Can anyone give me a brief summary of the Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne?

Question

this book is really confusing and i am so confused what to write about. Help?

Answer 1

Hester Prynne, the story's protagonist, is a young married woman whose husband was presumed to have been lost at sea on the journey to the New World. She begins a secret adulterous relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale, the highly regarded town minister, and becomes pregnant with a daughter, whom she names Pearl. She is then publicly vilified and forced to wear the scarlet letter "A" on her clothing to identify her as an adulteress, but loyally refuses to reveal the identity of her lover. She accepts the punishment with grace and refuses to be defeated by the shame inflicted upon her by her society. Hester's virtue becomes increasingly evident to the reader, while the self-described "virtuous" community (especially the power structure) vilify her, and are shown in varying states of moral decay and self-regard. Hester only partially regains her community's favor through good deeds and an admirable character by the end of her life.

Dimmesdale, knowing that the punishment for his sin will be shame or execution, does not admit his relationship with Prynne. In his role as minister he dutifully pillories and interrogates Hester in the town square about her sin and the identity of the father. He maintains his righteous image, but internally he is dogged by his guilt and the shame of his weakness and hypocrisy. He receives admiration while Hester receives social contempt. Prynne's husband, Roger Chillingworth, reappears without disclosing his identity to any but Hester. Suspecting the identity of Hester's partner, he becomes Dimmesdale's caretaker and exacts his revenge by exacerbating his guilt, while keeping him alive physically. On the subject of Chillingworth's caretaking of Dimmesdale, it has been speculated by some that Hawthorne hinted that Dimmesdale had been poisoned - even stating that the townspeople suspected as much. Ultimately Dimmesdale, driven to full public disclosure by his ill health, collapses and dies delivering himself from his earthly tormentor and personal anguish.

It is noteworthy that hester means "hidden" in Hebrew -- this word is associated with feminine modesty and hiddeness, virtues that Hester is shown to possess despite her adulterous affair.

Answer 2

A long time ago a woman cheats on her husband and has to wear a red letter A on her clothes. The end.

Answer 3

Absolute classic! authentic written and been made accurate into some videos-that are nowhere close to to as strong! superb how society has replaced over different many years! are you able to imagine of if the "A" had to be worn interior the prevailing??!? it would nicely be not complication-free to discover all people without it!!

Answer 4

Read the book

Answer 5

Here is a great website to look- from Cliffs Notes:
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-167,pageNum-5.html

Answer 6

A woman's raped, and becomes pregnant, but even though it wasn't her fault she is still scourned by the villagers in her town and forced to wear a red letter "A" on her chest to show that she commited a crime by having sex without being married.

Answer 7

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-167,pageNum-5.html

Answer 8

http://pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmScarletLetter06.asp
Use this link, it has everything you would need.