Synopsis
Forced to wear a red A for adultery and live outside the social graces of her community as punishment, Hester must not only face motherhood alone, but the humiliation bestowed upon her from the legalistic religious community.
History
First publication: Tickner, Reeds & Fields, February 1850
Review
Classic of American literature and staple of English classrooms, this book examines our religious and sexual hypocrisy. It is the tale of a woman knocked up by a priest. The woman is tried and found guilty of adultery and forced to wear a scarlet letter A on her dresses. She and her daughter become despised in the town. The priest on the other hand is a pillar of the community. What prompted Hawthorne, writing in the 1800s, to tell such a feminist story and call out the inequality of our society at a time when nobody was talking of women’s rights? The book has a very Gothic feeling even though there isn’t anything supernatural—though Hester’s daughter comes across as sort of creepy. Still the dark forests and old New England setting are enough to give this novel a dark tone.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Scarlet Letter, slipcased, The Folio Society, 1992-00-00
Hawthorne Novels, slipcased, Library of America, 1983-00-00
