Scarlet Letter, whats it about?

Question

I am considering reading it.

All I want to know is, is it bearable, does it read in a slow boring pace, or is it a good read?

and also, I understand its about religion, so is it pro or con religion?

whats the overall moral about religion.

and does the main character, support the overall moral?

Answer 1

it's about a young woman who has a baby out of wedlock and by the law she was forced to a scarlet A on her close to let people know that she was an adultrous. had to read it for high school it was kinda slow...lot's of big words

Answer 2

The beginning of this Plot Overview (which is only the bare bones of the novel) is from sparknotes:

"Plot Overview
The Scarlet Letter opens with a long preamble about how the book came to be written. The nameless narrator was the surveyor of the customhouse in Salem, Massachusetts. In the customhouse’s attic, he discovered a number of documents, among them a manuscript that was bundled with a scarlet, gold-embroidered patch of cloth in the shape of an “A.” The manuscript, the work of a past surveyor, detailed events that occurred some two hundred years before the narrator’s time. When the narrator lost his customs post, he decided to write a fictional account of the events recorded in the manuscript. The Scarlet Letter is the final product.

The story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her breast. A man in the crowd tells an elderly onlooker that Hester is being punished for adultery. Hester’s husband, a scholar much older than she is, sent her ahead to America, but he never arrived in Boston. The consensus is that he has been lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has apparently had an affair, as she has given birth to a child. She will not reveal her lover’s identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. . . .

At the spartnotes site , you will also find the following:


Context

Plot Overview

Character List

Analysis of Major Characters

Themes, Motifs & Symbols

The Custom-House: Introductory

Chapters I–II

Chapters III–IV

Chapters V–VI

Chapters VII–VIII

Chapters IX–X

Chapters XI–XII

Chapters XIII–XIV

Chapters XV–XVI

Chapters XVII–XVIII

Chapters XIX–XX

Chapters XXI–XXII

Chapters XXIII–XXIV

Important Quotations Explained

Key Facts

Study Questions & Essay Topics

Quiz

Suggestions for Further Reading

Answer 3

Don't watch the movie--it's nothing like the book. Demi Moore quipped, "No one read the book." Honey, fewer people saw your movie.

In all honesty, if you are accustomed to modern novels, you will hate The Scarlet Letter. I am an English teacher, and I love the book, but it is the least accessible of any of the novels I have ever taught. If you are a patient reader who enjoys challenges, give it a shot; otherwise, do not bother.

Answer 4

I read it. I actually have a bachelor's in English, but I read it on my own. I was sorry I did. I love American literature, but this book bored me. In fact, it had me lose respect for Hawthorne. As far as religion goes, it's really more about morality. I would say don't waste your time. Definitely don't buy it.

Answer 5

Read it. Not really about religion.

or you can rent the movie. There are a few out there that are pretty good.

Answer 6

its ok i read it when i was a junior back in maybe late 05 or early 06 lol but from what i remember its about this lady who had a baby and she wasnt married so she had to always wear the letter A on her so she could always remember what she did

idk if this will help considering its from wikipedia but here..... idk if it gives anything away though lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter

Answer 7

watch the movie