Red characters

Author: Hawthorne (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: In early American colonial law, it was stipulated that adulterous men and women would be punished by wearing a red "A" on their chests, with "A" standing for Adultery. The story begins with Hester Prynne wearing the humiliating scarlet letter on public display but refusing to reveal the name of her lover. After her punishment, she lives in seclusion in a small cottage by the sea, far from the town, earning a living by doing needlework and relying on her daughter Pearl. Her husband, Roger Chillingworth, secretly returns to Boston but does not openly acknowledge their relationship, wanting to find out who her lover really is. She uses subtle methods to probe the secret of the minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, who is in love with her. Hester watches as the minister suffers immense pain and is nearly broken, so she meets with him in the forest and urges him to flee to Europe with her. However, her husband intervenes, preventing their plan from coming to fruition. The minister, determined, confesses the truth in public and then dies. Hester, meanwhile, wears the scarlet letter and practices self-restraint, helping others, and ultimately earns the respect of the people.