Hester embroiders the scarlet A with gold thread before she first wears it. What does the needlework do to the punishment?

In the opening scaffold scene, what does the scaffold mainly symbolize?

In the forest, Pearl says the sunshine will not love Hester because of the letter. What does the slipping sunlight suggest in that scene?

At Governor Bellingham's house, the polished armor makes Hester's A look huge. What does that reflected image emphasize?

When Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold at midnight, no full crowd witnesses him. How does this use of the scaffold differ from Hester's first scene?

The prison door is set beside a wild rosebush. What does the rosebush add to that harsh opening image?

Hester's cottage stands on the outskirts, apart from the town but near the wilderness. What does that setting symbolize?

Years later, townspeople begin to say the A means Able instead of only adultery. What has happened to the symbol?

Across the three scaffold scenes, Hester is displayed, Dimmesdale secretly stands there, and Dimmesdale finally confesses. What change does this pattern show?

When Hester removes the letter in the forest and lets down her hair, what temporary change occurs?

After Dimmesdale acknowledges Pearl on the Election Day scaffold, Pearl kisses him and weeps. What change does that mark?

After years away, Hester returns and resumes wearing the letter while women seek her counsel. How has the A changed for her?

The novel contrasts the marketplace scaffold with the forest. What does that pairing organize?

Hester's A is visible, while Dimmesdale repeatedly holds his hand over his heart. What contrast do these signs create?

How do Pearl and the embroidered A work as paired symbols?

Pearl can play in the forest sunlight, but the light seems to flee from Hester. What symbolic contrast does this set up?

The first scarlet A is on Hester's gown; the final grave marker bears a red A on a black field. What contrast does the pairing create?

Pearl refuses to cross the brook after Hester removes the letter. What is Pearl doing as a living symbol?

Pearl makes a green A out of seaweed on her own breast. What does this action show about her symbolic role?

Pearl asks what the scarlet letter means and why the minister keeps his hand over his heart. What does she connect?

Hester names her child Pearl because she was bought with all Hester had. What does the name make Pearl symbolize?

At the end, the narrator reports several explanations for a mark on Dimmesdale's chest, including that there was none. What effect does this have?

Dimmesdale reads the meteor as an A for his sin, while townspeople read it as Angel for Governor Winthrop. What does this episode show?

In The Custom-House, the narrator claims to find a cloth A and papers, then shapes them into a romance. What ambiguity does this frame create?

Pearl is called elf-like and even rumored to be demonic, yet she becomes capable of tears and love. What ambiguity does Hawthorne preserve?