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.