The Scarlet Letter Thrift Study Edition

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

An "A" for "adultery" marks Hester Prynne as an outcast from the society of colonial Boston. Although forced by the puritanical town fathers to wear a badge of shame, Hester steadfastly resists their efforts to discover the identity of her baby's father. Masterful in its symbolism and compelling in its character studies, Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of punishment and reconciliation examines the concepts of sin, guilt, and pride. The Scarlet Letter was published to immediate acclaim in 1850. Its timeless exploration of moral and spiritual issues, along with its philosophical and psychological insights, keep it ever relevant for students of American literature and lovers of fiction. A definitive survey, this Dover Thrift Study Edition offers the novel's complete and unabridged text, plus a comprehensive study guide. Created to help readers gain a thorough understanding of the content and context of The Scarlet Letter, the guide includes: • Chapter-by-chapter summaries
• Explanations and discussions of the plot
• Question-and-answer sections
• Hawthorne biography
• List of characters and more
Dover Thrift Study Editions feature everything that students need to undertake a confident reading of a classic text, as well as to prepare themselves for class discussions, essays, and exams. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: May 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486115597

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American writer whose work was aligned with the Romantic movement. Much of his output, primarily set in New England, was based on his anti-puritan views. He is a highly regarded writer of short stories, yet his best-known works are his novels, including The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of Seven Gables (1851), and The Marble Faun (1860). Much of his work features complex and strong female characters and offers deep psychological insights into human morality and social constraints.

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Reviews for The Scarlet Letter Thrift Study Edition

[msaucier818 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had put off reading this book for a long time because the reviews for it were not always glowing. I finally decided that this is an American classic and I needed to read it. Besides, I teach about the time period, and spent a full day at the Old Manse where Hawthorne wrote it down in Concord two summers ago.

I am glad I read this book but was not overly impressed. I got the feeling that Hawthorne was pretty darned impressed with himself and his writing ability. The story is famous so I won't spend time reviewing the plot or anything, but I have to say that a majority of the book was spent flushing out the thoughts and psyches of the main characters. I understand that the book was full of symbolism and was a criticism of society in many ways, but as a novel, it did not really keep me turning the pages.

I would recommend this for serious readers or for students of early American history. It is not a light read, and I would suggest reading it in one or two sittings because it is tough to gear up and come back to day after day.

[spencer28-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Somehow I'd never read this book in school, and recently picked it up. I was surprised at the sophistication of the characters' psychology.

[babs605 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know it's a "classic", but I thought it was only average.

[zumbanista · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First time reading this verified American classic tale. While short, I found it very ponderous and uneven. The Introductory sketch of the Customs House was very long winded and fell far short of being interesting. My appetite picked up as we started into the well known story of Hester and the Scarlett Letter "A". Most of the book was overwritten and flowery for my taste, but I do acknowledge passages of brilliant prose and a mystically gothic ambiance. There were a lot of diversions and descriptions of forests, brooks, and the town along the way. Not the most enjoyable read for me.

[jess_reads_books · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

THE SCARLET LETTER is a classic tale about Hester Prynne, a woman sentenced to wear a red letter A on her clothes for committing the sin of adultery. The novel opens with Hester, standing upon the scaffold with her infant daughter in hand, receiving her sentence in front of the entire town. The crowd is full of town gossips who believe Hester should be met with punishment far more severe, such as torture and even death. Hester refuses to lay the blame for her adulterous actions on anyone aside from herself, as she denies the town an answer of who is the father of her child. Immediately Hester is in turmoil, not just from the never-ending stares at her marking, but because of an evil man who knows her secret. As this man is a stranger to her town, Hester is ordered to keep his true identity a secret for fear that he will reveal the identity of her lover to the town, bringing more shame upon her. Hester vows to live a life of solitude, keeping her garment and outward appearance bland and serving the town as a seamstress. Little Pearl, the child created by this adultery, is an odd being who keeps her month on her toes and remains the one ray of sunshine in her life through this dark time. Slowly, as the years flash by, Hester begins to take claim of her situation and move past the feelings of embarrassment associated with her scarlet brand, only to have her world brought back down to reality in one final dramatic sequence of events. Nathaniel Hawthorne?s writing style in one of poetry throughout THE SCARLET LETTER, with long flowing paragraphs describing scenes, people, and situations. While some may be drawn to this style of writing, I was left feeling bored and as if the book drew on too long. As a reader of largely thrillers and crime fiction, which are known for typically being fast paced, I struggled with holding my attention to reading this book. In addition, the overarching Christian and religious themes were something I am not interested in. I understand that at the time these ideas were of a main focus for audience that Hawthorne intended this book to reach. While I struggled a bit with the theme, I did find myself cheering for Hawthorne?s more liberal take, indicating throughout that while he did find Hester?s act of adultery to be a sin, he did not agree with the extreme measures the town cheered for or even the wearing of the scarlet letter A. Despite my own personal issues and stylistic preferences, I found Hawthorne?s novel to be engaging and a plot that provided both romance and despair. It is clear why THE SCARLET LETTER remains a classic throughout this time period.

