Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter.
A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.
Which best describes the effect of the words “sad-colored,” “steeple-crowned,” and “iron spikes”?
They establish the mournful mood.
They establish the hostile mood.
They establish the austere Puritan setting.
They establish the spiritual Puritan setting.
