prison door opens their is a guard that is their to lead Hester out of the prison into the open air; Hester repelled him off he shoulder and stepped into the crowd free-willing. This shows that Hester is a women who is not afraid of what she did and is not going to hide behind her scarlet letter ever. Hester demeanor is was almost carefree. Hester walks out of the jail freely with no shame in what she did and if she does she does not let the world know she is upset with what she did.
5. According to the narrator, what is our greatest "outrage...against our common nature"? do you agree? How might this opinion on the part of the narrator shape the telling of this story?
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