The Scarlet Letter

                         ~Chapters 1 and 2

In chapers one and two, of  The Scarlet Letter, everyone is gathered around to find out what will happen to Hester Prynne. She has to stand fully revealed to the crowd of people, who are gathered around the prison and the scaffold, in Boston. Hester has commited adultry and is being sent to prison for the actions she has taken. Hester's punishment is to wear the scarlet letter "A" on her clothing as a symbol of adultry. However, she does not let this bother her she quickly accepts the "sin" and the scarlet letter as part of herself.

~Chapters 3 and 4
While Hester is standing, on the scaffold, she spots her husband in the crowd. Her husband had sent her to America alone and promised to follow her, but never did he fulfill his promise. He tells Hester that she shall not reveal his identity to anyone. Hester's husband is a doctor, and they meet face to face when he is called to the prison cell to provide medical assistance. He makes Hester promise that she will not reveal his identity to anyone.

~Chapters 5 and 6
After a few months, Hester is finaly released from prison. She is then free to move away from Boston, but chooses not to do so because she has never really been anywhere else and just doesn't know what to do with herself. Hester manages to make it on her own due to her own talent in needlework. She becomes very lonely, and wants to find someone she can be happily married to. Hester names her daughter Pearl because she was purchased with all she had. Pearl is her only treasure. Pearl resembles Hester one hundred percent; she acts just like her. Although Pearl is diffrent from other children, Hester loves and cares for her very much.

~Chapters 7 and 8
Hester pays a visit to the Govenor. She has to give him a pair of gloves that she has made for him. She has also been hearing rumors of them wanting to take Pearl away from her, and Hester would like to know if there is any truth to this. She comes to find out that this rumor is true. Some of the townspeople and the Govenor believe that Pearl is possibly some type of a demon-child, and if Pearl really is they want to take her away so they can protect Hester. They also state though that if Pearl is not a demon-child they still want to take her away and give her a better home life. Hester argues with all the people wanting to take her away and states, "I can teach Pearl an important lesson from my mistakes, and Pearl is given to me as a gift form god." After talking to Dimmesdale, Bellingham and Wilson decide not to separate the mother and child.

~Chapters 9 and 10
Chillingworth, Hester's husband, has been welcomed into Boston as a doctor. Not one person knows really anything about his past except for Heste, who has been sworn to secrecy. He at one point in time was captured by Native Americans and lived with them for awhile. Dimmasdale has been suffering from health problems, which has the townspeople worried horribly. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale move in together in hope that Chillingworth can help find a cure for his disease. Dimmesdale's room is hung with biblical scenes of adultery. Dimmesdale beomes Chillingworth greatest puzzle. One night the two men hear something coming from outside the window. They hurry to the window, and when they look out they see Pearl dancing in the graveyard. When Pearl notices the two men she drags her mother away saying that the "black man" has already got the minister and that he must not capture them too. One afternoon, while Dimmesdale is asleep Chillingworth sneaks up on him, and pushes his shirt aside that he is currently wearing. Chillingworth sees something he cannot believe.

~Chapters 11 and 12
Dimmesdale beats himself everynight for his sin, and he also begins fasting. He never sleeps because he is always awake throughout the night thinking about the actions he has taken in the past. Then, one night, Dimmesdale comes up with a remarkable plan to release his pain. He decides to hold a vigil on the scaffold where Hester suffered for her sin. Dimmesdale walks to the scaffold and lets out a loud scream because of the pain in his breast. He hopes that no one will come outside and see him confessing his sin. Dimmesdale begins to laugh aloud when he starts to think what will happen if everyone would come outside and see him right this second. When he laughs, he hears another laugh come from somebody else. He looks around and sees Hester and Pearl. When he sees them he asks them to join him on the scaffold, in which they both do so. The three of them all hold hands side-by-side. Then Pearl ask Dimmesdale if tomorrow he will do the same at noon, and come hold hands and stand on the scaffold side-by-side with her and her mother. He tells young Pearl that this is not the time, but one time he will. Suddenly the three see something appear in the sky. It is made out to be a meteor in the shape of an "A." Pearl looks out in the distance and spots Chillingworth staring at the three of them.

~Chapters 13 and 14

It has been seven years since Pearl's birth. Hester has became very caring and more open to society. She feeds the poor, and helps the sick. Now that people have seen what kind of person Hester really is they take the "A" to stand for "able" rather than "adultry." Hester meets with Chillingworth because she wants to talk to him. Hester has been thinking and wants to break her promise and reveal the secret of Chillingworth and who he really is. At this point in the book, Chillingworth now knows that Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. Chillingworth has changed much throughout the book. He used to be a very kind, caring, patient man, but today he is the exact opposite. Hester doesn't approve of the way he is acting, and she begs him to change back.

~Chapters 15 and 16
At the begining of this chapter Pearl is found playing in the tide pools down by the beach. While Pearl is pretending to be a mermaid, she eelgrass on her chest in the shape of an "A." Hester quickly ask her about the letter she has put on her chest. Hester does not believe that Pearl knows the true meaning of what the letter "A" on her chest stands for. Hester continues in trying to explain to young Pearl what it truely means. While explaining though, Hester begins to think Pearl is to young to understand and quickly drops the subject. However, young Pearl will not allow her to do so and the next three days Pearl drives Hester crazy and asks her many questions about the scarlet letter. Hester then makes a very important decision and decides to wait for Dimmesdale in the forest so she can tell him the truth. Pearl goes with her mother and catches the sunshine along the way. Pearl however, cannot give up wondering about the "black man" the old women has been talking about. When Pearl sees Dimmesdale in a distance she asks her mother if he is the "black man" everyone is refering to. Hester quickly tells Pearl no that, that is the minister and Pearl runs off to play, still curious. 

