Arthur miller biography sparknotes scarlet letter

novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne

For the Ellery Queen novel, see The Scarlet Letters.

The scarlet letter short summary

For other uses, see Scarlet Letter (disambiguation).

The Scarlet Letter: A Romance is a work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in ^[2] Set in the PuritanMassachusetts Bay Colony during the years to , the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter with a man to whom she is not married and then struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity.

As punishment, she must wear a scarlet letter 'A' (for "adultery"). Containing a number of religious and historic allusions, the book explores themes of legalism, sin and guilt.

The Scarlet Letter was one of the first mass-produced books in the United States.

It was popular when first published^[3] and is considered a classic work of American literature.^[2] Commonly listed among the Great American Novels,^[4] it has inspired nume