The Scarlet Letter | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Governor Bellingham - This person represents an actual historical figure who was in charge of the colony.

Roger Chillingworth - This person is a physician.

Arthur Dimmesdale - This person is a young, charismatic minister at the center of this novel.

The Goodwives - These people believe the magistrates have been too easy on the accused woman and suggest branding or execution as appropriate punishments.

Mistress Hibbins - This person, who makes several provoking, although short, appearances in the novel, represents an actual historical figure, who was executed for witchcraft in 1656.

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