THE SCARLET LETTER
By. So jeong LEE
THE BOOK IMPORTATION
Author ● Nathaniel Hawthorne
Pages ● 232
Genre ● Romantic, Historical
Publisher ● Ticknor, Reed& Field
Publication date ● 1850
SUMMARY
1
The Scarlet Letter begins when Hester is briefly released from prison so that she
can be paraded through town, displaying her scarlet "A" while standing on top of the
town scaffold. She carries her baby daughter, Pearl, in her arms. Pearl was born in
prison. Hester steadfastly refuses to reveal the name of Pearl’s father, so that he
might be saved from punishment. Hester Prynne’s long lost husband arrives in the
midst of this parade through town. He visits her in prison before her release and
asks her not to tell anyone that he’s in town. His plan is to disguise himself so that
he can ferret out and seek revenge on her lover. Hester’s husband tells the
townspeople that he’s a physician, and he adopts a fake name Roger Chillingworth.
Hester keeps his secret. Chillingworth soon realizes that the minister, the Reverend
Arthur Dimmesdale, is the likely father of Hester’s baby, and he haunts the
minister’s mind and soul, day and night, for the next seven years. The minister is too
afraid to confess his sin publicly, but his guilt eats away at him; Chillingworth’s
constant examination really makes him antsy. Seven years pass and, finally, Hester
realizes the evil her husband has done to the man she loves, the father of her child.
She reveals Chillingworth’s true identity to Dimmesdale, and the two concoct a plan
to leave Boston and go to England, where they might hide from Hester’s husband
and create a new life together.
SUMMARY
2
The minister is ultimately unable to go through with the plan. Dimmesdale confesses
his sin to the townspeople on the scaffold that had, seven years earlier, been the
scene of Hester’s public shaming. His dying act is to throw open his shirt so that the
scarlet A that he has carved onto his chest is revealed to his parishioners.
Dimmesdale finds peace through confession. When Chillingworth dies approximately
a year after his rival, Dimmesdale, he leaves all his money and property to Pearl.
Hester and Pearl finally escape the community where they have been outcasts for so
many years and return to the Old World. However, many years later, Hester returns to
the New England community that had been the site of her shame, resuming the
scarlet letter of her own will.
When she dies, she is buried near the minister, and they share a gravestone. The
gravestone contains an image, described as follows: "On a field, sable, the letter A,
gules." In other words, marked on the headstone is a scarlet letter A drawn over a
black background.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SCARLET
LETTER BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE?
I read it in high school and I can't say that it did much for my outlook on life or
understanding of sin and redemption. In my opinion the characters were acting out
of selfishness and pride from beginning to end. I can't remember anything in it that
makes me think that there was any redemption or repentance on the part of
anyone, even Hester Prinn never struck me as being very contrite, more spiteful
and that little girl just struck me as being a brat. The part that I find most
memorable is when one of the community leaders died and they saw a giant "A" in
the sky and decided it stood for "angel" when the Reverend thought it was
condemning him as an adulterer.
RATING
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4 ♥♥♥♥ 4
I gave this book a four. I gave it a
four because it was very
interesting and exacting. The
theme was unusual. Not only has
amusement but also instructive.
So I gave the 4 score for this
book. If you have a time, not bad
to read a “The Scarlet Letters” .
Good for you.
4 ♥♥♥♥ 4
RATING
THE END
By So jeong LEE
5th
2-23-2011