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The Scarlet Letter by Hugues Merle (1861). Hester Prynne and Pearl in the foreground. In Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, a crowd gathers to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne, a young woman who has given birth to a baby of unknown paternity.
The Scarlet Letter, novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. The work centers on Hester Prynne, a married woman who is shunned after bearing a child out of wedlock but displays great compassion and resiliency.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, is a classic novel set in Puritanical 17th-century Massachusetts. The narrative revolves around Hester Prynne, a woman who is condemned by her community for committing adultery and forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her chest as a symbol of her sin.
The best study guide to The Scarlet Letter on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need.
A short summary of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Scarlet Letter.
The Scarlet Letter is that novel. The novel is set in seventeenth-century Boston, a city governed by strict Puritan law. The story begins as Hester Prynne, the novel's protagonist, is led out of a prison carrying an infant, named Pearl, in her arms. A bright red "A" is embroidered on her chest.
Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and will not reveal her lover’s identity.