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Excerpt from The Scarlet Letter
Nathanael Hawthorne
The door of the jail being flung open from within there appeared, in the first place, like a black shadow emerging into sunshine, the grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle, with a sword by his side, and his staff of office in his hand. This personage prefigured and represented in his aspect the whole dismal severity of the Puritanic code of law, which it was his business to administer in its final and closest application to the offender. Stretching forth the official staff in his left hand, he laid his right upon the shoulder of a young woman, whom he thus drew forward, until, on the threshold of the prison-door, she repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air as if by her own free will.
Which interpretation of the first sentence expresses the MOST LIKELY intent of the author?
A) The use of the vivid verb "flung" and the simile "like a black shadow" evoke a sense of speed and urgency into the unknown.
B) The use of the words "appeared", "shadow", and "hand" create feelings of calm and a sense that there is a heavenly guiding presence.
C) The simile "like a black shadow", the phrase "grim and grisly", and the presence of a "sword" suggest images of death or the grim reaper.
D) The word "jail", the simile "like a black shadow", and the presence of a "sword" present readers with images of punishment and sinfulness.
