The Scarlet Letter By: Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. The Scarlet LetterBy: Nathaniel Hawthorne Presented by Emily Stettina

2. The first American edition of The Scarlet Letter was published in Boston by Ticknor and Fields Written in 1850 by Nathaniel Hawthorne

3. Summary: chapters 1-10 • Pearl is described as an outcast just like Hester, and the kids make fun of her for it so she creates imaginary friends. She also takes a lot of interest in the scarlet letter on her mom’s chest. • Hester and Pearl go to the town hall to deliver gloves and to talk about the town’s decision to take Pearl away from Hester, because she is a “demon child.” But they allow Hester to keep Pearl. • Chillingworth doesn’t tell anyone but Hester about his real identity and has become the town doctor or “leech” • He becomes Dimmesdale’s in-home doctor because he is very ill. But the townspeople become weary of his presence. They think he is sent by the devil • Chillingworth digs into Dimmesdale’s personal life to find why he is sick. They have a deep conversation on sinning but Dimmesdale becomes angered and leaves. • Chillingworth sneaks into Dimmesdale’s room one night and looks under his shirt and finds something that makes him happy. • Begins in front of a 17th century Boston prison. There’s a rosebush growing next to the doors. • Hester Prynne enters holding a baby and is put on a scaffold to be publicly condemned. She has an “A” on her chest meaning adulterer. • She sees her husband in the crowd. It is learned that he had sent her to America and never joined her there. • Hester refuses to tell who her baby’s father is to the town fathers (Governor Bellingham, Reverend Wilson, and Reverend Dimmesdale) and she is led back to the prison. • Chillingworth (her husband in disguise) appears as a doctor in the prison, making Hester promise she will not reveal his identity and he is there to seek revenge. • Hester is released from prison and moves into an abandon cottage away from town. She has incredible needlework skills.

4. Summary: chapters 11-20 • Chillingworth still trying to play mind games on Dimmesdale to make him confess his sin to the town. • Dimmesdale can’t bring himself to confess and begins to have visions of him, Hester, and Pearl on the scaffold all with the letter “A” on their chests. • He begins to torture himself by whips, fasts, and vigils. He has a vigil on the scaffold. Pearl and Hester appears. As they sit a meteor passes by in the sky and Dimmesdale sees a large “A” in the sky. Chillingworth appears and takes Dimmesdale back home. • Seven years pass and Hester is more active and the “A” isn’t so evil anymore. • Hester begs Chillingworth to stop messing with Dimmesdale. He is now aware that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father and she again begs him to stop seeking revenge. • Pearl finally asks about the “A” but she still is too young to understand the true meaning • Hester takes Pearl to the woods to meet Dimmesdale so she can tell him who Chillingworth really is. As he approaches Pearl leaves. • She tells him Chillingworth is really her husband and he curses at her but eventually forgive and they make a plan to run away to England together with Pearl. • She takes the “A” off her chest but Pearl makes her put it back on and weary about Dimmesdale. • They go back to town. Hester makes plans with shipman for them to leave in 4 days. Dimmesdale tells Chillingworth he doesn’t need him anymore

5. The Final Chapters • Another public gathering, this time of the celebration of a new governor. • One sailor reveals that Chillingworth will be on the ship because they need a doctor and he said he was with their party. • Dimmesdale looks healthier and his he gives his election day sermon • Dimmesdale then takes Hester and Pearl to the scaffold where he takes off his shirt and reveals something on his chest. He steps down and Pearl kisses him. • Hester asks him if they will be together forever and he says that is God’s decision. • The narrator then tells us……………………

6. My Review Plot Structure Character Development Overall I thought that Hawthorne developed each character in a unique way. They all had their own flaws and personalities. He gave each main character their own chapter that in detail told us about them. We also knew the characters inner feelings so it’s the reader can be in their shoes. Personally, I enjoyed how the characters seemed to be the most important in the plot, their uniqueness made the twists even better. In general I thought Hawthorne’s craft of writing was excellent. In my opinion the novel lived up to the expectations of a classic piece of literature. In my opinion the plot was well developed. I had a hard time putting the book down because there were a lot of twists. Especially in the end. Hawthorne made it feel like the reader was another character in the book.

7. Target Audience • In my opinion the target audience would include the following: • People interested in books about romance • Mature readers- due to subjective scenes • Women • Those who enjoy classic novels

8. TADA!