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    The Scarlet Letter
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    The Scarlet Letter
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    The Scarlet Letter
    Ebook291 pages16 hours

    The Scarlet Letter

    By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. The Scarlet Letter "A" represents the act of adultery that she has committed and it is to be a symbol of her sin for all to see. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJPM Ediciones
    Release dateSep 10, 2011
    ISBN9788493838638
    Author

    Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Nathaniel Hawthorne was born is Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. His father died when he was four years old. His first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously at his own expense in 1828. He later disowned the novel and burned the remaining copies. For the next twenty years he made his living as a writer of tales and children's stories. He assured his reputation with the publication of The Scarlet Letter in 1850 and The House of the Seven Gables the following year. In 1853 he was appointed consul in Liverpool, England, where he lived for four years. He died in 1864.

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    Reviews for The Scarlet Letter

    3.5/5

    133 ratings141 reviews

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    • 1/5
      No fan of this classic. I get why it's considered a masterpiece, but it also seems to me as if the biggest fans judge from a position where the moral of a story is more important than the story itself.Over the course of this novel, we sadly get to know nothing of the inner workings and conditions of the characters, nothing but what the few, very reduced and stilted lines of dialogue reveal of which each additionally gets commented on by the narrator. This narrator is so far detached from the events and the persons who were involved that the whole thing reads like a historical report, with the additional effect that the characters have no nuances or real personalities. Everyone, men and women alike (though apart from Hester, women don't play any important part anyway) are Puritans and nothing else - only concerned with their soul's salvation, their morals and most of all the morals of others, with nothing distinguishing them from each other or giving them individuality. Hester herself is obviously different, but even with her we get to know nothing about her motivations and development, the reasons why she acts like she acts. The only character who breaks the mould is Pearl, and only because she's consistently described as different and weird.These shortcomings are actually a real pity, because I really liked the story itself, as a thought experiment and insight into a society that is . The theme of shame, stigma and the way how a society is held together by common morals give the frame for a tale that is, with the view of a modern reader, unbelievably full of bigotry, mercilessness, sexism, self-pity and factitiousness. Unfortunately, the way Hawthorne handles it, it's more like a sermon to be preached from a pulpit than a story to be told at a campfire. Cautionary and lecturing instead of entertaining, and no effort was made to combine both.On the topic of style, I guess Hawthorne really loved to hear himself talk. The introductory "Custom House" sketch took 1,5 hours in the audio version and nearly caused a dnf tag. There was no substance, nothing with any tangible insight, just rambling and digressing and going off on tangents that ultimately went nowhere, preferrably in run-on sentences that put half a dozen ideas into a single paragraph.Yes, I know, it's the style of the time and I can't expect modern efficiency in storytelling in a novel from 1850. Actually, I don't even want to. And still, it's so far over the top that it becomes tedious very fast. Pride and Prejudice is from 1813, and stylistically it's so much more varied and interesting, with real dialogue where not every line gets a comment and real characters the reader can understand and relate to.
    • 4/5
      This mid 19th century American classic novel is very much set within the ethos and mores of the Puritan community in New England in the mid 17th century. A young woman Hester Prynne with a baby (Pearl) is humiliated by the community and marked with the eponymous letter A for adultery (though the word is never used in the book). The story is about her relationship with her daughter, with an old doctor who is revealed to be her ex-husband, and with the clergyman who is Pearl's father. The story is told within a framework narrative, with an over-long introduction describing the author's personal experiences working in a custom house, where he purported to have found old documents describing Hester's story. Hawthorne is clearly sceptical of the grim joylessness of extreme Puritanism, when he describes one of their rare festive events thus: "Into this festal season of the year ............the Puritans compressed whatever mirth and public joy they deemed allowable to human infirmity; thereby so far dispelling the customary cloud, that, for the space of a single holiday, they appeared scarcely more grave than most other communities at a period of general affliction." The novel is very well written and needs to be read in relatively small doses truly to appreciate the language, though it is short at only 138 pages.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best books I "had" to read in high school. I think it had something to do with teaching me how wrong it is to judge others.
    • 2/5
      yawwwn, shutup hester. not hester.. shutup nathaniel.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the most beautifully and intelligently written works I have ever come across. It's just brilliant.
