After watching the Hawthorne movie last night, I was wondering what you thought of the "Custom House" chapter at the beginning of the Scarlet Letter?? Do you agree with the narrator of the movie??
The “Custom House” chapter at the beginning of the book really sets the stage for what Custom House was like. The author describes what his position was there, how the other officers withered away while there, who he had relations with, who he liked or disliked and why, and ultimately his discovery of the Scarlet Letter. This chapter is really another story entirely, in explaining and essentially convincing the audience of the authenticity of his discovery of the letter. While the beginning of the movie showcases the actual act of discovering the Scarlet Letter and placing it on his chest explaining the “burning feeling”, the movie does not give insight into Custom House in near as much depth as in the book. The narrator of the movie literally took lines from the book and stated them to the audience when discovering the Scarlet Letter and how it affected him but leaves out the bulk of the author’s desire for the audience to realize the authenticity of that discovery.
so true, it was so hard to get through that chapter, this chapter makes people turn away from the story such as my sister, she couldn't stand it so she never finished the story.
I find it 30 plus pages wasted. He could have cut that in have and still had gotten the idea of what the custom house was like and got the story rolling.
The “Custom House” chapter at the beginning of the book really sets the stage for what Custom House was like. The author describes what his position was there, how the other officers withered away while there, who he had relations with, who he liked or disliked and why, and ultimately his discovery of the Scarlet Letter. This chapter is really another story entirely, in explaining and essentially convincing the audience of the authenticity of his discovery of the letter. While the beginning of the movie showcases the actual act of discovering the Scarlet Letter and placing it on his chest explaining the “burning feeling”, the movie does not give insight into Custom House in near as much depth as in the book. The narrator of the movie literally took lines from the book and stated them to the audience when discovering the Scarlet Letter and how it affected him but leaves out the bulk of the author’s desire for the audience to realize the authenticity of that discovery.
ReplyDeleteI agreed, personally, with the high school students paraphrased in the movie--couldn't wait for that part to get over and the "real" story to begin!
ReplyDeleteso true, it was so hard to get through that chapter, this chapter makes people turn away from the story such as my sister, she couldn't stand it so she never finished the story.
DeleteI find it 30 plus pages wasted. He could have cut that in have and still had gotten the idea of what the custom house was like and got the story rolling.
ReplyDelete