The Scarlet Letter (1850)
The Scarlet Letter (1850) is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, considered to be his masterpiece and
most famous work.
[1]
Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth
after...
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The Scarlet Letter (1850)
The Scarlet Letter (1850) is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, considered to be his masterpiece and
most famous work.
[1]
Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth
after committing adultery and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity.
Throughout the
novel, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
Plot summary
The novel takes place during the summer in 17th-century Boston, Massachusetts in a Puritan village.
A
young woman, named Hester Prynne, has been led from the town prison with her infant daughter in her
arms and on the breast of her gown "a rag of scarlet cloth" that "assumed the shape of a letter.
" It is the
uppercase letter "A".
The Scarlet Letter "A" represents the act of adultery that she has committed and it is to
be a symbol of her sin—a badge of shame—for all to see.
A man, who was elderly and a stranger to the
town, enters the crowd and asks another onlooker w
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