Question

In The Scarlet Letter, the author chooses to describe the minister’s final sermon mainly through the reactions of the townspeople.
What effect does this choice have?

Use at least two details from the text to support your answer.

Written Response

Answer 1

This choice can show the reader that the sermon was highly effective, as it allowed all listeners to understand and react to it.

We can arrive at this answer because:

• The sermon has the ability to move all listeners.
• These listeners show reactions that the speech impacted them perfectly, as they not only understood the speech but were able to relate their own lives and actions.
• The effect of showing the listeners' reactions to the reader allows for greater control of the scene, where the reader is inserted as a viewer rather than a participant and can reflect on these reactions impartially.

Importantly, "The Scarlet Letter," tells the story of a woman who had a child in an extramarital relationship. This woman was strongly judged and despised by the Puritan society where she lived, as this was considered a great sin. However, the child's father was the town reverend, who was much appreciated and who kept his paternity a secret.

The sermon that moved all listeners at the end of the book was delivered by this reverend, who confessed his sin, guilt, and faults while allowing all listeners to acknowledge their own faults.

The author's objective in showing people's reactions, in this case, was to show how everyone had flaws and that is why they were so moved by the speech's declamation.

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