One of the most interesting aspects of "The Scarlet Letter" remains the feminist attitude of the author as expressed through Hester Prynne. Today ,we analyzed a specific portion of the novel wherein Hester calls for the destruction a male dominated society and an end to gender roles. We discussed how revolutionary these ideas were in 1850, and ,of course, even more so when the novel takes place in the 1640s! I mentioned the likely influence of the transcendentalist ,Margaret Fuller, whom Hawthorne knew. We also discussed the changing interpretations Puritan society places on the scarlet "A" worn by Hester. Olivia did a good job recognizing the causes of these changes,and raised good examples in modern history of symbols whose significance has changed . We then reviewed some of Olivia's SAT grammar prep homework. I explained the test's tendency to test the proper use of transitional phrases such as "however, but, even though, moreover," and the proper or best usage of each . We then corrected some of Olivia's responses to reflect proper usage and punctuation as tested by the ACT and SAT. Tomorrow, we are having a test on Chapters 1 -12 of the novel.