Read this excerpt from chapter 1 of the scarlet letter using comprehension strategies.

but, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of june, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of nature could pity and be kind to him.

what is the meaning of this excerpt?

The meaning is that there's hope and beauty in life and in the world even when all surrounding may look dark and hopeless. As he mentions Pearl as the Blossom of the passions in his life.

Explanation:

The rose is a symbol of endurance, the Rosebush will prevail no matter how many people are gone through time. It also represents survival after harsh times, it is in the entrance of prison so it is the last thing that gives you hope in beauty when you enter and is the first thing that shows you the world is not hostile when you come out. There's also a metaphor between the blossoms and Pearl she is mention as the result of the passion that roses give.

C. The rosebush is nature’s offering to those who must enter or leave the prison.

Explanation:

But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him.

answer: age of the protagonists.

dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by james joyce, published in 1914. they tell the stories of the irish middle class in and around dublin in the early years of the 20th century.

joyce divides the collection into three sections dealing with childhood, adolescence and maturity. therefore, one pattern he uses to organize his stories is the age of the protagonists. the initial stories deal with children, and as the stories continue, they focus on progressively older people.