~Chapters 17 and 18 
In the forest, Hester and Dimmesdale are finally able to escape from everything. Hester then tells Dimmesdale that Chillingworth is really her husband. Dimmesdale becomes very angry and starts blaming Hester for all of his suffering. Hester quickly pulls Dimmesdale close to her chest, his face right by the scarlet letter, and begs him for his forgiveness. He finally forgives her realizing that Chillingworth is the biggest sinner of all. Hester and Dimmesdale then form a plan to steal away on a ship to Europe, where they can live as a happy family with Pearl. This plans makses Dimmesdale very happy and he states that he can now feel joy once again. Knowing that Dimmesdale is happy makes Hester very happy to where she feels the same, and then she takes her scarlet letter and throws it off. Making Hester feel beautiful once again she lets down her hair as the sunshine can finally find her once again. Hester beings telling him about Pearl which makes her even more estatic knowing that Pearl and her dad will be able to know one another.

~Chapters 19 and 20
Hester calls for Pearl to stop playing and come join Dimmesdale and her on the other side of the brook. However, Pearl refuses to come to her mother because Hester had taken off the scarlet letter. Hester had to pin the scarlet letter back on before Pearl would agree to cross the brook. Hester encourages Pearl to embrace Dimmesdale as well as herself, but instead Pearl asks him the same question as earlier. She asks him if he will stand hand in hand with Hester and her on the Scaffold in front of the town. Dimmesdale says no but kisses young Pearl on the forehead. Pearl becomes very angry and runs to the brook and washes the kiss off. Dimmesdale and Hester have decided to move to Europe. Dimmesdale tells Chillingworth he will not be needing anymore of his drugs. Dimmesdale then begins writing a sermon he has to present on Election Day.

Hills Like White Elephants

"Hills Like White Elephants" is a short story about a couple at a bar. They sit down next to each other and order a beer each. The women then begins the conversation with talking about the painting on the door and how it looks like a white elephant. The man has never seen one before and has no idea what it looks like. So he then changes the subject about a certain acction that him and the women don't see eye to eye on. The are argueing about weather or not a certain action is a big deal. The man thinks that everything will be perfectly fine, while the women thinks completely opposite. The man tells her it is just a simple opperation,they can still have everything they want, and nothing will change. Whereas, the women thinks it is much harder than being said, they can't go everywhere, and they can't have everything because it is just not the same. The women then wants nothing more than to just change the topic and stop talking about, but the man refuses and continues with saying, "I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do." However she wants nothing to do with this concersation. He then moves her bags next to the train stop and it shortly arrives.

The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber

"The Shory, Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is a short story about a unappy married coupe, who go on a safari in Africa, Macomber is hunting on the safari with Wilson, the leader. The first hunt they go on is for lions; however, Macomber gets scared and runs away from the lion. This makes his wife, Margot, very unhappy and mad. She goes on without really talking to Macomber the rest of the day. Later on in the evening she sneaks out of the tent to be with Wilson. Macomber wakes up, and when she returns he asks her where she has been. Margot responds with "I stepped outside to get a breath of fresh air." The following day they go on a hunt for buffalo. Only on this hunt Macomber is no longer a coward; he isn't afraid of the buffalo one bit. This bother Margot very much, and it causes her to do something that no one would expect. She shoots her husband; however, Wilson is the only person that knows that this was not an accident it was on purpose.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is a short story writtn by Ernest Hemingway.This short story is about an old, deaf man who is all alone. He goes to a little cafe each night and gets drunk. In the very begining of the story it shares with us how he tries to commit suicide; however, his neice walks in on the process and stops him. The younger waiter becomes very irritated with this old man because he wants to go home to be with his wife, but just can't because the old man will not leave the cafe. However, the older waiter understands why the old man does not want to go home to his empty house all alone.

A Day's Wait

"A Day's Wait" is a short story about a young boy who believes he is going to die in a short amount of time. His mother and father have no idea that he believes this could actually happen. However, the young boy thinks he will pass away because he has a fever of one hundred and two degrees. The boy thinks this because at school, in France, the boys told him you cannot live with a fever of forty-four degrees; therefor, he knows that there is no possible way he could live with a temperature of one hundred and two degrees. The poor boy had no idea that they are on a different thermometer scale. His mother then explains to him that it is like miles and kilometers. He then understands and feels much more relaxed now that he knows he is not about to pass away.

Ernest Hemingway's Quotes

*A clean, well-lighted place
~"...where the tables were all empty except where the old man sat in the shadows, of the leaves of the tree that moved slightly in the wind." - Narrator
~"You should have killed yourself last week." - Young waiter
~"You have youth, confidence, and a job." - Older waiter

*A day's wait
~"You don't have to stay in here with me if it bothers you." - the boy
~"People don't die with a fever of one hundred and two." - the boy's mother
~"Poor Schatz, it's like miles and kilometers." - the boy's mother

*Hills like white elephants
~"And you think then we will be alright and happy." - the girl
~"If you don't want to you don't have to. I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But I know it is perfectly simple." - the man
~"They look like white elephants." -the girl

*The short happy life of Francis Macomber
~"It's not pleasant to have your wife see you do something like that." - Macomber
~"In the neck if you can make it. Shoot for bone. Break him down." - Wilson
~"Well, you are a coward." - Margot
~"Why didn't you poison him? That's what they do in England." - Wilson
~"Oh please stop, please, please stop." - Margot

--Bradlea Beard, Sean Bitz, Reid Firestone, & Nick Angell