[jbarringer-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is always a bit disturbing reading books like this one that remind one of just how easy it could be for our modern, somewhat enlightened society to devolve into the brutish, closed-minded world our ancestors knew.

[maggie_rum · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A classic!

[jewel.barnett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book in high school. I should probably read more of N.H.'s books. This is a captivating read and rings so true even today.
Great book!

[jalenv_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been decades since I read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, but I thought it would be interesting to listen to it while I cross stitch Christmas gifts. I had mercifully forgotten that Mr. Hawthorne had blathered on about his job and colleagues at the Custom House before he even started the story of Hester Prynne, Although the sketch of the Custom House and its employees isn't bad, I grew impatient to get to the real story. I'm not saying one should skip the entire first CD -- it does reach the point where our author finds the papers of Jonathan Pine and the old scarlet letter near the end. I just want to prepare you.The discussions about sin, guilt, remorse, and penance along the way are interesting, but the attitude of Salem townspeople toward Hester is infuriating, as is Pearl's father's cowardice and Hester's husband allowing the lust for vengeance to poison his soul. Hester was too self-sacrificing where Pearl's father was concerned. He wasn't worthy of her love. I don't care how guilty he felt because the town thought him a godly man when he was the sinner whose identity they tried to get from Hester. He still let her bear all the public infamy that belonged to both of them. Hester's husband was just as bad for placing all the blame for his behavior on her partner in adultery. He refused to take responsibility for freely choosing evil over forgiveness.You'll probably recognize human behavior that is still present, such as making up tidbits of gossip and refusing to believe the truth when told it.The book does provoke thought, but it also provoked considerable anger in this reader, at least.I liked Ms. Gibson's narration.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascination story of punishment and the different ways that people can deal with it.

[enockpioulle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's a great historical reconstruction of the Puritan world in early New England, apart from its literary qualities which are also plenty. However, its fame owes a lot to the strong cultural lobby the ever powerful America carries over the world - for the same period there are hundreds of far more important and interesting authors in Europe.
If high schoolers and obviously, American literature graduates, will be forcefed it, nineteenth century literature is maybe the quintessential era of writing.

[dcavin-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really good story. Of course reading a classic is also like reading a different language. I struggled at times but got the gist of what they were saying (or Hawthorne's passages). It was helpful to read the introduction section by Nancy Stade.

[natalie_walker-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the story but the writing was a chalenge at times. I do not mean that I could not comprehend it but the sentences were too long. This made the book drag on.

[missjomarch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book marks the 8th book read on my Classic's List for the Classic's Reading Challenge. Reading this book for the first time I can honestly attest this popular classic completely lives up to its reputation. An outstanding example of classic literature possessing both lasting value and timeless quality. It's 1642 in Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne is an adultress who becomes pregnant after her husband leaves for sea and thus wears "the scarlet letter" for all to see her shame. Gossiped and scorned within the town she is morally condemned by a community whose ethics and values are paramount and unwavering. When asked to name the father of her child she refuses, thus infuriating those condemning ever more so. The father of Hester's child, Pearl is none other than the town's minister, Arthur Dimmesdale who must now wrestle with his own moral conscience. Committing a sin as well as keeping it secret. While publicly humiliated Hester is required to stand on a scaffold in the town's square as part of her punishment. At this time she spots her husband in the crowd who was believed to be lost at sea. He later visits the prison, wanting to seek revenge on the man, asks Hester who's the father of her child. Once again Hester refuses to name her lover but her husband vows to identify him. Thus ensues the love triangle. Reading this book was an absolute pleasure. Some might fight the language old fashioned and archaic, for me it was soothing and gratifying. I wish everyone would read this book. How I acquired this book: Gift from husband, Mother's Day visit to Moe's Books, Berkeley, CAShelf Life: 8 months

[wpotash · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reception to The Scarlet Letter is divided into four camps - those who read it in high school and disliked it, to spite the people who liked it and their teachers besides; those who read it in high school and liked it, to spite the people who disliked it and show their intellectual superiority; those who feel a certain fealty to it by dint of its pedestal as the 'Great American Novel'; and finally the fourth camp, which is composed of people who read it and concluded it genuinely wasn't all that excellent.As you may have guessed, I'm in the fourth camp, and I am neither ashamed nor as proud as both those who like it and those who dislike it. I bear no ill-will towards long sentences or romanticism, nor do I have some ridiculous opposition (or sentimentality towards) 'classic literature'.My issues with The Scarlet Letter are mainly that it's very plot-heavy, which is problematic if only because said heavy plot is dragged down by its maudlin moments and its general heavy-handedness. Unfortunately for the adolescent faux-rebels against literary analysis, The Scarlet Letter is laden with very obvious and not particularly clever symbolism, and complaints about the artificiality and implausibility of the fruits of New Criticism, formalism and general close-reading, although somewhat meritorious with more interesting literature, do not apply here. It is very symbolic, but to the point where the lay-reader in the 1850s would be able to readily comprehend it in a surface reading.Is The Scarlet Letter historically significant? Absolutely. Is it the worst novel ever published? Absolutely not. Is it particularly good compared to its European contemporaries? In my opinion, no.

