The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Study Guide

by Prentice Hall

Book by Prentice hall

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literature

38 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way better than when I was forced to read it in high school!

[Brooklyn Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic, historical fiction is one many read in their high school years.
This was my first time reading through it and I’m grateful it’s one I was spared in school and able to have found in my own adult life. That is not to say I wouldn’t allow my own high schooler to read it, in fact, I plan to assign it. I wasn’t a reader in school and don’t fall in love with reading until adulthood. This book is one to be read through perspective and with appreciation.
I very much enjoyed the 17th century writing style and appreciated Hawthorne’s messages to the puritians of the day. Sin, guilt, damnation, and forgiveness, it all had its place in between these pages. His piece points out that sin without forgiveness leads to guild that riddles all in more ways than anyone can count. Damnation in place of forgiveness is folly and leads only to destruction, ultimately resulting in the turning away from forgiveness in one way or another. Repentance and redemption has its place and it begins with forgiveness, forgiveness through Christ first and foremost; forgiveness of ourselves and forgiveness of others.

[Laura Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another novel adapted into movies and lesson heard across the world. Seen as a novel supporting feminism Hawthorne writes about the triumphs a young lady is faced when she’s left to bear the letter A on her garments as a sign of Adultery though it is not her that commits it. This novel goes beyond its years as it defies societal wicked views on women and unaccountability for men.

[Barbara Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to re-read this book after so many decades...and voluntarily at that. Reading this conjured up sensory memories of the taste of metal braces on my teeth and a new patchwork sweater my mother bought me, so it must have been 9th grade. Onward to my next classic!

[Emily Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good,i love it and I think that more people have to read it because the plot is incredible and interesting.

[Michelle Pursel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking and beautiful!

[Lorraine Schintzius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I war surprised how much I love this book and the beauty of thexwriting

[JR Matson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Hawthorne's writing

[Zach Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay but it did not really catch my interest mainly because of the way it was written with descriptions going on and on and because it is written in old English which I don't really like reading to well. The Scarlet Letter takes place in New England sometime around the mid 1600's when New England was still under Great Britain's rule. The book follows the life of Hester Prynne a young woman who has commited adultery against her husband and then kept the child and raised it, for her consequence she had to wear a scarlet A on the breast of her dress for the rest of her life, the A stands for adultress.

Through out the book the people in the small village where Hester Prynne lives usually ignore her and some of the kids in town throw stuff at her when ever they see her, people think that her child may be damned since it is a result of the sin she commited and Hester will also not tell who the daughters father is which puts her in even more shame at the eyes of the towns people. A man who has been calling himself Roger Chillingworth is Hester's long lost husband and reveals his identity to her and states that it was a mistake to marry a girl like Hester.

The story goes on for many years and the daughter of Hester who's name is Pearl grows up into a child and later Chillingworth finds out that minister Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl after he has noticed that Dimmesdale has been suffering heart problems from his own torture of knowing about the act he had commited and Chillingworth also found some writing that stated the fact. Afterward Dimmesdale is seen linking hands with Hester and Pearl as a meteor marks a big red A in the sky, the towns people think the A stands for angel but it really stands for adultery.

Dimmesdale, Hester and Pearl plan to run away to Europe together but right before they set sail Dimmesdale gives a sermon and confesses to the sin he has commited and dies within Hester's arms right after Pearl kissed him. Chillingworth also dies shorly after and Hester and Pearl leave the small village, later in life Hester returns to live in her small cottage and Pearl has gotten married and started a family of her own. When Hester passes away she is buried and on her tombstone is an A for her and Dimmesdale.

"If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer!"

[Jason Gusman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a classic. The premise of the story is great. I love the self punishment Hester endures and her tenacity at keeping the secret of her affair. I really like how Hawthorne introduces her husband, Chillingworth, and his ruthlessly cunning behavior toward Hester and the minister, Dimmesdale, whom she has the affair with that bares her the daughter Pearl. I like how Dimmesdale doesn't have to wear an "A", but instead wears a silent guilt that is actually his demise. But I don't like Pearl. I don't like the symbolism she seems to be in the storyline. She's not even a character really, but more of a human version of the letter her mom wears. I would have like the story more if she was actually the opposite of how Hawthorne used her.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Girls just want to have fun

The story may have had some merit however the writing style was so archaic and verbose that it took 50 words to complete a sentence. After trudging through about 100 pages he never came to any points or conclusions other than some people can remember what they ate 20 years ago in detail. This guy (Nathaniel Hawthorne) could have competed with Marry Shelly for the most long-winded of the year. Some of it may not be his fault due to the writing style of the time but we surely do not have to put up with this.

