The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is about a woman named Hester Prynne who lives in 17th Century Boston with her daughter Pearl. She wears the letter "A" on her chest, which means adultery. Hester is known in the community for adultery, and she is ignored by many and looked at differently. Hester's husband, a man much older than she, sent her to Boston and never came back. It was said that he had been lost at sea, and Hester thought she would never see him again. Hester apparently had an affair and had a baby, but would never reveal the true identity of her lover. Hester's husband comes back with the name of Roger Chillingworth, who is known as a physician in society. Hester finds out that the man is her husband and swears not to tell anyone. Roger is seeking revenge and does this by trying to find out who the lover is. Once he does, he finds out it's a man named Dimmesdale and does everything he can to torture him by his words. Chillingworth turns out to be successful, and Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold where Hester was once standing on and was given the letter "A." Hester and her daughter Pearl see Dimmesdale, and the three of them stand on scaffold and link hands. People realize that Dimmesdale has changed, and Hester asks Chillingworth to stop torturing Dimmesdale, but he refuses. Dimmesdale confesses his sin and dies. A year later Chillingworth dies as well. Hester and Pearl leave Boston, and no one knows what happened to them. Hester continues her charitable work and receives a letter from Pearl who has married a European man and has established a family of her own. Hester dies and is buried next to Dimmesdale. The two share a single tombstone, which bears a scarlet "A." I personally enjoyed reading this book. It is a good book for high school students and has very exciting and dramatic moments. This book keeps the reader busy and excited to read the next chapter and to see what happens next. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I believe it's a very exciting book to read.
Reviewed by Alen, grade 12