Book Cover of The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A beautiful woman who is punished for the mortal sin of loving a man other than her husband, a cowardly lover, a vengeful husband, a rebellious illegitimate child and the oppressive and patriarchal morality of 17th century Puritanism in Boston. Together these form an unforgettable and thought-provoking glimpse of how much social attitudes have changed over the centuries. Nathaniel Hawthorne was the creator of such beloved works as Twice-Told Tales, A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls, The House of the Seven Gables and spine-chilling tales like Roger Malvin's Burial. Scion of an old Puritan family from Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne was familiar with the old traditions of the area. He began writing in college and worked as a customs surveyor to earn his livelihood while pursuing his passion for creative writing. His friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson broadened his horizons considerably and he experimented with movements like Transcendentalism. The Scarlet Letter is a deeply disturbing novel about gender discrimination, women's oppression, male dominated society and authoritarian religions. Set in 17th century Boston, its lovely heroine Hester Prynne, is accused of adultery and giving birth to an illegitimate child in the absence of her husband. The punishment mandated for this crime is to be paraded and vilified in public with a scarlet letter A affixed to her chest, signifying “adulteress.” She refuses to name her partner in crime. The missing husband arrives fortuitously at that very moment, but does not reveal himself to Hester or the public. Intent on revenge, he devises an elaborate plot to destroy his wife and her nameless lover.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1850

Authors

Nathaniel Hawthorne image

Nathaniel Hawthorne

United States

Hawthorne's works belong to romanticism or, more specifically, dark romanticism, cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity.Many of his...

Books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Bleak House Cover image

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Bleak House is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters...

A Lincoln Conscript Cover image

A Lincoln Conscript by Homer Greene

A heartwarming novel which visits the last two years of the American Civil War. The center of the story is the conflict of emotions and deeds between...

The Yellow Dove Cover image

The Yellow Dove by George Gibbs

This is a captivating book that takes readers on a journey filled with mystery and the search for redemption. First published in 1915, this literary m...

Conciliatory or Irenical Animadversions on the Controversies Agitated in Britain under the Unhappy Names of Antinomians and Neonomians Cover image

Conciliatory or Irenical Animadversions on the Controversies Agitated in Britain under the Unhappy Names of Antinomians and Neonomians by Hermann Witsius

The Antinomian-Neonomian controversy of the 17th century was initiated by the republication of a set of sermons by Tobias Crisp entitled "Christ alone...

Tragedy in Dedham: The Story of the Sacco-Vanzetti Case Cover image

Tragedy in Dedham: The Story of the Sacco-Vanzetti Case by Francis Russell

This book delves into the controversial Sacco and Vanzetti case, a pivotal event in 1920s America. It examines the trial, the arguments for and agains...

scharlaken letter Cover image

scharlaken letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Het boek 'The Scarlet Letter' van Nathaniel Hawthorne onderzoekt het leven van Hester Prynn, een jonge vrouw in het puritaanse Boston van de 17e eeuw,...

Ordeal of Elizabeth Cover image

Ordeal of Elizabeth by Anonymous

This compelling story follows Elizabeth, an orphaned woman raised by her aunts, who finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage. When she falls in lo...

Ποίος ήτον ο φονεύς του αδελφού μου Cover image

Ποίος ήτον ο φονεύς του αδελφού μου by Georgios Vizyinos

This poignant novel explores the complexities of human emotions in the face of tragedy. It follows a young man searching for his brother's murderer, e...

Dom Casmurro Cover image

Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis

Dom Casmurro é uma obra de Machado de Assis que explora a complexidade da memória e da percepção humana através da história de Bento Santiago, um home...

Return of the Soul Cover image

Return of the Soul by Robert Smythe Hichens

In Robert Smythe Hichens's haunting Gothic novel, an enigmatic man grapples with the return of a deceased lover's soul. Amidst eerie apparitions and i...

Reviews for The Scarlet Letter

No reviews posted or approved, yet...