The Scarlet Letter

- By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Original Cover Page of Scarlet Letter, 1850

Contents• Cover Page

i• About the Author 1 - 2• The Time Period 3• Major Themes 4 - 6• Synopsis 7 - 9• Character Analysis 10 - 15• Critical Appreciation 16 - 17• Conclusion 18

About the AuthorThe Scarlet Letter was written by American author, Nathaniel

Hawthorne. He was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to

Nathaniel Hathorne, Sr., and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. He

was a descendant of a long line of Puritan ancestors. In order to distance

himself from his family's

shameful involvement in Salem Witch Trials, Hawthorne

added the "w" to his last name.

After his father, a ship captain, died of yellow

fever at sea when Nathaniel was only four, his

mother became overly protective and pushed him

toward relatively isolated pursuits. Hawthorne's

childhood left him overly shy and bookish, which

molded his life as a writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hawthorne turned to writing after his graduation from Bowdoin

College. His first novel, Fanshawe, was unsuccessful and Hawthorne

himself disavowed the work as amateurish. However, Hawthorne returned

to Salem where he struggled as a short story writer for 12 years. He

published Twice-Told Tales in 1837.His insufficient earnings as a writer forced Hawthorne to enter a career

as a Boston Custom House measurer in 1839. In 1842, he married Sophia

Peabody and moved to The Manse in Concord. Hawthorne returned to

Salem in 1845. Hawthorne then devoted himself to his most famous novel,

The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter was an immediate success that

allowed him to

devote himself to his writing. He published

The House of the Seven Gables in 1851.

Grave of Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hawthorne passed away on May 19,

1864, in Plymouth, New

Hampshire, after a long period of

illness during which he suffered

severe bouts of dementia.

The Time Period The story of the Scarlet letter is set in 17th-century Puritan Boston

during the years 1642 to 1649. The Puritans had settled in New England

to practice their religious beliefs after leaving the Old World, where they

had been persecuted. The Puritans were a legalistic sect of Protestant

Christians influenced by Calvinism. Their beliefs emphasized God’s

omnipotence and the concept of election, the idea that salvation is

predestined. Religious behavior was seen as both a result of salvation and

evidence of it. Thus, Puritan communities were centered on the idea of

purity in thought and deed, and sins were rooted out and punished

harshly. The physical setting of The Scarlet Letter reflects the beliefs and habits

of the Puritans. Throughout the book, we are taken on a mini tour of the

most important town buildings and structures. Law and religion form

the heart of the town.

Major ThemesSin

Sin is clearly a matter of great importance in the mid-17th century

Puritan community of The Scarlet Letter, as religious sin is associated

with breaking the law. In the novel, we see a hierarchy of sins. It

consistently calls into question the notion of sin and what is necessary

for redemption.Roger Chillingworth’s pursuit of revenge is deemed a "worse sin" than

the passion that led Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale to commit

adultery. No character in the book questions the idea that sin should be

punished, and all recognize that sin will be punished, if not here on

earth by man, than by God after death. Committing sin is regarded as

willfully allowing the Black Man (Satan) to place his mark upon your

soul.

Women and Femininity

The Scarlet Letter follows several strong women in an era when

women were expected to be subordinate to their male counterparts.

Hester Prynne is willing to take on her own shame while protecting the

man she loves from his share of the public condemnation. She keeps his

secret faithfully, for seven long years. Women, although the "weaker

sex" in this heavily religious society, prove to be incredibly strong in

this novel.Isolation

The novel tells the story of a society that is as good at excluding people

as a middle school clique. Hester Prynne lived in isolation for years and

years, cast out of Puritan society for having a child out of wedlock. Her

isolation leads her to see her society in a new light and allows her to

think outside of the box. Ironically, it seems characters who are the

most appreciated by and involved in this society seem to be the most

conflicted and alone.

Fate and Free Will

The world of The Scarlet Letter is a religious one that believes in fate

and in the idea that each person’s life follows a specific and set path.

Puritans believed in Divine Providence, or the idea that God was a

guide who controlled every aspect of life. Characters in this novel

constantly struggle between letting fate run its course and choosing a

path for themselves. Those who are ostracized by society seem more

able to forge a life of their own.Memories vs. the Present

Hester Prynne's offense against society occurred seven years earlier,

but she remains punished for it. Hester learned to forgive herself for

her adultery, but society continues to scorn her for it. Indeed, Hester

reaches peace with her affair and in that peace comes to see the town

as insufficiently forgiving in its thoughts and attitudes. Pearl is enough

of a reminder of the wild choices in her past, and as Pearl grows up,

Hester continues to live in the present rather than in the past.

