Search results
Jun 21, 2024 · The Scarlet Letter, novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. The work centers on Hester Prynne, a married woman who is shunned after bearing a child out of wedlock but displays great compassion and resiliency.
Plot. The Scarlet Letter by Hugues Merle (1861). Hester Prynne and Pearl in the foreground. In Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, a crowd gathers to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne, a young woman who has given birth to a baby of unknown paternity.
Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable, but not necessarily extraordinary woman. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure. A detailed description and in-depth analysis of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter.
“And now, Mistress Prynne,” said old Roger Chillingworth, as he was hereafter to be named, “I leave thee alone; alone with thy infant, and the scarlet letter! How is it, Hester? Doth thy sentence bind thee to wear the token in thy sleep?
Her beautiful hair is hidden under her cap, her beauty and warmth are gone, buried under the burden of the elaborate scarlet letter on her bosom. When she removes the letter and takes off her cap in Chapter 13, she once again becomes the radiant beauty of seven years earlier.
Short Summary: The Scarlet Letter is a novel providing a view of Puritan society in the 17th century. The story takes place in Boston, following young Hester Prynne and her life as an outcast having been caught committing adultery when she gives birth to a daughter.
The scarlet letter A (for adultery) she has to wear on her clothes, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. She struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
