In this lesson, students will explore the principle of the “consent of the governed” by analyzing the role that setting plays in characters’ personalities and development in The Scarlet Letter. Through hands‐​on activities and discussions, students will compare and contrast the settings of the forest and civil society, creating a visual that shows how these settings represent characters’ negotiations of personal freedom and consent of the governed. Using their knowledge from previous lessons, students will use what they learn in this lesson to write an essay with a fully developed thesis statement that clearly conveys a nuanced interpretation of one or more of the literary elements in The Scarlet Letter. This lesson will culminate with students considering the ways that symbols, including our language, evolve over time and affect our understanding of historical texts such as the Declaration of Independence.

Note: This lesson is the 4th in a 4‑lesson series.

• How does Hawthorne use Hester’s characterization to explore the principles of “equality,” “unalienable rights” and “consent of the governed”?
• How does Hester’s journey embody struggles over “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” within restrictive social systems?

• Analyze Hester’s characterization to explore the principle of the “consent of the governed.”
• Compare and contrast the settings of civil society and nature in order to discuss how these represent characters’ negotiation of personal freedom and consent.
• Examine characters’ journeys in light of the principles of the Declaration of Independence.
• Develop a clear and defensible thesis statement that conveys a nuanced interpretation of literary elements in The Scarlet Letter.

• CHA 1.A. Identify and describe what specific textual details reveal about a character, that character’s perspective, and that character’s motives.
• CHA 1.B. Explain the function of a character changing or remaining unchanged.
• SET 2.A. Identify and describe how plot orders events in a narrative.
• SET 2.B. Explain the function of setting in a narrative.
• LAN 7.A. Develop a paragraph that includes 1) a claim that requires defense with evidence from the text and 2) the evidence itself.
• LAN 7.B. Develop a thesis statement that conveys a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and may establish a line of reasoning.

• Sphere Education’s Principles and Argument of the American Founding
• The Scarlet Letter
• Physical or digital materials for students’ use in creating a visual or infographic
• Characteristics table

Post the following writing prompt on the board. Give students 5 minutes to respond in writing on a physical or digital document.

Prompt:
Respond to the following questions in your own words. Explain your thoughts clearly and with as much detail as possible.

• What does “consent of the governed” mean to you?
• Whose consent is being given in this phrase?
• Who is being referred to by the word “governed”?

After all students have finished writing, have them share their thoughts with a partner. Then ask several students to share what they wrote with the whole class.

Ask students to read (or reread) “Consent of the Governed” from Sphere Education’s Principles and Argument of the American Founding.

Draw students’ attention to the following paragraph, and read it aloud or give students a minute to read it on their own. Then continue with the questions.

Think back to the idea of the state of nature. In that condition, people are fully free and equal, which also means each person must be accountable for all of what they do. When people decide how they will live their lives, protect themselves from violence, or even judge when they have been harmed, they are engaging in what we more commonly think of as the legislative, executive, and judicial powers when we talk about government. So, when they form a civil society or government, they give up some of those powers to the government, where the government acts for the whole people instead of each person having to do so for themselves. In this way, the powers of the government are derived from the very powers of the people.

• How did the Founding Fathers define “consent of the governed”?
• To what extent is this definition similar to or different from your thoughts?

Allow students to discuss those 2 questions in a small group or with a partner. Then continue with the following section to further break down the paragraph’s ideas.

Ask students to highlight key words/​phrases and sentences in the 2nd paragraph of “Consent of the Governed.” Then ask for volunteers to share their words/​phrases or sentences and explain why they chose them. Be sure to steer students toward the following phrases and discussion points:

• “Think back to the idea of the state of nature.”
  • Ask students to articulate what is meant by a “state of nature” or “natural state.” Revisit the idea of self‐​evident truths and their relationship to the natural state of a living human being.
• “In that condition, people are fully free and equal, which also means each person must be accountable for what they do.”
  • Discuss that statement with students as the idea of accountability is not explicitly stated but inferred in the beginning of the Declaration of Independence.
• “So, when they form a civil society or government, they give up some of those powers to the government.”
  • Explicitly ask students to articular what powers are being given up–namely, deciding how to live life, how to protect oneself from violence, and the judging of harm and whether it has occurred.
• “The powers of the government are derived from the very powers of the people.”
  • Discuss this idea with students so that they understand that this was a radical idea at the time. If needed, point to previous literature from Elizabethan England (e.g., Shakespeare) to illuminate the hierarchy of power that was indifferent to the consent of the governed. Discussing those differences might be helpful for students who are struggling to understand this principle.

Explain to students that today’s reading will focus on the principle of the “consent of the governed.” Go to Sphere Education’s Principles and Argument of the American Founding. Under Core Principles, click “Consent of the Governed.” Highlight the phrase “people must consent to leave the state of nature and form a government or civil society.”

