The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850 by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is set in 17th-century Puritan Boston and centers on Hester Prynne, who is publicly shamed for bearing a child out of wedlock and forced to wear a scarlet A for adultery. Refusing to name her lover, the revered minister Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester raises their daughter Pearl amid societal scorn, while her vengeful husband, Roger Chillingworth, infiltrates their lives seeking revenge. Tormented by guilt, Dimmesdale eventually confesses publicly on the scaffold before dying, allowing Hester and Pearl a chance for redemption, as the novel probes themes of sin, shame, and resilience.