    • 3/5
      This was required reading for English class. Now that I think about it--it does seem odd that a school would have us reading about a woman being punished for adultery--well, the adultery part in a school book seems odd--though if they were going to have us read about adultery, I don't find it so odd that they would have it be this book. I remember our teacher saying "if you're reading the Cliff Notes, you already know who the baby's father is"--and it was true! The Cliff Notes did reveal the baby's father long before the book did. (But I won't reveal who it was here to avoid any spoilers.)
    • 3/5
      I'm not a big Classics fan but I do try to read a few each year. This time my Book Club chose A Scarlet Letter because of the Puritan connection and Thanksgiving time-frame. I had never read this book even in high school though I thought I knew the basics. There were aspects of the story to which I was unaware and it added a bit to the story IMO. However, the treatment of anyone - man, woman, or child - in manner, saddened me so I think that it did give me a greater reason to be thankful for the blessings I have.
    • 4/5
      One of the best classic books I've read.This book seriously got me thinking about the terms of sexism and feminism. The story was very easy to follow, and just overall a great read.
    • 5/5
      I was lucky in the fact that I was never forced to read the Scarlet Letter in school. I have heard about it and I recognize the allusions made to it during Easy A and Arthur with his scarlet letter "K"(to brand him a most unseemly knitter). So, I broke down and read it.The plot is simple: a woman is marked as an adulteress with a scarlet A and this is what happens next. That simple plot is what kept me reading until I got to the juicy part of the book. The revelation that Hester's husband isn't dead and he is out searching for her lover. There are clues out there to identify the lover but it isn't really stated until you are a good 75% way through the book. By then, you are already swept up in the story and keep reading because you want to know what happens next.The beginning of the book is a little dull, but keep pushing through it because hidden in the pages of the book is a delightful and intriguing story about the repercussions of one woman's love. 4.5 stars.
    • 4/5
      Hawthorne takes us to puritanical New England, where a woman is outcast and forced to wear a letter "A" to mark her crime of adultery. However, the story is not primarily about evil social norms. Rather, it is an exploration of openness and guilt. The woman refuses to name her lover. She allows him to escape social stigma -- or much worse. On the face of things, it seems he did better of the two, but Hawthorne explores the notion that a life of constant pretense can wear a person down. How much more carefree is the woman who has nothing more to hide. Self-esteem is tied to openness about oneself. A man with much to hide, who keeps pretending to be something he isn't, constantly chips away at his sense of self. The woman's lover is tormented by this lack of visibility to other people. "Thou little knowest what a relief it is", he confides to her, "after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognises me for what I am! Had I one friend--or were it my worst enemy!--to whom, when sickened with the praises of all other men, I could daily betake myself, and be known as the vilest of all sinners, methinks my soul might keep itself alive thereby." Hawthorne makes his message explicit: "Be true!... Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred." Surely, interesting advice to ponder: honesty about your worst, sets you free from pandering to the expectations of others. In short: be yourself. It's a short, novel with a narrow theme, but well plotted, well written and well worth reading.
    • 4/5
      This is one of the most seminal works in American Literature, but what I loved in it when I first read it as best I can recall (as a teen? young adult?) was that for me Hester Prynne is a heroine with a capital A. I was puzzled when in my recent read of Ahab's Wife Hawthorne was depicted as, well, puritanical and that critics consider the novel as patriarchal in its sentiments, because my memory of the novel was that Hawthorne's sympathies, even admiration, was with Hester.On this recent read I see no reason to change my mind, and I still consider this a by and large extraordinary novel, even if I can see flaws. Among them the opening autobiographical "introductory sketch" of a first chapter, "The Custom-House" which seemed more an intrusive settling of political scores than a suitable frame for the story--even before reading that it was more or less intended as such by Hawthorne, who had just prior to writing the novel been fired from his position at the custom-house. And admittedly, there are melodramatic romantic touches I found a bit much. (A capital "A" in the sky? Really Hawthorne?)Past that though, I'm immediately find myself gripped by the story and by Hester. It's not a long novel--about 88 thousand words, about 150 pages. We first meet Hester coming out of a prison door by which are roses that legend said bloomed at the feet of the martyred Anne Hutchinson, banished from the Puritans' Massachusetts Bay Colony for her heresies and her daring in preaching despite her female sex. Early on is mentioned that not far past is the Elizabethian Age in which a woman ruled. Hester comes out of that prison with a Scarlet "A" emblazoned on her bosom, and I can't help but admire that this is no small, demure "A" but one Hester herself elaborately embroidered with golden thread. She refuses to name the man that shares her sin even though it would mean she could take that letter off her dress rather than wear it the rest of her life. She names the child of that adultery Pearl after the "pearl of great price" and fights to keep her when the authorities are thinking of taking her child away. Hester stays true to herself throughout and never runs away. So yes, I consider her a great literary heroine. Especially when I compare her to her sister "fallen women" in literature. Compared to Hester, Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina seem vain and shallow. And though Hardy's Tess obviously has the author's affection, she seems weak, a victim, compared to the strong, self-sufficient Hester Prynne. Characters such as her vengeful husband Roger Chillingworth and her fellow adulterer Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale (such perfect names!) serve to only throw into greater relief her strength, compassion and redemptive arc.
    • 4/5
      It is always a bit disturbing reading books like this one that remind one of just how easy it could be for our modern, somewhat enlightened society to devolve into the brutish, closed-minded world our ancestors knew.
    • 3/5
      First time reading this verified American classic tale. While short, I found it very ponderous and uneven. The Introductory sketch of the Customs House was very long winded and fell far short of being interesting. My appetite picked up as we started into the well known story of Hester and the Scarlett Letter "A". Most of the book was overwritten and flowery for my taste, but I do acknowledge passages of brilliant prose and a mystically gothic ambiance. There were a lot of diversions and descriptions of forests, brooks, and the town along the way. Not the most enjoyable read for me.
    • 1/5
      I *hated* this book - what a hugely overrated piece of work. But then, I think many of the 'classics' are boring and overrated anyway. I detested every moment when I was forced to read this for high school english class.
    • 5/5
      Nathaniel Hawthorne, in writing The Scarlet Letter, took that which was considered so very taboo in the society and placed it in the household. He took a simple woman trying to escape her past, and a lonely man, who was also a preacher, and made them the models for the "it could happen to anyone" story. Many may say that Hawthorne's writing is full of glitches, is slow, and perhaps too ornate and verbose at times - but I disagree. In my opinion, he was an author who employed almost every literary technique, and used it well. The first chapter is probably the most difficult to get through, since it seems so detached from the rest of the book, but for those who are looking closely, it is full of foreshadowing elements and in reproducing the structure of the society in which the story is about to take place - Hawthorne is forewarning us of the limitations of said society, of how these rituals will come to be bane of Hester Prynne's existence, as the story unfolds. The story begins with Hester's public shaming,and her being made to wear a 'Scarlet letter' upon her bosom as a sign of her adulterous ways. Amongst the crowd, watching, is her husband Dr. Prynne, who now goes by the name of Roger Chillingworth. The plot is simple, Hester Prynne comes to live in a village near Boston, and there, she finds herself inexplicably for the town preacher. The town preacher, Reverend Dimmesdale, also falls in love with Hester. The husband, who was to follow Hester, a cruel and conniving man, is captured and considered dead which further fuels the level of intimacy between the Reverend and Hester. The result is an illegitimate child - although, Hester continually refuses to name the father of the child, for fear of the persecution that will result from this confession of her lover, the Reverend. While Hester remains ostracized from the society, her daughter and her both treated like the Plague, the Reverend wastes away with the guilt that he allowed Hester to take the entirety of the blame. He pines away for his love, and for his child, and becomes weak and disturbed. This only serves to add to the suspicions of Dr.Chillingworth, who is seeking to exact revenge on the man who had left his wife astray, and when he confirms his suspicions serves to fuel the Reverends self-hatred. The relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale is ever tender, but the relationship between Dimmesdale and his daughter Pearl is, although seemingly calm, tense and tortuous. Hawthorne paints his characters with such intensity, Hester's love and her patience, Pearl's innocence, Dimmesdale's self-loathing and guilt, and Chillingworth's jealousy and anger - and above all, the townsfolk's constant judgments. The novel is a classic, written in the way of a classic, full of eloquent prose, rich commentary and extremely descriptive. It is a slow and meticulous read, but also a very satisfying one. If you can get past the slow pace, and the alliterations and allegory, you will find yourself reading of a beautiful tale about love, passion, guilt, redemption...and above all, faith.
    • 5/5
      Complete story--covers every aspect of human existence which is important to the characters (religion, sex/gender, economy, politics, history, etc) and consequently to the reader. Has many parallels with Henry James' The Turn of the Screw--all of which begins with the 24-chapter structure, obviously modelled on The Odyssey. Stephen Crane also borrowed the structure for The Red Badge of Courage but used it much differently. The poisonous plant symbolism recurs through Hawthorne's work, especially "Rappaccini's Daughter."
    • 3/5
      its a good book, but it is very hard to read
    • 3/5
