Jewel GamsbyScarlet Letter: Chapter 1 Close Reading Questions1. How does Hawthorne describe the throng in the prison scene, and how does this description tell you his attitude toward the group?He describes the crowd as bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steepled crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded. A somber tone is detected, and they are not described as individuals, but rather as one, large, simple-minded congregation.2. What is the effect of the first sentence of the second paragraph?The first sentence is ironic because the overtly religious founders of the colony expected a Utopia of human virtue, but ended up allotting land to death and sin. It says something of the Puritans, and that despite the fact that they dedicate their lives to being pure, they can turn something innocent, the virgin soil, into something as grim as a cemetery and prison.3. What specific part of the prison building does the narrator return our attention to? What does his choice of details about this part of the building emphasize about it? How do the details of his description connect the edifice to the society that built it?The narrator returns the readers attention to the door. In the first paragraph, he describes it as heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes. Oak gives a connotation that the door is aged, and the iron spikes give an element of danger and strength. The door is later mentioned as, rust on the ponderous iron-work of its oaken door looked more antique than anything else in the new world. Like all that pertains to crime, it seemed never to have known a youthful era. The society that built this prison is clearly outdated and old fashioned. 4. Where does the tone first soften in this chapter, in reference to what? What things are linked by the narrator in that each are presented one right after the other, all with this milder attitude?The tone softens towards the end of the chapter, while talking about the rose bush. In lieu of the harsh language used before, he describes the roses as delicate gems and speaks of the deep heart of Nature. The narrator starts with the rose-bush that is outside the prison door, then moves on to talk about grand trees that had come and gone, and whether or not the flowers had grown in the footsteps of known womens rights activist, Ann Hutchinson. The author then takes a more symbolic route, saying that this rose-bush will serve as a sweet moral blossom amidst a tragic story. 5. How does the narrator draw the reader into the scene and at the same time direct our sympathies?The reader is drawn in with the dark and ominous message, however sympathies are drawn from the sharp word choice. The contrasts between virgin and cemetery, as well as sainted and prison door, lead the reader to believe that people are being put in prison without good reason. 6. Comment on the overall organization of the chapter, tracing the shifts in focus, the change in tone (follow the adjective), the use of imagery, symbol, metaphor, and allusions.This brief chapter is complex and ominous in tone. It also seems that the narrator is doubtful of this society. The focus starts with the crowd, then shifts to the prison, and finally uses the rosebush as a metaphor for the good in the bad. There is an allusion to the womens rights activist, Ann Hutchinson, in which she is described as sainted, yet still being condemned to prison. The imagery throughout the chapter describes the prison as dark and aged, and the rose bush as delicate, fragile, and beautiful.