The Scarlet Letter
Meaning of an Excerpt from \'The Scarlet Letter\'
In accordance with this rule, it may safely be assumed that the forefathers of Boston had built the first prison-house, somewhere in the vicinity of Cornhill, almost as seasonably as they marked out the first burial-ground, on Isaac Johnson's lot, and round about his grave, which subsequently became the nucleus of all the congregated sepulchres in the old church-yard of King's Chapel.
What is the meaning of this excerpt?
A. The prison and cemetery were built early, with the cemetery expanding in size from its original plot.
B. The prison was built near Cornhill, and the cemetery was built on an important man's property.
C. Just as Puritans gathered at the prison, they also gathered at the cemetery and the church.
D. The forefathers of Boston chose the two most famous landmarks: the prison and the cemetery.
Answer:
A. The prison and cemetery were built early, with the cemetery expanding in size from its original plot.
Explanation: In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter", the story of a woman named Hester Prynne who was accused of adultery. She had been kept in the prison with her infant daughter, with the letter "A" on her breast, suggestive of her adultery crime. The excerpt in the question is from the first chapter of the story titled "The Prison Door". This part details the history and location of the prison where Hester was kept. The passage shows that the prison and cemetery were built early, with the cemetery eventually expanding in size from its original plot.