num_pages: 197
description: Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and will not reveal her lover’s identity. The scarlet letter A (for adultery) she has to wear on her clothes, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. She struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
language: English
title: The Scarlet Letter
titlecomplete: The Scarlet Letter
characters: Governor Bellingham, Mistress Hibbins, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl Prynne, Roger Chillingworth
genres: Classics, Historical, Novels, High School, Read For School, School, Classic Literature, Historical Fiction, Literature, Fiction
ratings_count: 840838
places: Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, The United States of America
publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd