**The Scarlet Letter: A Tale of Guilt and Redemption**

I think hell is something you carry around with you. Not somewhere you go.

- Neil Gaiman

This quote seems to encapsulate the essence of "The Scarlet Letter." The story follows a young woman who has an adulterous affair with a man, resulting in a child. Her husband figures it out upon his return, and she is sentenced to wear a scarlet letter A.

The introduction, which I read despite my daughter's teacher suggesting she skip it, was rather long-winded. It was about the anonymous narrator finding a scarlet cloth with the letter A and being inspired to write about Hester Prynne. Maybe the teacher had a point.

Hawthorne's writing style makes this book a bit of a challenge. His use of elaborate language can be off-putting, especially for high school students. I wonder why they still make kids read these "classics" when it might turn them off reading.

The ending, to me, doesn't sound hopeful. Hester endures years of punishment and finally earns the respect of the townspeople. But does it matter? She should have moved on with her life, enjoyed her daughter, and found new happiness. Instead, she couldn't let go of her guilt.

This book offers many insights. It shows the Puritanical society of New England, the double standards in sexual morality, and the hypocrisy of those who judge others. For me, the main lesson is that guilt can be a powerful and destructive force. We have to learn to forgive ourselves and move forward.

You get what anybody gets - you get a lifetime.

- Also Neil Gaiman

Let's not waste ours.

Não consigo pensar numa razão para não ler Hawthorne e A Letra Escarlate, ou Letra Encarnada noutras edições. The story is extremely appealing, depicting a period marked by extreme puritanism that could lead to unacceptable acts in today's times. I would even say that never, at any time, was there a justification for what was done to Hester Prynne. Hester's mark, even if it wasn't physical, was engraved in her soul until her last breath.

The characters are of a challenging complexity, wandering in a maze of destructive emotions; for some, guilt and repentance, for others, the need for vengeance, and for almost all, a need for final expiation.

The writing is elaborate, with beautiful descriptions that require focused reading, not only for the beauty of the narrative but also to not miss the present symbolism. In the end, the effort is more than compensated.

Embarking on this book for the third time, I resolved to be of good heart and, above all, be strict and particular in my perusal of the framing introduction. And indeed, there I noticed something most strange. Speaking of his puritan and persecuting ancestors, Hawthorne writes "At all events, I, the present writer, as their representative, hereby take shame upon myself for their sakes..." (p.10). This struck me as passing peculiar. Why would a strict and persecuting puritan of seventeenth-century New England feel shame for being a strict and persecuting puritan? Hawthorne's 19th-century shame is a rejection of being a fish in water, or even a deliberate misunderstanding of what it was to be a fish in water, which is not his theme.

He is, I think, not interested in what it was like to be a Puritan, but he is very interested in the Puritans as a setting for an indigenous American Gothic tradition - here be witches, and ruffs, and old-style Quaker speech, oh the potential for melodrama! The descendant of those ancient grave Puritans tells them this story in which we are shown that Hester Prynne is not so much the community's greatest sinner as its principal Scapegoat, bearing the sins and projected sinfulness of the whole of Boston. In that sense, she is a savior - she suffers for them, while redeeming herself through good works.

Part of the story is about teaching the reader that Puritanism is bad and gaiety is good. It is passing interesting to see Hawthorne rejecting the city on a hill idealization of early religious communities in America before it was even properly established. It strikes me that Hawthorne loves effects of light in his story-telling as much as Spielberg does in his films. This is a very visual story, told in technicolor. Hester is clad in grey with this scarlet A upon her chest. Young Dimmesdale we barely see without his hand upon his own heart. Little Pearl grasps for the occasional stray sunbeam which symbolically attempts to penetrate, Zeus-like, this grave and somber community awkwardly positioned between the wilds of the Ocean and the depths of the wilderness stretching from sea to shining sea. Hedged in and gloomy, the story is a triumph of atmosphere.

