Tag Archives: nathaniel hawthorne

The Scarlett Letter: Book Review

Posted on by
Reply

Recently, I just read The Scarlet Letter in AP Lang, and I think the book was a great work of fiction although it was quite tiring to read.

Basically, the book follows the story of a woman named Hester Prynne and her child Pearl. The setting is Boston, Massachusetts, and the society they live in is strictly Puritan. This Puritan society is the main theme of the book because it revolves around how strict and unforgiving they are towards “victims”.

The beginning of the book starts with Hester being shamed for her sin on a platform with her baby called Pearl as she conceived the child with another man. No one knows the real father of the child (as she keeps it a secret), and her actual husband has been away for business for a long period. Originally, they were thinking of whether to kill her or ban her from the colony for this disgrace, but instead, they decided to force her to put a letter A on her chest for the rest of her life. The “A” on her chest stands for adultery, which is the central theme of the book.

The story continues and Hester sees her actual husband on the platform where she is standing with her baby. Then, the story turns into one of mystery as the husband tries to find out who the father of Hester’s child is.

The book is very dense and is great for learning syntax. For me, it was difficult to get through, but the ending was pretty shocking. There were many revolving themes of the sense of sin, conformity to religion, public/individual guilt, and redemption. If you read closely, you will see many allusions to the bible.

Overall, The Scarlet Letter is still relevant today given our present issues surrounding identity, guilt, and resilience. It is a great book to read for anyone interested in exploring how the impact of societal judgment and societal expectations.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Posted on by
Reply

Recently, I began reading a multitude of books from the romantic and transcendentalist era for the English class at my school. While I initially came into the unit thinking that there would be nothing interesting about these 19th-century books written mostly by authors I’ve never heard of, save for Emerson and Poe, I was surprised by how interesting some of the other works were, including The Scarlet Letter, which the unit culminated in.

The Scarlet Letter gives the reader a vivid picture of early American society through the eyes of Hester Prynne, who is sentenced to wear a red “A” on her chest as a punishment for adultery after she had presumed her previous husband to be dead. The book begins with a visit from Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, at the jail where Hester is being held. Chillingworth tells Hester about his quest for revenge, as well as his knowledge of the identity of the man whom Hester had an affair with. He then forces Hester to promise not to reveal who he is.

Fast-forward a couple of years. Hester’s child, Pearl, has grown, and Chillingworth’s quest for revenge continues. Although I am not going to reveal who the person ultimately is for the sake of not spoiling the story, Chillingworth begins to masquerade as a friend of the man whom Hester had an affair with and begins to psychologically torture him into confessing and exposing himself to the rest of the community.

Although I won’t spoil the rest of the story, I found this book very interesting because Hawthorne skillfully weaved references to romantic and transcendentalist ideas into the story, while still keeping it engaging. Also, for anybody interested in getting this book, I would recommend the Norton critical edition, as it includes the story itself as well as explanations for some archaic references or vocabulary that we would have a harder time getting. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in reading classic American novels, or novels from the romantic era in general.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Authors We Love: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Posted on by
3
10 Things You May Not Know About Nathaniel Hawthorne - HISTORY

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is the founder of American psychoanalytic fiction and the first writer of short stories in the history of American literature. He has been called the greatest American romantic novelist in the 19th century. Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in the United States. His family believed in the Christian puritanism, and Hawthorne was influenced by puritanism. After graduating from Bowdoin college in 1825, Hawthorne returned to Salem, where he wrote and published dozens of stories and short stories. In 1839, Hawthorne worked in Boston customs for more than two years, and then entered the “brook farm”, where he was exposed to transcendentalism and got acquainted with Emerson and Thoreau, the representatives of transcendentalism.

Later, Hawthorne went to Salem’s customs office, where his work experience there has a direct impact on his writing “The Scarlet Letter”, which consolidated his solid position in the American literary world. Hawthorne was evaluated as a spectator of life, and his attitude to life determined his interest and insight into people’s inner and psychological activities. He was deeply influenced by the thought of original sin, and the original sin was passed down from generation to generation. His representative works include the novel “The Scarlet Letter”, “The House of the Seven Gables”, “The Blithedale Romance”, “Twice Told Tales”, and “Mosses from an Old House”. Among them, “The Scarlet Letter” has become the world literature classic where Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville and other literary masters are deeply influenced by it.

The works of Nathaniel Hawthorne are available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. They can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Posted on by

scarletletter_nathawthorneI recently read the classic novel The Scarlet Letter. I really enjoyed the dramatic story of Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl as they live in a strict Puritan society. Nathaniel Hawthorne was clever in his symbolic elements to highlight the importance of such things like the scarlet letter itself, her daughter Pearl, and Mr. Dimmesdale among others.

To give a brief description of the story: The novel opens with a woman named Hester Prynne being publicly scorned after her release from prison. The reader is informed that she was convicted of adultery and as punishment must wear a scarlett letter “A” sewn onto the breast of her dress. She is holding her daughter in her arms who we later find out is named Pearl. As the story progresses Hester and Pearl face challenges for being outcasts of their society. But Hester’s love for her daughter and her strength in character get them through along with the help of a sacrificial man (whose name I will not reveal because no spoilers!) The story ends dramatically but you will have to read to find out!

I loved how Hawthorne ended the book because he brought closure with a tiny cliff hanger that perfectly balance the other out. My favorite character is Arthur Dimmesdale-the adored priest of the town who saves Hester from having to give up her daughter. His charm and genuine heart carry off the pages and into the hearts of the readers. The dreary character of Robert Chillingworth gives an eerie vibe to the story when he sets out for revenge against his wife and her mysterious lover. The story and the characters come together in this Puritan society through love, revenge, and more, and it is definitely one of my favorite required reads so far.

All in all, this twisted love triangle story is a classic for a reason. I love the writing and though the vocabulary is tricky at parts, this book is definitely recommended by me!

– Kelsey H., 11th grade

The Scarlet Letter is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library and Overdrive.