The Scarlet Letter The Secret Sharer A Tale of Two Cities Typee. ("Customs" are the taxes paid on foreign imports into a country; . He finds the establishment to be a run-down place, situated on a rotting wharf in a half-finished building. The hidden motivations and psychology of the characters. He feels as though it burns him. This study guide references the 2003 Penguin Classics edition of the work. The Custom-House: Introductory Quiz 1 of 5 Why does the narrator drop the scarlet letter? 2 of 5 Which statement best characterizes the narrator's intention in telling Hester's story? Term. The narrator's negative description of his colleagues shows his feelings about conformity. The Custom House in The Scarlet Letter: Summary. The Importance of 'Custom House' in The Scarlett Letter Written as a prologue to his masterwork, 'The Scarlett Letter', Custom House is largely an autobiographical sketch describing Nathaniel Hawthorne's life as an administrator of the Salem Custom House. In many ways, "the introductory" to the book stands in a bold relief against the artistic quality of Hawthorne's tale, and also complements it. When Nathaniel Hawthorne published the novel on March 16, 1850, it was a juicy bestseller about an adulterous woman forced to wear a scarlet 'A' on her chest by a community steeped in religious. However, this introduction adds substance. IsabellaAlayon @IsabellaAlayon. Puritans left England for the New World to escape persecution and judgement in the hands of others in power. The narrator tells us he got the story of The Scarlet Letter from documents he found in the old surveyor's office. Where is the Custom House in Scarlet Letter? It is true that "The Custom House" is an autobiographical short story in itself, where Hawthorne looks back in time and narrates some of his memories. Plot Summary The narrator tells us he got the THE CUSTOM-HOUSE, Page 1: Read The Scarlet Letter, by Author Nathaniel Hawthorne Page by Page, now. He's telling us about a fictional three-year experience working in the Custom House (a building where people documented goods for import and export) in Salem, Massachusetts. The narrator describes his Custom House colleagues as "wearisome old souls" and Salem, the town where it was located, as old and run-down. What point of view shift occurs? What account does narrator give? In this painting, The Scarlet Letter by Hugues Merle (1861), Hester Prynne and Pearl are in the foreground and Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are in the background. What is the Custom House in The Scarlet Letter? Scarlet Letter - Custom House. The narrator tells us he got the story of The Scarlet Letter from documents he found in the old surveyor's office. The Scarlet Letter. The narrator, working in Salem's custom house and writing this around 1850, tells of finding some papers,. " The Custom House " the "Introductory" to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is profoundly central to his literary artistic and moral preoccupations in the book. Lauren has taught English at the university level and has a master's degree in literature. Within the main story of the novel, some important locations include: the scaffold the forest outside of town the prison-house The Puritan Elder. First person to third person. Valentina B. It is covered in dust and spiders. He is surprised by the sudden appearance of a ghost. All sailors, sea captains, merchants, and sea traders are required to report directly to the Custom House upon laying anchor in Salem. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Introduction: "The Custom-House" Additional Information Year Published: 1850 Language: English Country of Origin: United States of America Source: Hawthorne, N. (1850). 'The Custom House' seems to be an effort to persuade the reader to regard The Scarlet Letter as truth rather than fiction. If the retail value of your order is at least $500, you'll save 30%. What does the author explore? "The Scarlet Letter": A Darkened End The Scarlet Letter - Study Guide. Setting the story in Salem, the site of the Salem Witch Trials, begins the novel's critique of Puritan severity. Custom House in Salem contains exhibits on the tools of the Custom Service, the work of the Customs inspectors, and the office of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous American author whose three-year-long stint in the Salem Custom House inspired his classic novel, The Scarlet Letter. It resembles more a tract or a personal essay than an introduction to a piece of fiction, but it offers plenty of insights that will support the rest of The Scarlet Letter. A custom house was a place where taxes were paid, a place of government business. Was to give the reader a better understanding of the poeple living in the custom house and their way of lviing. What is the point of the Custom House? The Custom House We start off with a little direct address from our narrator. Answer: The Custom-House introduction does more than increase the length of the novel, which Hawthorne thought was too short. He finds the establishment to be a run-down place, situated on a rotting wharf in a . Custom house essay scarlet letter Readability: Flesch-Kincaid Level: 11. It is a frame for the novel because it offers context and backstory to the letter itself and the forbidden relationship that led to its creation, while also calling to mind the intolerance of Puritan society. 