This anti-love triangle story ought to be an interior story. To my eyes, the USA is an extrovert place and Hawthorne seems to see it in a similar way. The Scarlet letter, twice (for Hawthorne likes to work his symbols as well as his commas), expresses physically and literally what I might venture to presume to be purely interior to the characters. In this Puritan New England, there can be no inner life. If you attempt to have one, the magistrates will seemingly oblige you to wear your heart on your sleeve or bodice if that be more commodious.

Hawthorne, I felt, channels Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Indeed, poor Dimmesdale's heart does betray him to the sinister Chillingworth, whose chill hand somehow does not disturb the troubled clergyman from his guilty slumbers. At the same time, this is a story at a crossroads. It comes from the Gothic, it could turn down into melodrama high-street, or into psychological story alley.

About Hester "she felt or fancied, then, that the scarlet letter had endowed her with a new sense...that it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts...Sometimes, the red infamy upon her breast would give a sympathetic throb, as she passed near a venerable minister or magistrate...Again, a mystic sisterhood would contumaciously assert itself, as she met the sanctified frown of some matron, who, according to the rumor of all tongues, had kept cold snow within her bosom throughout life..." (p.90). To my mind, the word snow suggests that many of the others are essentially lifeless, lacking some crucial human vitality, a vitality which admittedly can lead to sin but is somehow the essence of being alive. The puritans in this story aspire to be the living dead eager for their graves. Perhaps Hawthorne remembered Marvell: The grave’s a fine and private place, But none, I think, do there embrace. But Hawthorne so hems his story about, not just with commas, but with reservations too. Is Hester's insight a product of her interior life, projecting the knowledge of her own sinfulness on to others, or is it Gothic and melodramatic and magical and literal? Later, the universally recognized community Witch asserts that she shares secret knowledge with Hester (ppp250-251), which maybe implies that Hester has gained some kind of super-power, sin-sight we might call it.

It is the victory of an extrovert culture, perhaps, maybe, possibly, with many commas. I've read this book a couple of times but I can't say that I feel that it has made a strong impression on me, until this my third reading. Possibly the fairly stiff language that Hawthorne uses for his 17th-century characters is something that I can't easily get past. Above all, I recall this book as having a brooding atmosphere and scenes like the meeting on the forest path as having an oddly sinister air. Plainly it was remarkable but I lack the context in New England transcendentalism to fully appreciate why. On the one hand, it is a fairly critical view of one group of founding fathers and by extension of American religiosity and small town life. Equally, I think it suffers as a result. It could be the story of Hester Prynne, but it is not, or could be the story of her opposite Dimmesdale but again it is not, or it could even be the story of her other opposite Chillingsworth but is also not. Nor is the story of their unloving triangle of torture and suffering. It is the gruesome story of a vicious letter of the alphabet, a grim foreshadowing of a mirror image version of Sesame Street brought to you by the letter A and the number 3.

Before I actually review The Scarlet Letter, let me say to anyone who hasn't read it that you need not read the preface, titled The Custom House.

Unless you, like me, want to know more about Hawthorne the man and can appreciate a very early 19th Century sense of humor. I love the descriptions of the old men, government workers, wasting time (without a water cooler).

Perhaps some things never change. And his recollections of his ancestry and the roots he cannot shed that bind him to Salem. He divulges where the original idea for The Scarlet Letter came from, a discovery he makes in the Custom House itself.

The way authors' ideas germinate is always of great interest to me.

I understand from others that they have ditched this book because they could not get through the preface. Believe me, it is not a part of the novel itself and need not be read at all.

If it seems a labor instead of a joy to you, skip right on through and start your story with Chapter One: The Prison Door!

And now for our main attraction: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

This story of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale takes place in Puritan New England in the 1640s. The Massachusetts Bay Colony is under strict Puritan rule, where the wages of sin is often literally death.

Hester becomes pregnant by a man who is not her husband and she refuses to give up the name of her correspondent. She is sentenced to wear forever a badge upon her bosom that is a scarlet letter “A” for adulterer.

