106 pages • 3 hours read
The Scarlet Letter
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Book Brief
272
Novel • Fiction
Boston, Massachusetts • 1640s
1850
YA
15-18 years
Super Short Summary
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for adultery in 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, and must wear a red letter "A" on her chest. She raises her daughter Pearl while her estranged husband, now known as Roger Chillingworth, secretly seeks revenge on Arthur Dimmesdale, the town minister and Pearl's father, leading to a climactic revelation. The book addresses themes of sin, guilt, and redemption.
Melancholic
Mysterious
Dark
Contemplative
Reviews & Readership
885,722 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is praised for its profound exploration of sin, guilt, and redemption, with rich symbolism and complex characters, particularly Hester Prynne. However, some find the prose dense and the pacing slow. The novel remains significant in American literature for its moral depth and historical context.
Who Should Read The Scarlet Letter?
A reader who enjoys The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne likely appreciates classic literature with themes of sin, guilt, and redemption. They might also enjoy the psychological depth found in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville or the exploration of morality in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
885,722 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
272
Novel • Fiction
Boston, Massachusetts • 1640s
1850
YA
15-18 years
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