Red Text - Bedside English Learning Reader IV (Pure English Version)

Author: Wang Ruoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: The Scarlet Letter is a love story set against the backdrop of the Puritan era, which was marked by a theocracy, taking place in Boston over two hundred years ago. The novel depicts the protagonist, Hester Prynne, and her husband who migrate from England to America, which was still a British colony at the time. On the way, her husband is captured by Native Americans, leaving Hester alone in America to wait for his return. Hester's life as a widow was already unhappy, as she did not love her husband, Roger Chillingworth, an, hypocritical, and learned old doctor. By chance, Hester meets and falls in love with a young, respected minister in the town. Ultimately, this secret love affair, which was not accepted by society, is exposed due to Hester's pregnancy. The Puritan authorities punish Hester Prynne for adultery, first by arresting her, and then ordering her to wear a red "A" on her chest as a mark of her sin and stand on the ancient scaffold for public shaming. In her arms, she holds the evidence of her sin: an infant who is only a few months old. Under the merciless gaze of the crowd, she refuses to confess and reveal her accomplice, as proposed by the young minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. At this time, Hester's husband, Roger Chillingworth, arrives in town and discovers that the woman being publicly shamed is his wife. He threatens Hester not to reveal their relationship and, filled with hatred, changes his name to Roger Chillingworth, secretly investigating her accomplice as a doctor.
After being punished, Hester lives in a small cottage outside the city with her daughter, Pearl, far away from the crowd. She earns a living by doing needlework and takes good care of her daughter. Her needlework becomes the fashion of the city, and many people ask her to sew for them. Hester's income is relatively good for her social status, but she uses much of her money and time to help the poor, despite the hostility she faces from others.
Soon, seven years pass, and Pearl has grown into a beautiful and lovely girl. She is graceful, spirited, and has a stubborn personality and abundant energy. Meanwhile, Hester, through her constant kindness and help to others, gradually earns the respect of the people, transforming the red letter on her chest, which originally symbolized shame, into a sign of virtue and goodness. After years of spying, Roger also realizes that the "morally great" minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, is the hidden accomplice. Thus, he goes to great lengths to approach the minister, posing as his friend and assistant, subtly mocking and tormenting him mentally.
The minister, tormented by the guilt of his own and Hester's sins, as well as by Roger's spiritual torment, his health deteriorates day by day. His late-night outings nearly alert the entire town, strengthening Hester's resolve to reveal Roger Chillingworth's true identity to the minister. Hester seizes the opportunity when the minister goes for a walk in the forest and confesses everything to him, feeling that it is her fault for not revealing Roger's identity to the minister earlier. After receiving the minister's forgiveness, Hester decides to take Pearl and escape with Dimmesdale to free him from the shadow of his husband, but the plan is discovered by Roger and fails.
Fearing Roger and the torment of hiding his sin, Dimmesdale's health continues to decline. On the eve of his death, he ascends the scaffold with Hester and their daughter, Pearl, before the entire congregation, offering a heartfelt confession at the cost of his life to achieve moral redemption.
After the minister's death, the greatest change occurs in the old Roger Chillingworth. All his energy is now devoted to tormenting the minister, but with the minister gone, the doctor loses his purpose. Less than a year later, the doctor dies, leaving his property to Hester's daughter, Pearl. Hester Prynne takes Pearl back to England, and many years later, she returns to Boston alone to continue living. She dies and is buried together with the minister.