I think it is significant to remember that had she named the man, he would likely have been sentenced to the gallows.

The product of this union is a child who is often referred to as “elfin”. She is named Pearl and she seems to have an other-worldly way about her and a sort of prescience regarding the significance of the punishment her mother wears, first in shame and then in repentance.

Hester, with her badge of shame always on display, becomes an almost holy figure; doing good works and living a pure life.

While Hester is able to wear her sin outwardly, Dimmesdale is sentenced to having his sin a secret. She is reviled; he is worshipped. She atones; he smothers.

The guilt that he carries, first for the sin and then for allowing this woman to carry all the blame, eats at him and destroys his health and his spiritual well-being.

Would it be better to face immediate death than this slow wearing away and suffering? You cannot bring modern sensibilities to this novel.

You must always remember that for these people, in this time, the sin itself and more importantly the concealment of it, removed all possibility of communion with God. To be without God is a fate worse than death.

It is also true that Dimmesdale loses himself. Hester knows exactly who she is, but Dimmesdale, because of the lie he lives, does not.

As pastor to the community, he suffers a worse fate than had he been the town blacksmith or even beadle.

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.

There is, however, one who sins more wholly and less forgivably than these two, Roger Chillingworth. This man is set on revenge and judgment.

He puts himself, in my opinion, in the place of God. Man is sinful, God forgives true repentance; but what forgiveness can be expected for one who makes their life’s work the spiritual destruction of another human being.

The old man, on the other hand, had brought himself nearer to her level, or, perhaps, below it, by the revenge which he had stooped for.

This is a morality tale. It is about sin and forgiveness, love and atonement, man’s punishment vs. God’s.

It has endured as a bonafide classic because it deals with universal truths that must haunt all men for all time. Times have changed, but guilt is still alive and eating at souls, and man’s desire to judge his fellow’s heart is still a precarious business.

The Review

A/ This renowned tale is not only a parable but also a work of historical fiction.

Yet, it can be regarded as a work of contemporary fiction as well. I assert this because the letter A is still being used to label people. In fact, the entire English alphabet is employed in this manner. For all I am aware, the entire "alphabet" of every language on earth might be utilized against the people of that language group. In English, B is used in a similar way as A. The same goes for C, D, E, F, G, and so on. Use your imagination to determine what "sins" can be assigned to each letter so that it can be used to wound and disgrace individuals.

Hawthorne's tale emphasizes the cruelty, hypocrisy, and legalism that religion is capable of. And in my opinion, this extends to those who are not commonly considered religious. In the end, the woman targeted, Hester, is more of a "Christian" or "human soul" than those who are causing her suffering.

"Behold, verily, there is the woman of the Scarlet Letter; and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running alongside her.”

Self-fulfilling prophecy is a concept that comes into play here. When an entire community and religious sect, like the Puritans, brand a girl's mother, Hester, as a sinner, whether justly or unjustly, it's inevitable that the girl, Pearl, will internalize some of it. The only world Pearl has known is one where her only parent is considered ungodly, blasphemous, and full of sin. So, it's no surprise that she begins to reflect some of these ideals. When the Puritans branded Hester with the Scarlet Letter, they also metaphorically branded her daughter.



This novel serves as a powerful political message aimed directly at the Puritans of early America. In their blind devoutness, they almost bring about the very thing they are preaching against. Hawthorne portrays the religious sect as hypocrites whose actions are completely self-defeating. What's the point of preaching a religion if one doesn't fully adhere to its doctrine? There is none. Actions have consequences, and unjustified damnation is no exception. Indeed, the author shows how extreme piety can almost lead to impiety. Religion can be taken too far. Christianity is based on the principles of forgiveness and repentance, not punishment and shaming the guilty, at least not in the way the Puritans perceive it. Then there's the issue that those in the clergy can also be guilty. Nobody is completely pure, despite what they may think.