Then ask students to list the major settings of The Scarlet Letter. Student suggestions may include the scaffold, the prison, the marketplace, Governor Bellingham’s mansion, the forest, Hester and Pearl’s house in the forest, or others. Write these suggestions on the board and guide students to place these settings into the categories of “City” or “Nature.”

Hand out the following table. Pair students up and ask them to complete the rows for each character to reflect as far as they have read (the end of Chapter 18).

Once students have completed the table, ask them to reflect on the following questions:

• What are your observations about the characters’ experiences in the city versus in the natural world?
• What characters shift in their personalities depending on the setting? Why do you think this happens?
• How do characters’ actions and words in the natural world and the city reflect their consent (or lack thereof) to this society’s norms? To what extent does this compare with or contrast the “consent of the governed” as intended by the authors of the Declaration of Independence?

Have students read Chapters 19–24 of The Scarlet Letter. While they are reading, students should continue to identify and record characters’ words and actions that illuminate their identities in both the city and nature. Ask students to note specific words/​phrases/​sentences that connect to the principle of the “consent of the governed.” Ask students to pay specific attention to the ways that Hester and Dimmesdale face their choices and negotiate their consent to society. Their final actions will lead to a discussion about how people navigate their identity between societal expectations (symbolized by characters in the city) and personal freedom (symbolized by characters in nature).

Once students have read Chapters 19–24, revisit the table they filled out with examples of characters’ actions and words in the natural world and in the city. Divide students into small groups and give them the following instructions.

• Create a visual representation that contrasts the themes of nature and civil society, highlighting how these settings influence Hester and Dimmesdale’s negotiation of personal freedom and civic responsibility. Your visual should include quotations, symbols, and images that reflect characters’ words, actions, and experiences.

Give students the time and materials they need to complete this assignment. Then have each group share their visual with the whole class and share how their visual depicts characters’ consent to societal norms versus their natural personal freedom.

Ask students to reflect on the following questions individually on a physical or digital document. They should cite direct quotations from the book in their answers.

• What does it mean for individuals to consent to leave the state of nature to form a civil society?
• How is this idea reflected or not reflected in The Scarlet Letter?

When students have finished writing, discuss these questions as a class. Make sure that students cite direct quotations from the text in support of their opinions. This discussion will prepare students for their final written analysis.

Give students the following essay prompt and ask them to write their response on a physical or digital document. *Note: This essay will be a way for you to assess students’ abilities to both cognitively empathize and critically analyze as they write about symbols, setting, and character development in The Scarlet Letter.

Prompt:
Choose a prompt from the following list and write an essay of 4–5 paragraphs that includes a strong thesis statement and incorporates clear evidence in support of your claim.

1. Discuss how the meaning of the scarlet letter evolves throughout the text for both Hester and the community. How does this evolution relate to the ways that Hester gives or does not give her consent to be governed by the expectations of the Puritan community? What message do you believe Hawthorne is communicating to his audience through this?
2. Analyze the contrasting settings of nature and civil society in The Scarlet Letter. How do these environments affect characters’ decisions as they negotiate their individual freedom and consent to the expectations of their society? How do characters in these settings both reflect and challenge the idea that “people must consent to leave the state of nature and form a government or civil society”?
3. Compare and contrast how Hester and Dimmesdale negotiate their identities in relation to the expectations of society. How do these characters navigate the relationship between their individual freedom and their consent to conform to Puritan norms? How does this affect their character transformations? What is Hawthorne trying to communicate through the stories of these 2 characters?

• Instructions
  • Develop a clear thesis statement that presents a defensible claim.
  • Use relevant and sufficient textual evidence from The Scarlet Letter to support your interpretation. Identify specific quotations that support your point of view.
  • Analyze the function of key symbols and imagery in the text, using direct quotations and paraphrasing when appropriate.
  • Establish a logical line of reasoning that connects your evidence back to your thesis statement.
• Considerations:
  • Think about the era in which Hawthorne was writing and the ways that the principle of “consent of the governed” influenced the society in which he was living.
  • Consider specific images from The Scarlet Letter that reveal the challenges in having space to “consent” in Puritan society.
  • Reflect on your own experiences and how they inform your understanding and interpretation of both The Scarlet Letter and the Declaration of Independence.

In closing, ask students to think about the evolving meanings of symbols. For instance, the letter “A” is a symbol that had different meanings at various points in The Scarlet Letter. How does this consideration relate to the symbols we use? And to the words we use? How has language evolved over time, and how do such changes affect our interpretation and understanding of historical texts such as the Declaration of Independence?