An Book the Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter has been captivating readers since it was first published in 1850 by author Nathaniel Hawthorne. This historical fiction, romance, yet sinful book is about a woman named Hester Prynne who was sent to Boston by her husband, had committed adultery while waiting for her husband to arrive to Boston. She gives birth to a daughter named Pearl and they move to a small cottage near the edge of Boston where they are both shunned by the whole community. As a result of committing adultery, Hester is forced to where the letter “A” which stand for adultery.

The essay will be a summary of the book and cover key points of the book that are significant and describe the importance of it. The four-key point that will be cover in the essay are when Chillingworth arrives to Boston and hears of Hester’s sin, Dimmesdale notices that there was an “A” drawn in the sky by a meteor, Dimmesdale confesses that he was the secret man that Hester had been with, and finally whenever Hester returns to Boston to live in here cottage while still wearing the scarlet letter on her chest.

The first key point is when Chillingworth finally arrives to Boston and learns of his wife sin. When Chillingworth arrived to Boston Hester was standing on the scaffold and was receiving her punishment. Nobody knew that Chillingworth was Hester’s husband and so when he asked what was happening to her the stranger said that Hester was sent here by her Englishmen husband and had committed adultery while waiting for her husband to join her in Boston (Hawthorne 46-48). When Chillingworth finally got to see Hester, she was in jail and was there to treat with medicine. Chillingworth tried to convince Hester to reveal the identity of the man but she refused. Chillingworth had promised Hester that he would not tell anyone his true identity and that all he wanted was revenge on them (Hawthorne 56-57).

The second key-point is the time Dimmesdale saw the letter “A” drawn in the sky by the meteor. Whenever he saw the symbol he realized that there is no way that he can get away with the sin that he committed and that he must confront what he has done and accept his consequences. There may or may not have been an “A” in the sky but rather just Dimmesdale imagining it (SparksNotes). His own mind could have been playing tricks on him because he fells guilty of what he’s done and so all the guilt and mind games made him think that there was a letter A in the sky. But Saxton also saw the “A”, but instead he said that the letter stood for angel, because governor Winthrop had just died. The letter symbolized something different for each of them because of what they had just been through and experienced recently. Dimmesdale saw the letter as a negative thing because he had committed adultery with Hester, but for Saxton it symbolized something positive because the governor had just passed away and Saxton believed it to mean angel because that Winthrop was going to heaven (Hawthorne 121-122).

The third key point is at the end of the book and is when Dimmesdale confess that he was the man involved with Hester committing adultery. Dimmesdale was dying and everyone knew it as well and he didn’t want to die with the guilt that he had. Dimmesdale ask for Hester and Pearls help to get him up to the scaffold which ironically is where Hester was punished seven years prior. Chillingworth was devastated when Dimmesdale had died because he no longer had him to torture and to make it worse for Chillingworth, Dimmesdale forgave him and asked that God will do the same for Chillingworth. This was rough on Chillingworth because he felt defeated as Dimmesdale has escaped for his torture (Hawthorne 203-206).

The fourth main key-point is when Hester returns back to Boston and lives in her cottage while still wearing the letter. Years after the death of Dimmesdale, Hester returns to Boston and becomes someone that other women look too for comfort when they are in a time of distress. It was brave of here to return to Boston even after all the events that happened in the past. She accepts the scarlet letter she wore and after her death the letter she had wore no longer carried a bad stigma. They even buried her close to Dimmesdale and she shared a tombstone with him (Hawthorne 211-212).

In conclusion The Scarlet Letter is an excellent book for anyone. By giving four key-points in the essay and analyzing the events, the reader is given the important events in the book and know the meaning of those events. The Scarlet letter is a sinful and romantic book full with symbolism for the readers to find and determine. While reading the book the reader can see and learn how characters deal with certain situations and how those events change character and watching Hester become a strong woman that other girls go to for help. This Book was a joy to read compared to the usually books I read. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it mainly because I read more comedy books but this kept me entertained.

Bibliography

1. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Boston, Massachusetts: Ticknor, Reed, & Field., 1850 SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Scarlet Letter.” SparkNotes LLC. 2003. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/ (accessed April 7, 2018).

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