'The Custom House' seems to be an effort to persuade the reader to regard The Scarlet Letter as truth rather than fiction. 1 / 12. This Custom House was built in 1819 and housed offices for the officers of the U.S. Customs Service, as well as an attached warehouse, the Public Stores, used for the storage of bonded and impounded cargo. Romanticism was a movement in literature.The purpose of this chapter is to set a setting or background for the Scarlet Letter.Hawthorne's family history contribute to his attitude toward The Custom House and his place in society by feeling similar how Hester felt because he also feels like an outcast and . For one thing, we gain a sense of why the narrator feels the need to tell the story. Historical Context & The Custom-House The story, written in 1850, is considered a work of Historical Fiction, set in Boston, the Puritan Bay Colony of Massachusetts between 1692 - 1699. March 2022 0 0 Report. The narrator tells us he got the story of The Scarlet Letter from documents he found in the old surveyor's office. The Scarlet Letter chapter summary in under five minutes! An introduction to "The Scarlet Letter" What is "The Custom House"? The Scarlet Letter You'll always save at least 25% on any paperback you order. What is the Custom House in Scarlet Letter? The Scarlet Letter- The Custom House Based off what Lazo says in class! 'The Custom House' seems to be an effort to persuade the reader to regard The Scarlet Letter as truth rather than fiction. 2 / 12. booksqsfiction The Custom Houseis largely an autobiographical sketch describing Hawthorne's life as an administrator of the Salem Custom House. The Custom House symbolized the Federal Government's presence in Salem, requiring the architects to design an impressive building. THE SCARLET LETTERThis book tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman who conceives a child while her husband is missing at sea. 'The Custom House' seems to be an effort to persuade the reader to regard The Scarlet Letter as truth rather than fiction. The contrast between Pearl standing on the opposite side as them parallels the contrast in their lives The life of the Custom-House lies like a dream behind me. ) hawthorne begins the scarlet letter with a long introductory essay that generally functions as a preface but, more specifically, accomplishes four significant goals: outlines autobiographical information about the author, describes the conflict between the artistic impulse and the commercial environment, defines the romance novel (which hawthorne Read Books Online, for Free The Scarlet Letter . "The Custom-House" is a stand-alone section of the novel. What account does narrator give? The Scarlet Letter: Introduction Pre-Reading Activities. Google Docs. The Paper Mill Store offers the widest selection of specialty paper, card stock and envelopes for paper enthusiasts and graphics professionals in reams, boxes or bulk, from top paper mills, shipped from our Paper Valley Wisconsin warehouse. His account is a mixture of fact and fiction and loosely follows the story of how Hawthorne himself came to write The Scarlet Letter. It also adds a frame story and a romantic sense of truth or non-fiction to the tale. It will be seen, likewise, that this Custom-House sketch has a certain propriety, of a kind always recognised in literature, as explaining how a large portion of the following pages . Hawthorne's introduction; "The Custom-House", to his book "The Scarlet Letter" is a rather lengthy and detailed one. Discover more details about The Scarlet Letter below. by. What are the purposes of the opening Custom-House essay? And if the retail value of your order is at least $2,500, you'll save 35% on all your paperbacks. The Scarlet Letter custom house essay scarlet letter Intro Essay 1074 In the sixteenth century. A Custom House is a governmental building situated near a port or a wharf. His fellow workers mostly hold lifetime appointments secured by family connections. Getting students started with the complexity of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, can be difficult, but with this 16-page pre-reading unit, you will receive two activities plus introduction notes that will help your students gain . It introduces themes and imagery that will appear later in the novel. It was written to enlarge the tale of The Scarlet Letter, since Hawthorne deemed the story too short to print by itself. The Scarlet Letter is also a piece of historical fiction; it is set in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and refers to real historical figures like Governor Richard Bellingham and Reverend John Wilson. What is the purpose of the Custom House in The Scarlet Letter? An introduction to "The Scarlet Letter". 