The Scarlett Letter

A detailed Summary of The Scarlett Letter

The world of Puritan New England, like the world today, was filled with evil influences. Many people were able to withstand these temptations; unfortunately, many others have fallen victim to the evil. Often, a single act of iniquity has devastated a person's life. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale were each destroyed mentally and physically by one diabolical act that proceeded to overcome their lives. Each had the potential for excellence in his field, whether be it medicine, ministry, or womanhood, yet a single sin turned their lives on a downward path. Each of the primary characters in The Scarlet Letter failed to see the consequences that he would face after tasting the fruits of sin.

Hawthorne's purpose for writing The Scarlet Letter was to probe the human emotions of guilt and anxiety. He had powerful psychological insight, which he used to demonstrate the effects of these emotions on common man. Hawthorne may have also written The Scarlet Letter because he felt guilty about his long family history of intolerance. His earliest American ancestor, William Hathorne, was remembered by the Quaker people for his harsh treatment of a Quaker woman. William's son, John, was even more infamous

After Dimmesdale's death, Chillingworth, with no object in life, died shortly thereafter. He wills a great fortune to Pearl, and she moves to Europe. Hester went to Europe also, but returned at a later time. She became a woman that other women turned to for support. When she died, she was buried near Dimmesdale.

Hawthorne did a good job of fulfilling the basic questions of the book. There was a clear ending. All of the questions brought up throughout the novel were answered. He got his points across fairly clearly, and the book taught a lesson of sorts. He did a good job of supporting his thesis statement. He definitely explored the human emotions of guilt and anxiety. This is one part of the story that he conveyed very well.

The Scarlet Letter takes place in a Puritan Massachusetts during the seventeenth century. Most of the story takes place in Boston. A resident of the town, Hester Pyrnne has committed the sin of adultery, and has been sentenced to wear a scarlet A on her dress at all times. She must also stand on the scaffold for three hours, with her young daughter, Pearl, and endure the persecution of her fellow townspeople. If they had it their way, she would be sentenced to death, but she was granted some leniency, because up to that point, she had been a reputable citizen.

After she is let out of prison, she goes to live in a small cottage on the outskirts of town with her daughter. The older Pearl gets, the more odd her behavior becomes. She is fascinated by the scarlet A on her mother's dress. When Pearl gets older, she becomes unruly and disrespectful at times. Hester starts to fear that Pearl is Satan's child.

The next day, Hester and Pearl went to watch the procession. While she and Pearl were standing there, the captain of the Bristol bound ship, informs her that there will be another passenger, Chillingworth.

I did not like the writer's style very much. It did not contain much dialogue, and I found it slowed the story down a bit. There were a few chapters that contained no dialogue whatsoever, and just brought the reader up to speed on the status of the characters. This was necessary, but he could have integrated it into the story more. Overall, I think that he went on for too long about things that the reader should have already understood. Because

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1565
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English