Hester's so-called "biggest sin" is getting pregnant outside of marriage. In persecuting her, the Puritans don't consider that she could be the victim. She could have been raped. They're also unforgivably sexist, only considering Hester as the guilty party without realizing that it takes two to engage in the act. Their ignorance of the realities of life knows no bounds as they shield themselves with their religious virtue and don't consider the harsh world outside. Men like this are dangerous, and this is the message Hawthorne conveys.

"I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am!"



This is a highly accomplished novel that offers an interesting perspective on a crucial part of American history. It was an enlightening read, although towards the middle, its focus did start to wane. There were a few passages of convoluted and unnecessary narration. While it was short, it could have been even shorter. The middle was drawn out with some irrelevant events that left the reader wondering about their purpose. The language combination was also a bit odd at times, as if the author had taken certain expressions directly from Shakespeare's vocabulary and mixed them with his own, resulting in a disjointed and hard-to-read combination.

However, the overall message of this piece of literature is what makes it a worthy read, even if its delivery was a little pedantic at times. Overall, I do believe that this is a rather undervalued novel. The socio-historical context it provides is tremendous. It's a classic that I'm very glad I read. The overall message of this piece of literature is what makes it a worthy read even if its delivery was a little pedantic at times.

Finishing a classic that was once abandoned for dullness can give a sense of triumph. However, The Scarlet Letter has left me in a quandary about how to rate it. I found it to be a book of two distinct halves. The first part, up to chapter XV, was emotionally unengaging and had the added annoyance of historical inaccuracies. It was much the same as the book I had not gotten far into between 2002-05. Definitely only three stars for this section. Then, from chapter XVI, with its promising title 'A Forest Walk', it transformed into something quite different.

Hawthorne called The Scarlet Letter 'a romance', a term in the mid-19th century for a novel with a strong psychological dimension. In the final third, the story could fit the modern definition of a romance. Although I don't read much romance and most classic romances have left me cold, in this part, the central characters pressed the same buttons as Dorothea and Will Ladislaw in Middlemarch did for me. Despite the scenario seeming a bit cheap, contrived, and melodramatic, like a teenage fantasy in antiquated prose, I became sentimental over the characters, hoping things would work out, even though I knew the likely ending.

The Oxford introduction by Cindy Weinstein was overly abstract at times, but the forewarning about the shifting attitudes of the omniscient third-person narrator was helpful. In retrospect, these changes were annoying and a bit manipulative. Around halfway through, the stories of Hester Prynne and Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale seemed to fit neatly with strands of social-media pop feminism, but the balance was off. The novel should have made it more convincing that both characters' suffering was profound, while their constitutions were different.

At least in the final third, there was more on what Hester thought during those years, but the earlier part of the story remained imbalanced. Likewise, the hints about the original adultery came too late in the book. Hester's strength and independence were emphasized in the introductions, but the narrative voice was not feminist by contemporary standards. However, Hester was a highly capable, brave, and honest character, a free thinker with great self-control. She could be seen as a feminist heroine at the end, but the whole book as a feminist novel is harder to argue.

The background material was more interesting than much of the book itself. Learning about the rumpus caused by Hawthorne's portrayal in 'The Custom House' chapter was fascinating. Understanding that Pearl was based on Hawthorne's eldest daughter added another layer to the reading. It was also a surprise to learn of his connections with the Transcendentalists. A huge amount has been said about The Scarlet Letter over the years, and it remains adaptable to contemporary concerns and interpretations. It endures despite being considered boring by some. My own mostly tongue-in-cheek interpretation is that it is one of the roots of a mass psychodrama. Once an analogy for McCarthyism, perhaps now it could be read alongside Jon Ronson.

\\n  \\n    Book Review\\n  \\n

I give 4 out of 5 stars to The Scarlet Letter, a classic romantic period tale penned by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. This book is often a staple in school curriculums, with students being required to read either excerpts or the entire work. I was one such student, and then I revisited it in college during my freshman year as part of my American Romanticism course. Additionally, I read it a third time before a movie adaptation was released. I was drawn to the movie due to the actors, but I also wanted to be able to compare the literary work with the film. It had been quite some time since my previous reading of the story.

