The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne ( Introduction and Notes by Nancy Stade)

Publication date: 1850

Lisandra’s Thoughts:

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of my favorite classics, alongside Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, because of its emphasis on the social stigmatization of women. The novel centers on Hester Prynne, who is publicly punished by the community in Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the late 1600s. Hester is forced to wear an "A" on her chest, marking her as an adulteress, while holding her daughter Pearl in her arms as the community stares, laughs, and gossips about her "crime."

Hester committed adultery after falling in love with another man, believing her husband had been lost at sea for years. As she endures humiliation from the townspeople, she is asked to reveal the name of her child's father, but Hester refuses, knowing the danger it could pose to both him and herself. Consequently, she is arrested for her "crime" of withholding the father's identity. The novel unfolds as Hester discovers her husband is alive and seeks revenge against the actual father of her child. Hester realizes she must hide the truth from the community while trying to protect her daughter and her lover during a time when adultery could lead to lynching in Massachusetts.

Hester spends much of her time engaged in needlework and embroidery—a common skill for women of her era, as sewing machines were not invented until the early 1800s. She designs long black dresses for funerals, as she is deemed "not sacred" enough to wear or create anything white. In the 21st century, we've come a long way since the time of needlework, yet we still associate dark colors with death and evil, while white is linked to purity and liveliness.

Recommendation:

he Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an excellent read for those interested in themes of romance, revenge, social expectations, and women's experiences in the 1650s.

Quote from text: "...Her needlework was seen on the ruff of the Governor; military men wore it on their scarfs, and the minister on his band; it decked the baby's little cap; it was shut up, to be mildewed and moulder away, in the coffins of the dead. But it is not recorded that, in a single instance, her skill was called in aid to embroider the white veil which was to cover the pure blushes of a bride. The exception indicated the ever relentless vigor with which society frowned upon her sin." (Hawthorne 76; ch. 5)