SynopsisThe Scarlet Letter follows the public shaming and punishment of a

young woman named Hester Prynne in mid-17th century Boston , i.e.,

the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When Hester becomes pregnant,

everyone believes her to be guilty of adultery: she has been separated

from her husband for two full years, and the baby cannot be his. The

magistrates (local law enforcers) and ministers order her to wear a

scarlet letter “A" on the bodice of her dress, so that everyone can know

about her adultery. The Scarlet Letter begins when Hester is briefly released from prison

so that she can be paraded through town, displaying her scarlet "A"

while standing on top of the town scaffold (a public stage). She carries

her baby daughter, Pearl, in her arms. Pearl was born in prison. Hester

steadfastly refuses to reveal the name of Pearl’s father, so that he

might be saved from punishment.

Hester Prynne’s long lost husband arrives in the midst of this parade

through town. He visits her in prison before her release and asks her

not to tell anyone that he’s in town. His plan is to disguise himself so

that he can ferret out and seek revenge on her lover.

The minister is too afraid to confess his sin publicly, but his guilt eats

away at him; Chillingworth’s constant examination really makes him

antsy. Seven years pass and, finally, Hester realizes the evil her

husband has done to the man she loves, the father of her child. She

reveals Chillingworth’s true identity to Dimmesdale, and the two

concoct a plan to leave Boston and go to England, where they might

hide from Hester’s husband and create a new life together.

Hester’s husband tells the townspeople that he’s a physician, and he

adopts a fake name: Roger Chillingworth. Hester keeps his secret.

Chillingworth soon realizes that the minister, the Reverend Arthur

Dimmesdale, is the likely father of Hester’s baby, and he haunts the

minister’s mind and soul, day and night, for the next seven years.

The minister is ultimately unable to go through with the plan.

Dimmesdale confesses his sin to the townspeople on the scaffold that

had, seven years earlier, been the scene of Hester’s public shaming.

His dying act is to throw open his shirt so that the scarlet ”A” that he

has carved onto his chest is revealed to his parishioners. Dimmesdale

finds peace through confession. 

When she dies, she is buried near the minister, and they share a

gravestone. The gravestone contains an image, described as follows:

"On a field, sable, the letter A, gules." In other words, marked on

the headstone is a scarlet letter ”A” drawn over a black background.

When Chillingworth dies approximately a year after his rival,

Dimmesdale, he leaves all his money and property to Pearl. Hester

and Pearl finally escape the community where they have been

outcasts for so many years and return to the Old World, i.e.,

England. However, many years later, Hester returns to the New

England community that had been the site of her shame, resuming

the scarlet letter of her own will. 

Character AnalysisHester Prynne

Hester is the book’s protagonist and the wearer of the scarlet letter

that gives the book its title. The letter, a patch of fabric in the shape of

an “A”, signifies that Hester is an adulterer. She is like a Swiss Army

Knife. She constantly makes herself useful, and she is powerful. She

uses her innate talents and gifts to transform the meaning of her

punishment, and she ultimately becomes a legend in her Puritan

society. She is sharp as a knife, adventurous (she crosses the big blue

ocean alone, leaving her family behind to live on the frontier), and she

is a self-sufficient single mother in one of the gloomiest, most austere

moments in America’s history. She finds a way to support her daughter

in a time when women were expected to either serve men through

marriage or to serve God.

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale

Dimmesdale is a young man who achieved fame in England as a

theologian and then emigrated to America. He was Hester’s illicit

lover and the father of her child, Pearl. He remains silent about his sin,

even while he publicly urges Hester to reveal the name of her lover. He

deals with his guilt by tormenting himself physically and

psychologically, developing a heart condition as a result. Dimmesdale is

an intelligent and emotional man, and his sermons are thus

masterpieces of eloquence and persuasiveness. Pearl

Hester’s illegitimate daughter Pearl is a young girl with a moody,

mischievous spirit and an ability to perceive things that others do not.

The townspeople say that she barely seems human and spread rumors

that her unknown father is actually the Devil. She is wise far beyond

her years, frequently engaging in ironic play having to do with her

mother’s scarlet letter.

Roger Chillingworth

Roger Chillingworth is Hester’s husband in disguise. He is much older

than she is and had sent her to America while he settled his affairs in

Europe. He lusts for revenge when he finds Hester and her illegitimate

child being displayed on the scaffold, and thus decides to stay in Boston

despite his wife’s betrayal and disgrace. He is a scholar and uses his

knowledge to disguise himself as a doctor, intent on discovering and

tormenting Hester’s anonymous lover. His single-minded pursuit of

retribution reveals him to be the most malevolent character in the

novel.Governor Bellingham

Governor Bellingham is a wealthy, elderly gentleman who spends much

of his time consulting with the other town fathers. Despite his role as

governor of a fledgling American society, he very much resembles a

traditional English aristocrat. He tends to strictly adhere to the rules,

but he is easily swayed by Dimmesdale’s eloquence. He remains blind

to the fact that his sister, Mistress Hibbins, is a witch.

