The Scarlet Letter
Average rating |
|
3 out of 5
|
Based on 26 Ratings and 26 Reviews |
Book Description
The story takes place during the summer in 17th century Boston, Massachusetts in a Puritan village. A young woman, named Hester Prynne, has been led from the town prison with her infant daughter in her arms and on the breast of her gown "a rag of scarlet cloth" that "assumed the shape of a letter." It is the uppercase letter "A."
The Scarlet Letter "A" represents the act of adultery that s...
MoreThe story takes place during the summer in 17th century Boston, Massachusetts in a Puritan village. A young woman, named Hester Prynne, has been led from the town prison with her infant daughter in her arms and on the breast of her gown "a rag of scarlet cloth" that "assumed the shape of a letter." It is the uppercase letter "A."
The Scarlet Letter "A" represents the act of adultery that she has committed and it is to be a symbol of her sin-a badge of shame-for all to see. A man, who was elderly and a stranger to the town, enters the crowd and asks another onlooker what's happening. The second man responds by explaining that Hester is being punished for adultery. Hester's husband, who is much older than she, and whose real name is unknown, has sent her ahead to America whilst settling affairs in Europe.
However, her husband does not arrive in Boston, and the consensus is that he has been lost at sea. It is apparent that, while waiting for her husband, Hester has had an affair, leading to the birth of her daughter. She will not reveal her lover's identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her subsequent public shaming, is the punishment for her sin and secrecy. On this day Hester is led to the town scaffold and harangued by the town fathers, but she again refuses to identify her child's father.
AUTHOR'S BIOGRAPHY
Nathaniel Hawthorne (born July 4, 1804 - May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer.
Nathaniel Hathorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and Elizabeth Clarke Manning Hathorne. He later changed his name to "Hawthorne", adding a "w" to dissociate from relatives including John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne entered Bowdoin College in 1821, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824, and graduated in 1825.
Published by Allen Suss
Publisher | |
Binding | Kindle Edition (59 editions) |
Reading Level | Uncategorized
|
# of Pages | N/A |
ISBN-10 | B004BDOWRE |
Publication Date | 11/08/2010 |
You must be a member of JacketFlap to add a video to this page. Please
Log In or
Register.
View Nathaniel Hawthorne's profile