The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Apr 2013 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale of love, adversity, and community morals in Puritan New England. Forced to wear the scarlet “A” after committing adultery and bearing a child, Hester Prynne lives on the outskirts of society; visited by the Reverend Dimmesdale and watched over by Roger Chillingworth, she is both at the mercy and defiant of the values that shape her fate and that of her child.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was one of the first works of American literature to address themes of sexuality, morality, and spirituality from a uniquely American perspective. Because of Hawthorne's literary credentials, the novel was not censored upon publication despite its risqué subject matter, and continues to be recognized as a relevent literary classic even in modern times.

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About the author

Born in 1804, Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for his historical tales and novels about American colonial society. After publishing The Scarlet Letter in 1850, its status as an instant bestseller allowed him to earn a living as a novelist. Full of dark romanticism, psychological complexity, symbolism, and cautionary tales, his work is still popular today. He has earned a place in history as one of the most distinguished American writers of the nineteenth century.