Scarlet Letter- Custom House questions
1. How does Hawthorne feel about the community of Salem? Give an example to support your claim.
2. Why does Hawthorne compare himself to his ancestors and take their shame on himself? What attitude does he have towards their religion?
3. Why does Hawthorne tel readers The Scarlet Letter is based on a real piece of cloth and a historical manyscript he found while working at Custom House? What does he do with the letter and what does this reveal about his character and the signigficance of the letter ifself?
4. How is the work of a “romance- writer” different from the work of other writers? Why did Hawthorne find it so difficult to write a romance?