the scarlet letter, symbol 8

Chapter 4

When Roger Chillingworth entered the room and started to talk to Hester about all the medications he knows about. He observed it as "My old studies in alchemy,..." Alchemy is evil magic, so we know he doesn't want her or her baby anything good, but he doesn't wanna kill them either because he wants her to suffer the pain by wearing the scarlet letter.

the scarlet letter, symbol 7

Chapter 4

Roger Chillingworth 

Hester Prynne's husband comes in to the prison acting as he is a doctor under the name Roger Chillingworth. It is obvious that this is not his real name, and that he picked it for a reason. Roger Chillingworth means honorably spears. I think he chose this name because of its meaning. He wants people to think of he is a good man, so no one will accuse him as something else. He is also a powerful person who knows what he is doing. In the chapter he is also mentioned as the black man which relates to the devil who is directly evil. I think we will come back to the name in the end of the book, like it has an important meaning.

admonish, abstract

Admonish (verb)
The mother admonished Peter not to hit his sister.


Abstract (adjective or noun)
Sarah had an abstract thought about people becoming angels after death.

the scarlet letter, symbol 6

Chapter 3

"When he found the eyes of Hester Prynne fastened on his own, and saw that she appeared to recognize him, he slowly and calmly raised his finger, made a gesture with it in the air, and laid it on his lips." Usually when people put a finger on their lips they want the other to keep silent. In this case, the man wants Hester to pretend that they don't know each other. To me it seems like the man with the Indian clothes had planned everything, he knows what's going on. Hester seemed very surprised when she saw him, and her reaction is described as this in the text: "..she pressed her infant to her bosom, with so convulsive a force that the poor babe uttered another cry of pain. But the mother did not seem to hear it" She must been really shocked, and it sounds like she is afraid of the man, because she pressed her baby so hard to her breast. I think she pressed the baby so hard to her breast (where the scarlet letter is) because she tried to hide her secret more. 

aesthetic, aggrandizement

Aesthetic (adjective or noun)

The aesthetic of an old lady lies in her past life.

Aggrandizement (verb)

Germany's aggrandizement increased when Hitler took over. 

the scarlet letter, symbol 5

Chapter 3


Among all the people watching Hester Prynne standing on the scaffold, a short man with a strange body-shape was noticed by her. His motion is describes as "A writhing horror twisted itself across his features, like a snake gliding swiftly over them, and making one little pause, with all its wreathed intervolutions in open sight."
The snake is a symbol which represents the devil and evilness. It refers to the story of Adam and Eve in the bible. The snake made Eve eat from the apple tree even though she was not allowed. This makes the snake an evil, fake and convincing creature which should not be trust. So what Hawthrone means by this is that this man is evil and should not be trust. It is something mysterious over him, that is not good.

affinity, aberration

Affinity (noen)

Alida has an affinity for people who suffer.

Aberration (noun)

He is aberration because he knows all the numbers in the telephone directory.