Scarlet Letter Essay

Review Scarlet Letter Essay Assignment 

closed vs open thesis statements

The Scarlet Letter Culminating Paper

Wesley 2017

September 25, 2017

Traditional Closed-Thesis Guided Academic Essay

Choose one of the following prompts and reply to it with approximately a 3-4 page paper (double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font). Follow MLA format.  The following are seed ideas…they are intentionally open-ended, and the prompts are designed to do just that: prompt you to explore a compelling central idea for a paper.  It is not necessary that you answer every question present in a particular prompt, rather you should use the questions as spring-boards to identifying and developing a compelling controlling idea to guide your paper.

Points: 100

September 26, 2017: have a prompt chosen for paper

September 27, 2017: have a working thesis and outline of major points

September 28, 2017: first draft due/peer review or self-edit

September 29, 2017: second draft due/peer review

October 2, 2017: Final draft due

Traditional Thesis-guided Academic Essay:  There are a lot of ways to write about literature. Some are creative, emotional, highly personal; others are more objective, designed to demonstrate both an insightful comprehension of the text and/or a learned awareness of how literary or rhetorical elements work in general and that text in particular.  The more objective paper is often used in school literature classes and its thesis-driven (usually at the end of the first paragraph), five or six paragraph structure is also popular with other disciplines (eg., history, psychology, economics).  It’s not the only way to write a paper, and some people consider it to be staid, formulaic, and antithetical to creative thinking, but it is a form you should at least be familiar with, and it allows some students to focus on sharing their insights without having to worry unduly about organization (because the organization is already prescribed). Note that I’m not endorsing this approach over others, but it’s one approach that you probably should know, and it can be modified or abandoned when you (or your teacher/professor) want to organize your thoughts in a less prescriptive, more organic way.  For this purposes of this paper, I want you to write a closed thesis sentence unless you can provide me with a compelling reason for an open thesis for your paper.

Between three and six direct quotes per paper.

1.      What role does Chillingworth play for Hawthorne in the novel? How does Hawthorne use him, and why does he matter? Outside connection to possibly consider…Does Hawthorne’s use of Chillingworth as an antagonist or villain mirror that of any other authors/filmmaker’s use of villains? This should not be central to your paper, but might be interesting to touch upon in the opening/and or closing paragraphs. A warning, however; don’t force it! Trying to do too much in an essay and wedging in a connection in a superficial or clumsy way, can ruin an essay.

2.      Pearl can be confounding, but the novel wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without her.  To what ends does Hawthorne use this complex character in the novel? How does Hawthorne use her to develop certain ideas and/or messages?    

3.      Could The Scarlet Letter be considered a feminist novel? Although Hawthorne was a man writing before the advent of the modern feminist movement and the novel is set in the Puritan past, certain characters and themes have prompted some modern readers to ask whether or not The Scarlet Letter could be considered a feminist novel.  Make an argument that supports, refutes or qualifies the idea that The Scarlet Letter is a feminist novel. Make sure you provide a working definition of feminism and a feminist novel.  Outside connection to consider: It might be interesting if you can make a meaningful (not forced or perfunctory) connection to the recent Lion focus on feminism, and/or identify anything that the novel might offer to current discussions of gender roles (regardless of whether or not you classify it as a feminist novel).

4.      What is the significance of Nature (Mother Nature) in The Scarlet Letter? How does Nature help drive the plot and themes? 

5.      What ideas about mental and/or spiritual sickness and health might Hawthorne be exploring through The Scarlet Letter? Many characters (and perhaps whole communities) in the novel possess spiritual and/or psychological traits which the modern reader (and perhaps Hawthorne) might view as extreme or unhealthy, whereas other characters might be deemed more psychologically healthy or spiritually enlightened. Furthermore, some characters undergo some form or spiritual and psychological changes in the novel.  In summary, what does Hawthorne seem to be suggesting about healthy and unhealthy spirituality and psychology? Note: Don’t try to address every spiritual or psychological issue that might be addressed by Hawthorne; pick one or two to focus on. 

6.      To many readers, Dimmesdale is a figure of hypocrisy who preaches virtue from the pulpit and refuses to take his daughter’s hand in public, but pays a terrible personal price for his actions. Others see him as a tragic, but typically flawed, human and see elements of redemption in his final acts.  How do you think Hawthorne wants the reader to see Dimmesdale? Does he want our impression of Dimmesdale to change throughout the course of the novel?   What should we make of the different ways that the townsfolk remembered his final moments?

7.      What points, if any, do you think Hawthorne is trying to make about organized religion? Does Hawthorne suggest or imply any reforms, or does he simply offer a critique? What critiques and/or suggestions for change does he seem to be offering? 

8.      Something else…If you have another idea for a great paper – perhaps related to one of your turnitin.com question posts – you can propose that to me. It must be a truly meaningful idea for you, not something that is simply easier than the other options above or based on a cliché’ topic from some online source.  Approval by me is required.