Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter

In seventeenth-century Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne is publicly punished for adultery and forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her clothing. She refuses to identify the father of her daughter, Pearl, protecting the respected minister Arthur Dimmesdale, who is consumed by secret guilt. Hester’s estranged husband, Roger Chillingworth, discovers the truth and devotes himself to psychologically tormenting Dimmesdale. Over time, Hester’s courage, independence and service to others transform the community’s understanding of the scarlet letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne examines sin, guilt, punishment, hypocrisy and identity, contrasting Hester’s openly acknowledged transgression with the concealed wrongdoing and cruelty of the men around her.