[lhaines56 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is from a compendium I have of Hawthorne's works, so I don't know the date. I believe I already read this in school (HS) but I don't remember it being so sluggish. Holy cow!!! Took a lot to get thru this and I slogged away. It is written on a higher reading level than most current books are. Ok but not fantastic. Kinda depressing....

[valerieandbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read The Scarlet Letter (as an e-book) because my daughter (high school junior) was reading this in class. All I knew beforehand was that this is a famous classic novel and that the main character's name is Hester Prynne and that she wears a scarlet A indicating she was an adulterer.I guessed almost right away who her baby's father was. I wonder how shocked people back in the day were when they read this revelation (which happens later in the novel), and/or if they guessed as quickly as I did.Some bits were interesting, but too much of this read like sermonizing and went on and on. This is not a classic that struck a chord with me. My daughter feels pretty much the same way as I do.

[hatease · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a woman who has just been released from prison after being charged for adultery. She has to wear the letter "A" on her as her punishment so everyone will know. The story carries on to her being pregnant and explaining what happens to her and the baby within the next seven years.Teach how to not pass judge anyone without getting to know them. Not caving into what society wants.High School

[bayardus-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I somehow managed to avoid being assigned The Scarlet Letter in high school, but since it is such a well-known text (and frequently cited as one of the most important works of early American literature) I decided that I should give it a read.

My problems with the book started early with the unnecessarily long establishment of a frame narrative. Hawthorne uses the first forty pages of the book largely to discuss life as an employee in a Customs house, something which has no discernible connection to the main story (if there had been such a connection, I'm sure Hawthorne would have pointed it out). There's nothing wrong with a frame narrative, but the same effect could have been accomplished in a tenth the number of pages. This problem reoccurs throughout the text.

The next issue I had manifested immediately after the main story proper starts, when it is revealed that Hawthorne has decided to begin the narrative after the most interesting events have already occurred. Hawthorne paints as best he can a picture of a Puritanical society where religion comes first, and a main character who is supposed to be no pushover. Depicting how a woman like Hester deals with the feelings that she develops for her minister in such a world is potentially fascinating, and provides a way of showing the conflict between personal and societal values, but instead whatever occurred in Hester's mind that led her to the most central (albeit undepicted) event of the narrative is never disclosed.

Instead of an interesting character study we get an opening that offers a quick glimpse of the scorn the people of Boston heap onto sinners, which would also have been an interesting path for the narrative to take- the suffering inflicted upon a woman by others in service of a faith that emphasizes love and forgiveness- but the story quickly jumps forward in Hester's life to a point where the village has largely grown to accept her because of her pious actions (and it is even stated that her ostensible ignominy has led to her skills with a needle being more highly sought after).

The story's opening also introduces Hester's husband, a character who paradoxically is perfectly forgiving of Hester for cheating on him but who then devolves into a mustache-twirling villain for the rest of the text. His evil plan mainly seems to center around giving his target, the minister, very effective medical care mixed with subtle suggestions that the minister isn't a great person- bwa ha ha ha! The husband also represents a wasted narrative opportunity, as instead of exploring the way the husband uncovers who has cuckolded him, the story just chalks it up to the husband being insightful.

There are other problems with the story telling- Pearl is not in any way a realistic or interesting child character, the minister suddenly turns evil for a few pages for no sufficiently good reason, etc.- but the most central flaw of The Scarlet Letter is that Hester, who should be a dynamic female character, is instead relegated to a largely passive figure who goes about suffering her punishment with a stiff upper lip and swallowing the pain caused by everyone, including her child. One wonders how Hester ever had the nerve to engage in a relationship with her minister when it takes her seven years to even tell said minister that the man living with him and feeding him mysterious mixtures is her husband out for revenge. In a story ostensibly about her, Hester is flat and boring, occasionally blaming herself for her lot and otherwise not doing much besides serving as a quiet, suffering martyr, though there is an incongruous line about her feeling jealousy.

All of this is exacerbated by Hawthorne's prose, which is overwritten without painting much imagery or communicating anything with subtlety. I found little beauty in the language, even when the subject was rosebushes, a dell in the woods where a young girl plays in a stream, or the various costumes of the sailors and soldiers assembled in the town square. The latter example highlights how Hawthorne's book would have been better with some serious cuts: he describes at length the various groups attending the Election Day gathering despite the fact that he doesn't do it in an interesting manner and it is of no import for the story. At times my eyes glazed over reading this book, and it quickly became a struggle to force myself to go back and actually read the words, as the odds that I had missed anything important seemed slim.

In sum The Scarlet Letter squanders the parts of its narrative that were potentially interesting, contains characters that are either boring, unrealistic, or nonsensical, and all this is communicated through some truly sub-par writing. My heart goes out to all the high school students who are being forced to read this, and to those who have to teach it as well.

[midkid88 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was very excited to finally read this book since I have been told it is a classic. I guess I should have read it in a literary class because I felt very let down by the whole thing. The story was told with an outsider view that didn't go into much detail over anything. I felt like I was reading a quick summary of events instead of actually getting the true tale. I am glad I finally read it, but it won't be on a list to read again.

[jesssika-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Most people of todays time don't seem to be able to really get this book. It is written for the time of old when women were homemakers and men ruled all. If things were a sin it was likely a womans fault and everything that happened that wasn't typical was considered either a sign from God or the devils work. So, here we have a story of a very naughty girl who got pregnant out of wedlock. So, by custom she was inprisoned and judged because of her sin. This is where the story begins. She keeps her mouth shut about who helped create this heathen child with her, which shows her own character. Then the story goes through the details of what becomes of her life. The town gossips have their hayday and later in the book people from out of town come to town just to see the girl with the scarlet letter. You see how many people treat her because she chose to not move away but to stay and face her persecutors head on. The whole time she also has to keep seeing her thought to be dead husband who is imitating someone else. All the while she faces many more trials and triumphs them all. She almost gets to run away with her love who fathered her child but circumstances keep that from happening. However slightly sad the ending is, it also ties up many loose ends. Overall, even with some rather drawn out details it is written amazingly well and a great read for anyone.

[rosenstern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I enjoyed reading Hawthorne's commentary on the corrupt and illogical behavior of Puritan Americans, I thoroughly disliked his syntax. It was a laborious task to read a page. Once again, I agree with all his themes. I just wish he had written it better.

[jessica_reads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Most people of todays time don't seem to be able to really get this book. It is written for the time of old when women were homemakers and men ruled all. If things were a sin it was likely a womans fault and everything that happened that wasn't typical was considered either a sign from God or the devils work. So, here we have a story of a very naughty girl who got pregnant out of wedlock. So, by custom she was inprisoned and judged because of her sin. This is where the story begins. She keeps her mouth shut about who helped create this heathen child with her, which shows her own character. Then the story goes through the details of what becomes of her life. The town gossips have their hayday and later in the book people from out of town come to town just to see the girl with the scarlet letter. You see how many people treat her because she chose to not move away but to stay and face her persecutors head on. The whole time she also has to keep seeing her thought to be dead husband who is imitating someone else. All the while she faces many more trials and triumphs them all. She almost gets to run away with her love who fathered her child but circumstances keep that from happening. However slightly sad the ending is, it also ties up many loose ends. Overall, even with some rather drawn out details it is written amazingly well and a great read for anyone.

[karin7-11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After a very slow beginning, I really enjoyed this novel. There is a lot to it beyond the surface, but I can see why so many teens don't care for it.

[kr_patterson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I felt the need to rate this at least 3 stars simply because the writing was so good. In fact, the only reason I finished it was because I loved the use of creative language. But I just don't have the attention span for these classic books! Please never make me read another one! Except maybe I'll re-read Pride and Prejudice again sometime. And maybe Jane Eyre. Maybe.

[marialluisa-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The language was a little bit difficult to me. The story is interesting and I enjoyed some descriptions but, I found the reflexions about sin, guilt, remorse... and puritan moral in general, too long and sometimes boring.

[bonreads-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read this since high school, and I hated it back then. However, it's our October book for book club. Hopefully I'll like it better this time around.

[engpunk77 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'll admit that this book was too hard for me in 11th grade. I used it mostly to learn about 50 vocabulary words, but after reading the Cliff's Notes, I actually loved the story and wish I could have comprehended it on my own.

[jgcorrea-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is slow and, honestly, nothing too exciting happens. The development is minimal. But I suppose I'm the odd man out, because I like The Scarlet Letter very much. It is wordy, chapters are sometimes long and uninvolving, there is a lot of symbolism, many details of emotions and thoughts are explored and sometimes you have to really concentrate to understand the full meaning. Through all this, a fascinating story is told. FYI In other books, Hawthorne was a very boring and wordy author who spent an entire chapter obsessing over a rose bush, for instance. An author too flowery and purple for me to truly enjoy.

[mbmackay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An American classic. Great to read and experience, but I found it a bit Henry James-ish - a good concept tiresomely told. Read Samoa Jul 2003