Getting into this work can be a challenge, given its language and style. However, once you do, it truly blossoms. Besides being one of the most influential works regarding Puritan belief systems, it also made a significant impact by centering on a woman who had committed a sacrilegious act far beyond the ordinary sins. The idea of a woman lying with a man out of wedlock was highly condemned in that era. Ugh, let's throw some stones at that vixen! Phew... glad I got that out of my system.

I have a deep love for this story. It was essential at that time to push the boundaries and break free from the Puritan traditions of the previous century. People's minds were beginning to open up regarding what it meant to be in love, have a child, and be independent. While I may not agree with all the lessons in the story or the beliefs of all the Puritanical books, there is something remarkable about a story that can transcend time and become a widely copied work of literature. So many modern stories and books reference The Scarlet Letter, such as showing the "A" on a woman's chest. Even a show like Pretty Little Liars, which has no direct connection to this book, has a villain who goes by "A" in the first few books. Some may think I'm stretching the connection, but in my opinion, it all traces back to this book.

I love it, but I can't give it a 5-star rating because the language is difficult, although I understand it was appropriate for the times.

\\n  \\n    About Me\\n  \\n

For those new to me or my reviews, here's the lowdown: I read an enormous amount. I write extensively. And now I also blog a great deal. First, the book review is posted on Goodreads, and then it's transferred to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com. On my blog, you'll also find TV and film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge, and plenty of blogging about the places I've visited around the world. You can find all my social media profiles to get the details about me, what I do, when and where I do it, and see my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

If Nathaniel Hawthorne were alive today, I would attend one of his readings and say, "Nathaniel Hawthorne, go fuck thyself."

According to the Centre for Learning and Teaching of Literature, The Scarlet Letter is one of the top ten most taught books in American high schools (2008). I won't even make the argument that this list needs to be updated to include more contemporary novels, as I've read plenty of classics that are equally as compelling as modern literature (anything by the Bronte sisters, Tale of Two Cities, etc.). However, an adolescent's developing love of literature is too precious to be subjected to the cumbersome dreck that is this book. If I were to use The Scarlet Letter as a baseline for evaluating the quality of classics and literature in general, I would never want to read again. I'm glad I escaped my own adolescence unmolested by this text.

Let's take a closer look at this sentence from the book, where Hawthorne indulges in some masturbatory wordiness that I'm sure made him feel quite satisfied with himself: "The young divine, whose scholar-like renown still lived in Oxford, was considered by his more fervent admirers as little less than a heaven-ordained apostle, destined, should he live and labor for the ordinary term of life, to do as great deeds for the now feeble New England Church, as the early Fathers had achieved for the infancy of the Christian faith." F. My. L.

To recap the story, Hester Prynne is sent ahead of her husband to the New World Massachusetts, where she is to establish their home in preparation for their new life in Salem. Some time goes by, and Hester's ugly old husband never shows up. So she takes it upon herself to get some badly needed ass in the form of Rev. Dimmesdale, one of Salem's most respected Puritan leaders. Unfortunately, the townspeople know she's a married lady waiting for her husband -- but she scandalously gets pregnant with the reverend's child. The book opens with Hester's release from prison after giving birth to her daughter and refusing to name the father. What follows is a recounting of how guilty everyone feels while Hester's husband befriends Dimmesdale so he can slowly kill him with... herbs? evil telepathy? (Who cares?)

