Showing results for title "The Scarlet Letter", by author "Nathaniel Hawthorne" in Literary History & Criticism

The Scarlet Letter is a classic novel set in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts. It tells the story of Hester Prynne, who bears an illegitimate child and is condemned to wear a scarlet "A" (for "adulteress") on her chest as punishment. Hester bravely endures the public shame while raising her daughter, Pearl. Her secret lover, the town minister Arthur Dimmesdale, is wracked with guilt, while her estranged husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge. Through themes of sin, guilt, and redemption, Hawthorne critiques the rigid moral codes of the Puritan society. The novel explores the ...

The Scarlet Letter is powerful American story of secret love and sin, of spiritual hypocrisy and moral courage, and of female bravery during a time when women were rarely respected, resonated with readers then and continues to do so now. Set in the staunchly Puritan world of 1600s Boston Hester Prynne has committed adultery and given birth to an illegitimate daughter, Pearl, while her elder husband is away. Refusing to reveal Pearl's father Hester is punished and scorned by the community and forced to wear a red letter "A".Over seven years Hester, Pearl's father, and Hester's estranged husband...