Study notes: The Scarlet Letter
In Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne is made to wear a scarlet letter A as a public punishment. She refuses to name the father of her daughter Pearl and builds a quiet, dignified life, while the town's young minister and a cold stranger hide their own secrets.
Themes
Guilt and shame. Hypocrisy. Strength and dignity.
People to follow
Hester Prynne, Pearl, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth.
Talk about
- How does the letter's meaning change?
- What hurts Dimmesdale most?
- Is the town fair to Hester?
Public-domain text. First published in 1850; Nathaniel Hawthorne died in 1864, so this text is in the public domain in the US, Canada, the EU and India. Summary and notes written by ViralScopeHub.