I begrudgingly admit that The Scarlet Letter was probably considered an important book in its time, if only due to controversy. The book boldly explores the inner sexual conflict of a woman who chooses to rebel against oppressive social convention, and I can see it looking to skewer prudish Victorian attitudes toward female sexuality. However, I WISH WISH WISH Hawthorne had not been the one to write a book with such an important purpose. His message is obstructed by his pathetic need to prove himself as a refined artist despite having been the descendant of the very Puritans he criticizes. While reading, I could picture him behind me, pointing at each sentence and saying, "See what I did there? That's called foreshadowing." *cue pretentious chuckle*

I'm asking myself why this book is considered a classic. Is it because it was deemed ahead of its time? Is it because it caused controversy when it was first published? Is it because the writing is... "intricate"? Who decided it WAS a classic? (As in who let this happen? Because I'd like a word with them.) I think "experts" may have let their haughty expectations get the best of them when including The Scarlet Letter on the roster of important literature. Just because a book INTENDS to do something important doesn't mean it actually DOES something important. Hawthorne's critical intentions are obvious, but he's too busy jerking himself off with big sentences and long digressions to actually accomplish anything.

American high schools need to tune this out. I can just imagine how much potential passion for reading has been snuffed out by Hawthorne. Never, ever read this book.

The Scarlet Letter was the third book that I read from Hawthorne. And again, it has the same tiring narrative style, the cumbersome text, and the overly in-depth analysis of the characters' personalities. Of course, Hawthorne did a great job in depicting the Puritan society of 17th-century New England, but reading his works really requires patience. I think this part of the preface describes the reading experience of this book quite well:

"Hawthorne's stories cannot be read hastily and superficially because this writer always first creates the necessary mood and atmosphere and then unfolds his narratives. The path of his stories is a path full of fog and thorns, and only a dim light guides the reader."

The Scarlet Letter is a classic that one should read at least once in a lifetime. Everyone has heard of it, and it wasn't as heavy as I had feared considering the theme it treats (except in the Prologue, which seems to be a separate story - and that's how American literature scholars indeed consider it - but which I found overly pedantic).

Given that I don't appreciate Puritanism and its hypocritical moralists, I saw this novel in an ironic light and the redemption of Hester Prynne, the woman condemned to be marked for life with the symbol of infamy, the A for "adulteress" sewn on her heart (but the A can actually mean many other things, like Love, Angel, etc.).

Beside Hester, the co-protagonists are the young Reverend Dimmesdale, Hester's mysterious lover who is instead considered a holy man, and whom she will try to protect to her own detriment; the little Pearl, the fruit of sin, a strange, almost elfish child; and the sinister figure of Doctor Roger Chillingworth, who is actually Hester's husband in disguise, a much older husband who had disappeared for a long time among the Native Americans and whom Hester thought was dead. Chillingworth understands from his proximity to Reverend Dimmesdale that he is the father of the child, and he will start to administer a false cure to him that, together with the oppressing sense of guilt, will drive him to madness. The figure of Chillingworth seems almost demonic, in fact.

And then there is another collective character, the community with its Puritan morality, which interprets every event as it deems most opportune, sometimes even denying the evidence and condemning the scapegoat (Hester) at the expense of the truth.

But, as I said before, Hester Prynne will have her redemption, and not because she has done anything to achieve it, but by divine justice (in the face of the "pious" Puritans). After all, with this novel, Hawthorne probably wanted to apologize to the women who were accused of adultery and put to death in Salem by his ancestor, the magistrate John Hathorne (from whom he distances himself by adding a w to his surname).

Are classics truly good, or are they nothing more than a jumble of unreadable and pretentious words haphazardly assembled to conceal the fact that the author has nothing of substance to say? This is a question that has long intrigued and divided readers. On one hand, classics are often lauded for their profound insights, masterful storytelling, and beautiful language. They are considered to be works that have stood the test of time and continue to resonate with audiences across generations. On the other hand, some people argue that classics can be difficult to understand, filled with archaic language and references that are lost on modern readers. They may also seem pretentious, as if the author is trying too hard to show off their literary prowess. However, it is important to remember that classics are a reflection of the times in which they were written. They offer a window into the past and can help us to better understand the values, beliefs, and experiences of those who came before us. Whether or not we find a particular classic to be "good" may depend on our own personal tastes and interests, as well as our ability to engage with the text on its own terms.