      The story-line of the book was great--a parable to say the least--about the fact that we are all sinners alike (whether we show it outwardly or keep it inwardly and whether we are high or low on the spectrum of status and spirituality). The language is tough to overcome, but if you try not to focus on knowing every word you can still get through the book with enjoyment. I think the characters could have had more depth and interaction, it seemed somewhat bland for a "love story" as some call it. Note: My rating is not on a literary basis, but on my own personal enjoyment.
    • 4/5
      This has got to rate as one of the founding fathers of the suspense genre. A sinful outcast, Hester Prynne, bares the mark of the scarlet letter and the scorn of a Puritan New England town. The story follows her struggle to hold her head up in this community. Hester's success in holding her public shame is mirrored by the torture concealment brings her fellow in adultery. The Scarlet Letter is a brilliant exploration into human weakness, strength and morals. The language is of it's period, so can be a little heavy going at times. The story shines through and carries you along on a great journey.
    • 4/5
      I had to read this book my freshman year of high school, I was actually glad that I read it though (and not just because it helped me with an AP English essay). I liked and was mad at Hester, I really wanted her to stick up for herself more while liking her for her bravery. The descriptions can be a little too lengthy and detailed for the reader's liking. This classic is good for people of all ages and both genders.
    • 4/5
      I was on a on a classics kick so I read two books and started a third. I was told on a different site I said too much so sorry. When reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne I really appreciated parts of it. I really liked it at first and then it dragged somewhat so I chose to put it down and picked up Crime and Punishment which I really really loved but I’ll save that for my next thread. I’m reading Gulliver’s Travels now and will wait to write about that one too. Like I said, I loved how Nathaniel Hathorne began the Scarlet Letter. It was set in seventeenth-century in the Puritan settlement, Boston. There is an unnamed narrator throughout the book. In the beginning of the book A young woman, Hester Prynne, walked shamefully with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her chest. She was made to wear the letter A for her crime of adultery. Hester had arrived in Boston and thought her older husband was lost at sea. She would not give up the name of the person that fathered her daughter and was publically shamed for the act. We go through the book and Pearl grows over the years. It was interesting to see the books progression over time with the initial guilt and shame at the onlookers and words of her town people as she was firm and unwavering in her humitity then to how people were descensitized by the A and only look upon her for her charity and good heart.Several years pass and Hester supported herself by working as a seamstress. She was great at her work and over time people saw that her "A" could have stood for “able” as opposed to adulterer. Pearl grew too. She was a willful and active child. Some officials wanted to take Pearl away from her mother and Hester’s response was powerful. She basically refused to allow them to take her daughter, the one thing that makes her proud and saw the beauty of God in her. Arthur Dimmesdale, a young minister, helped the mother and daughter stay together. Dimmesdale had his own psychological distress and we see how he wrestles with wanting to pay for his sins. He has heart problems, likely from the stress of guilt. Chillingworth eventually moves in with him so that he can provide his patient with round-the-clock care. Chillingworth suspected that there may be a connection between the minister’s distress and Hester’s secret so he tested Dimmesdale to see what he can learn. Chillingworth discovered a mark on the Dimmesdale’s chest which convinces him that his suspicions are correct. Chillingsworth is Hester’s husband and he was intent on retribution for the affair. Later Dimmesdale gave a heart felt sermon before they were to leave. A plan is set for Hester, Pearl and her exlover to set sail and live together as a happy family. Dimmesdale mounted the scaffold with his lover and his daughter, and confesses publicly, exposing a scarlet letter seared into his chest. He falls dead, as Pearl kisses him. Chillingworth died too. They go away for many years and then Hester returned to live in her old cottage and she continued doing her charitable work (as she always had). Pearl grew up and started a family of her own and when Hester died she was burried next to Dimmesdale. The two shared a single tombstone, which bears a scarlet “A.”This book is chalk full of intense psychological factors, shame, emotional intensity, humility, good works, love, results of lust, marriage, growth of a child and secrets. I liked it in the end and am glad I read it.
    • 5/5
      My favorite most favorite book ever. Thank you Coach for making us reading it in the 11th grade.
    • 4/5
      After a very slow beginning, I really enjoyed this novel. There is a lot to it beyond the surface, but I can see why so many teens don't care for it.
    • 5/5
      This was a re-read for me as I read this when I was in high school. I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Although a little outdated for today's teenagers, the book is a good look at what it was like living in the 1600's and having to adhere to their moral codes. It is a deeply emotional book with lots of symbolism and does show that bad decisions do have consequences. I do highly recommend the book as it is one story that is very hard to forget.
    • 5/5
      A classic tale. Hester Prynne, accused by her community for adultery. Bearing a child, is a pariah of her community.

      I really don't know if there is much I can add to this story that hasn't already been said about it. It is a must read. It should be on everyone's bookshelf. What amazes me most about this book is that even back then Nathaniel Hawthorne showed the injustic of the double standard. Where women are treated as the chattel they were and men literary got away with murder when it comes to women. I also love the fact how the author points out that some men are just scum above and beyond how they treat women.

      This book is and will always be a classic for me. It is one of my favorites. I highly recommend it to be on everyone's bookshelf!
    • 4/5
      A dark, gothic tale that seeps into the conscious, perhaps wordy for modern readers, but satisfying.
    • 2/5
      Well, where do I start... I just finished it moments ago and am still a little baffled as to why I wanted to read this book. Granted it is on my Gilmore Girls Book Challenge and Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list but.... I just don't know. I have to say I was mostly bored by this book. I'm normally pretty interested in Puritanical life in the New World but this just didn't catch my fancy. Finally towards the end when the Reverend was finally stepping up I thought it would get good but nooooooooooo. I won't say any more, spoilers and all that, but man oh man am I glad that book is over.
    • 4/5
      It's been decades since I read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, but I thought it would be interesting to listen to it while I cross stitch Christmas gifts. I had mercifully forgotten that Mr. Hawthorne had blathered on about his job and colleagues at the Custom House before he even started the story of Hester Prynne, Although the sketch of the Custom House and its employees isn't bad, I grew impatient to get to the real story. I'm not saying one should skip the entire first CD -- it does reach the point where our author finds the papers of Jonathan Pine and the old scarlet letter near the end. I just want to prepare you.The discussions about sin, guilt, remorse, and penance along the way are interesting, but the attitude of Salem townspeople toward Hester is infuriating, as is Pearl's father's cowardice and Hester's husband allowing the lust for vengeance to poison his soul. Hester was too self-sacrificing where Pearl's father was concerned. He wasn't worthy of her love. I don't care how guilty he felt because the town thought him a godly man when he was the sinner whose identity they tried to get from Hester. He still let her bear all the public infamy that belonged to both of them. Hester's husband was just as bad for placing all the blame for his behavior on her partner in adultery. He refused to take responsibility for freely choosing evil over forgiveness.You'll probably recognize human behavior that is still present, such as making up tidbits of gossip and refusing to believe the truth when told it.The book does provoke thought, but it also provoked considerable anger in this reader, at least.I liked Ms. Gibson's narration.
    • 3/5
      One of the easier to read classics that I've encountered thus far. I enjoyed the imagery and the symbolism in the book, but the slow parts were a struggle to get through.
    • 3/5
      A good book. Hawthorne knew how to get into people's minds and make them think about things. At some points you feel for Hester, and then at others you just cuss at her (to yourself and hopefully under your breath or you get weird looks in the library) for just being so stupid.A lot of people don't like this book, but I found it oddly interesting. Good, evil, heaven, hell, what's right and what's not is such a slippery slope and can engender so much meaningful dialogue.