Mistress Hibbins

Mistress Hibbins is a widow who lives with her brother, Governor

Bellingham, in a luxurious mansion. She is commonly known to be a

witch who ventures into the forest at night to ride with the “Black

Man”. Her appearances at public occasions remind the reader of the

hypocrisy and hidden evil in Puritan society. She was executed as a

witch during the Salem Witch trials during the time span of the book.

Reverend John Wilson

Boston’s elder clergyman, Reverend Wilson is scholarly yet

grandfatherly. He is a stereotypical Puritan father, a literary version of

the stiff, starkly painted portraits of American patriarchs. Like Governor

Bellingham, Wilson follows the community’s rules strictly but can be

swayed by Dimmesdale’s eloquence. Unlike Dimmesdale, his junior

colleague, Wilson preaches hellfire and damnation and advocates harsh

punishment of sinners.

Minor Characters

• Mr. Wilson : A pastor in the Boston area; an old man who respects

and is respected by Arthur Dimmesdale.

• Deacon : A pious old man confronted by Arthur Dimmesdale while he

is struggling not to say evil things inspired by the devil..

• Master Brackett : The jailer and town officer who announces

Hester’s appearance from the prison, and who pushes Hester out the

door of the jail when she first emerges.

• Three Ladies at the Prison Door : Female, married residents of

Boston who are waiting at the prison door to see Hester as she

appears for the first time with her daughter, Pearl.

• Narrator : Surveyor of Revenue: The narrator is assumed to be the

direct voice of the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne.

• Commander of the Spanish Pirate Ship : A colorful character who

has license, simply because of his station, to wear outrageous things

and act inappropriately by Puritanical standards.

• Permanent Inspector : A man who inherited his position in the

Customs House from a long line of men in his family. This is his career,

from which he has complete job security.

• General Miller : Collector: A former hero from the War of 1812, who

retired to a job in the Salem Custom House. A man with a great deal of

presence, but very frail and old when we meet him.

• Collector’s Junior Clerk : Assistant to General Miller. The only

person educated and interested enough to have literary conversations

with Nathaniel Hawthorne.• Jonathan Pue Surveyor : A Custom House employee from a number

of years ago who died suddenly, leaving some undiscovered personal

papers in the Custom House building.

Critical AppreciationThe Scarlet Letter is a romance. Writing a romance about the past gives

Hawthorne the freedom to present several versions of what might have

happened, depending on whose perspective is presented. This is why

after the death of Arthur Dimmesdale, several theories are submitted as

to how the scarlet “A” came to be imprinted on her bodice of dress. The

insignia could have been self-inflicted, or wrought by Chillingworth’s

magic, or a manifestation of Dimmesdale’s remorseful spirit. Hawthorne

presents all three theories without judging them because what matters

most is not how the scarlet letter got there, but that it confirms the

truth about Dimmesdale’s adulterous heart.The genre of the romance also allowed Hawthorne to embellish the

relationship between humans and nature. For example, the babbling

brook in the forest scene appears to sympathize with Hester and

Dimmesdale and adds “this other tale to the mystery with which its

little heart was already overburdened”.

In addition, the A - shaped meteor which appears the night Governor

Winthrop dies and Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold is interpreted as

both a sign from heaven denouncing Dimmesdale as an adulterer and

also as standing for “Angel” as the soul of a revered magistrate

ascends into heaven, depending upon the orientation of its observer.

Why I liked the Book?

The Scarlet Letter, being a romantic one, is also a touching subtle

story of a time that made me wonder how far religious and moral

extremes could take us. The struggling story of a woman intertwined

with the magic realism and vivid imagery made me admire the book

and the author.Hawthorne's writing is refreshing and real. He has portrayed the

Puritan mindset so well that I found myself in plethora of the 17th

century New England complete with witches who fly on broomsticks,

people who meet the Devil in the woods and the scarlet letter “A”

imprinted in the flesh of Hester's secret lover.

ConclusionHawthorne’s detailed and vivid imagery provided background for the

novel, The Scarlet Letter. His story criticizes the framework of Puritan

society in ways so subtle that the reader may very well miss them

amidst the fast-moving plot and intriguing, dynamic characters. This

classic has not only survived but flourished.

More than 150 years after its publication, this book contains a

message that is as relevant and poignant as the day it was written. It's

as much about the abuses of women in a society too rigid in its moral

and religious ideals to still be human as it is about two people's will to

survive. With the vivid imagery, magic realism and the profound

symbolism that mark a Hawthorne novel, The Scarlet Letter is is still

read by scholars and laymen alike after its publication.