The+Scarlet+Letter

The Scarlet Letter​ by Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography Nathaniel Hawthrone was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4th, 1804. Hawthorne added a "w" in his name changing it because of his decedent John Hathorne, who was the judge of the Salem witch trials. When Hawthorne went to college it was a big deal. There he met Henry Wadsworth Long-fellow and Franklin Pierce. They both became important people in the future and only did him good. In 1816 he moved to a house built for his family by his uncle. 1836 is when he started his career, he was the editor of the //American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge.// He wrote many short stories which someone offered to put all together into one volume and he accepted and he became noticed for writing them and having them all into the book now called "//Twice Told-Tales".// Hawthorne than married Sophia Peabody in 1842. They had three children together: Una, born in 1844; Julian born in 1846; Rose born in 1851. In the year 1850, Hawthorne published the novel "//The Scarlet Letter"//. In 1858, he left for Europe to travel with his friend from college, Franklin Pierce, who was at the time the president. He had also written a biography on Franklin Pierce. Hawthorne didn't have much life left in him and was suffering from stomach pains. While touring the White Mountains, Hawthorne died peacefully in his sleep on May 19, 1864. Longfell wrote a poem for Hawthorne, "//The Bells of Lynn"// which was published in 1866. He had lived a wonderful life with people he loved and died knowing so.

Plot Synopsis In this novel, Hester Pryme commits adultery and is punished by having to wear an A on her breast for the rest of her life, but she has a baby as well. Hester was sent to America by her husband and he said he would come soon after but he never did and she didn't know if ever was going to. She was restless and had an affair with another man but got pregnant and everyone knew right away it wasn't her husbands baby. Everyone was wondering whos baby it truly was but Hester would not say, nor did the man come out and say who he was. The novel starts off with Hester having to stand in front of her town in humiliation for commiting adultery as well as having the "A" which was gold and scarlet. With her she has her baby, which is the same baby she was pregnant with, but no one knows who the father is. Throughout the novel Hester faces a series of problems such as her husband arriving to America in disguise, the man who she had an affair with being ill, and her daughter growing up learning about the symbol of the "A" on her mother's chest.

 Criticism This novel was filled with secrets and suspense. You never really do know what is going to happen. You always think there is something else Hester is hiding from the town but she was just always the black sheep of the town. No one would listen to her nor treat her as good as they would if she hadn't committed adultery. She was alway an outcast and no one would talk to her unless they wanted to insult her. It was sad and I could feel her pain just from reading it. Her daughter was only three years old when she started to understand what the "A" on her mothers breast stood for. I thought this novel had a lot of emotion. Every picture that would pop into your mind somehow showed some kind of emotion or showed how sensible people could be. People make mistakes and Hester doesn't think she did make a mistake. Her husband promised her that he was going to come soon after and he never did, but once he did it was just too late. The moral of the story, from my point of view, is somewhere along the lines of everyone makes mistakes, or forgive and but don't forget.

Style The style of this novel is not just one, but many. The main style was mystery. The whole novel is filled with secrets just waiting to come out. Of course the biggest secret everyone was wondering the whole time was who was the father of Pearl, Hester Prime's baby. You are filled with suspense, you just want to jump to the back of the book to figure it out, but the more you read the more hints you get of who it is. You are never sure until certain parts of the novel that show strong emotions and such. Pearl is also part of this suspense because she too is unaware of who her father truly is. While the towns people have suspense filled with them because they are all wondering who the new doctor who has arrived at America is. Some parts of the novel isn't filled with suspense as much as others but the novel in general is suspenseful and filled with mystery and wonder.

Citations Hawthorne, Nathaniel. //The Scarlet Letter (Tor Classics)//. Aerie, 1989. Print