This is one time that just about any movie exceeds the book. If you insist on reading then it may be smart to find a child’s version. Someone could get rich translating the book into today’s English.

[Colby Pryor · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I took from the Scarlett Letter is a very profound, very simple concept. If I was lucky enough to ever have something distributed to the masses in any capacity or form, I would never make a book like The Scarlett Letter. This book helped solidify which spectrum of the writing world I wanted to exist in and it wasn't the one where this piece of literature existed or was heavily referenced. There were no tools that I wanted to play with in the plot or with the characters. While the type of social commentary, allusions, and inner battles the book portrays are also tools that I do not want to apply to my craft. But what it does help do is define the type of book I want to avoid writing.

[Sam Gamgee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read an abridged version on audio. I loved it! I intentionally avoid abridgements, but this one snuck in. It is not a story about feminism, which is probably why it's losing popularity. That sort of marketing will make those who wanted to read it disappointed. It is a rich tale about confession, repentance, and living rightly after having made a wrong choice which was so horrific to the society around you that you've been initially villainized. It's a tale about living with dark secrets. It's a tale about love. It's a tale about purity. I highly recommend it to anyone who might actually want to understand Puritan Christianity as a way of life and society.

[Anastasia Steinbrunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would have gotten my highest rating except for the long and truly superfluous Custom House Preface. If you are picking up this book for the first time do your self a favor and skip that part. Instead savor the beautiful imagery and painful love story. Kudos for Hawthorn one of America's earliest feminist writers!

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember having to read this in high school... groan... but who knew it would turn out ot be such a fantastic read! There is no doubt why this one is a classic. It has everything - crime, sex, conspiracy, secrets, religion, public scorn, courage and cowardice, forbidden love, triumph over the odds, all of it.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book back in high school (I should say I read all the cliff notes to this book) and was not interested in it at all. I thought I would give it a try and it was much better the second time around. There are so many different issues throughout the book that I loved hashing over. It was fun!

[Christene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd always wanted to read this, and while the going is a little tough with an old style of reading, the message was compelling. Sin can never truly be escaped from unless we confess and forsake and allow ourselves the blessings of repentance. It was also interesting to see the drastic difference between the view of the woman's sin and that of the man. It was definitely a harsh time in religion.

[Book Him Danno · Rating 3 out of 5]

High school required reading and I have to say that even after visiting the House of the Seven Gables in Salem MA I still do not want to read this book again. Maybe it would be better now that I'm not a self centered teenager...but what I remember of it I was bored stiff. I guess maybe I should give it another try. 3 stars because I imagine it is better then I remember from HS.

[Kate Tooley]

This is one of maybe, two books I've read where without exception I just wanted the author to speedily kill off each and every character and get it over with. I think I was eleven or twelve at the time so that probably affected my judgement.

[barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelsey was assigned this for her honors english class over the summer. I told her i would read it with her. I can't tell you how very much i enjoyed it.... excellent read. Very worth reading and being reminded of the changes in our society, and just how far we have come in humanity.

[Tiffany Kushner · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really American historic classic, so I have to give it a four. The values are really straight forward and necessary for society to learn. I think every child should've read it when they were young.

[Alberto Lucini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my type of literature. Good to read for the value of insight, otherwise it plays out like a romantic drama. I found value in the portrait of 19th century Puritan society and their backwards view of marriage and women. Thats about all I took away from it.

[Jill Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a terrible nightmare about growing a bumpy "A" on my chest when I began this book.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another one of those "school reads" that I ended up actually enjoying. It helped that Gary Oldman and that actress with the creepy-blue eyes played the main characters in the movie. :)

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very hard to understand but if you can look past that it is actually an interesting story. It all depends on if you think it's worth it.

[Nicole Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hawthorne's a transcendentalist, I swear.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the ending I was expecting... if you saw the Crucible it's loosley based on the Scarlett Letter.

[Sabrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in high school cause I had to for English. Now, I remember liking it, however, I reall didn't like to read then at all, so my rating is probably skewed.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

imagery and symbolism

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

high school read very interesting..but not a favorite