Red characters (Foreign Literature Collection)

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-10-01
Features: The Scarlet Letter tells a tragic love story that takes place during the colonial period in North America. The protagonist, Hester Prynne, marries a physician, Roger Chillingworth, but they have no love for each other. In solitude, Hester becomes involved with the minister Arthur Dimmesdale and has a daughter named Pearl. Hester is publicly punished and forced to wear the letter "A" on her chest as a mark of adultery. However, Hester remains steadfast and refuses to reveal the father of her child. Hester's husband travels from England to North America and witnesses Hester's punishment. He then resolves to find the father of the child and seek revenge. At the time, Dimmesdale is beloved by the local residents for his outstanding work, yet he gradually deteriorates physically under the heavy burden of his guilty conscience. The people arrange for Chillingworth to live with the minister as a means of treating his illness. Feeling guilty toward her husband, Hester agrees to Chillingworth's request not to reveal their legal marriage. Thus, a brutal act of revenge unfolds. Ultimately, Dimmesdale cannot bear the weight of his conscience and publicly admits his guilt, dying in Hester's arms. Chillingworth, on the other hand, becomes a slave to the devil and becomes a true sinner.