9/15/2015 07:17:55 pm. In The Scarlet Letter, the importance of "The Custom-House" is at least two-fold. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid Level: 11.0 Word Count: 15,617 Genre: Tragedy The theme of sin is depicted through emotional sufferings and experience of the main heroes of the novel: Hester Prynne, her husband Roger Chillingworth and Hester's lover, Dimmesdale. ("Customs" are the taxes paid on foreign imports into a country; a "customhouse" is the building where these taxes are paid.) seems to be an effort to persuade the reader to regard The Scarlet Letter as truth rather than fiction. In Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, a crowd gathers to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne, a young woman who has given birth to a baby of unknown paternity. What is a custom house?-3 years experience of author, spent time here, work and amusemet, dirrent time period -office at a port (or frontier where ships come in - dockside) where ship come in and taxes are paid based on the cargo/ foreign imports' entrances into the town -tax office for goods: Purchase the book Summary of The Scarlet Letter Click the card to flip . The narrator tells us he got the story of The Scarlet Letter from documents he found in the old surveyor's office. It gives the reader much insight as to previous events that occurred before the events described in the rest of the Scarlet Letter, thus allowing them to gain a better understanding of what is to come. Boston, MA: Ticknor and Fields. Click the card to flip . What is the primary purpose for the Custom House introduction? The narrator tells us he got the story of The Scarlet Letter from documents he found in the old surveyor's office. The nameless narrator, who shares quite a few traits with the book's author, takes a post as the "chief executive officer," or surveyor, of the Salem Custom House. Christina Avila. Definition. In The Scarlet Letter, the importance of "The Custom-House" is at least two-fold. Biographical account of Puritan times. Terms in this set (12) What is "The Custom House"? The bulk of The Scarlet Letter takes place in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts, with the exception of the introductory chapter "The Custom-House", which takes place in mid-19th century, pre-Civil War Salem. Biographical account of Puritan times. He worries that it will corrupt him. It is a frame for the novel because it offers context and backstory to the letter itself and the forbidden relationship that led to its creation , while also calling to mind the intolerance of Puritan society. 1 / 89. In terms of actual composition, "The Scarlet Letter" lies somewhat between the prefaces, for, although Hawthorne did not write all of "The Scarlet Letter" before composing "The Custom House" (as once was thought), he clearly wrote enough of it so that it could be said to lie between the two in the order of writing. $6.50. Today, the U.S. 'The Custom House' serves as a very long introduction to . Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic literature novel The Scarlet Letter tells a tale of an illicit roman. He finds the establishment to be a run-down place, situated on a rotting wharf in a half-finished building. Free, Online. Okay, maybe not so fictional: Hawthorne really did work for the Salem Custom House. The Custom House serves the small ship traffic going through . 'The Custom House' seems to be an effort to persuade the reader to regard The Scarlet Letter as truth rather than fiction. Scarlet letter questions chapter Custom House-12. Poetry Alone Annabel Lee Corinna's Going A Maying Danny Deever A Description of a City Shower A Dream Within a Dream Eldorado Goblin Market The Highwayman The Mower's Song Ode to the West Wind The Raven Rime of the Ancient Mariner Selected Shakespearean Sonnets Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is prefaced by 'The Custom House', a brief letter detailing events that are remarkably similar to those that transpired in Hawthorne's own life.. 1 / 89. What Is The Custom House About In The Scarlet Letter ("Customs" are the taxes paid on foreign imports into a country; a "customhouse" is the building where these taxes are paid.) ?The Custom House?