Red characters (including magnetic tape)

Author: (American) Hawthorne
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The novel is set against the harsh theocratic rule during the colonial period in North America, depicting a tragic love story that unfolds in New England. The female protagonist, Hester Prynne, marries a hypocritical scholar much older than herself and buries her youth in an unreasonable marriage. Later, she falls in love with the young minister Arthur Dimmesdale while living a solitary life and becomes pregnant. This act is viewed by Calvinism as committing adultery, a violation of the "Seventh Commandment," and Hester is punished by being publicly displayed with a scarlet letter "A" signifying "Adultery." Hester remains steadfast and refuses to reveal her accomplice. After her punishment, she lives in isolation, enduring humiliation and toil, raising her daughter. Eventually, she earns the people's understanding and forgiveness, transforming the scarlet letter on her chest into a symbol of virtue. The minister Arthur Dimmesdale initially conceals his guilt and evades justice, but later suffers torment from his hidden sin, ultimately confessing publicly and dying, achieving moral redemption. Hester's maid, originally a victim, becomes consumed by the desire for revenge, turning into a-like figure and becoming a true sinner. The moral and ethical themes explored in the novel reflect Hawthorne's abstract understanding of acute social contradictions. The story begins with a prison and a rosebush and ends with a graveyard, filled with rich symbolism.