Summary Of “The Scarlet Letter” By Nathaniel Hawthorne.
In this article we will take about who is Nathaniel Hawthorne? Introduction to the novel “The Scarlet Letter”. Characters in the novel “The Scarlet Letter”. Summary of The Scarlet Letter.
About The Author Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Hawthorne was of one the most admired American author of the 19th century. His father was a sea captain, while on a voyage to the Pacific he died in the year 1808. Hawthorne was raised by his mother with help of relatives. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821 and further in 1824 he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated in the year 1825. He published his first work ‘Fanshawe’ in 1828. Later he published many short stories on periodicals which he further collected as ‘Twice-Told Tales’ in 1837. He was a Puritan and was first of the family to emigrate England. ‘The Scarlet Letter’ was published in 1850. The name and fame of Hawthorne is still enduring. His novels including ‘The Scarlet Letter’ and ‘The House of The Seven Gables’ are widely read in Schools and colleges.
*Some of his famous Novels-
>Fanshawe
(1828)
>The New
Adam and Eve (1834)
>The Scarlet Letter (1850)
>The House of The Seven Gables (!851)
>The Dolliver Romance (1863) etc.
*Some of his famous Story
Collection-
>Twice-Told
Tales (1837)
>Mosses
from an Old Manse (1846)
>A
Wonder-Book for Girls and boys (1851)
>Tanglewood
Tales (1853) etc.
*Some of his Famous Short Stories-
>Roger
Malvin’s Burial (1832)
>The Gray
Champion (1835)
>The Birth
Mark (1834)
>The Great
Stone Face (1850) etc.
Hawthorne’s writing centres on New England. Many of his works features moral metaphors with an anti-Puritan inspiration and dark romanticism. While on the tour of the White Mountain, he died in his sleep on May 19, 1864 in Plymouth, New Hampshire, United States.
Introduction To ‘The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850 is considered Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most famous novel. Since its Publication in 1850, The Scarlet Letter has never been out of print. The main theme in The Scarlet Letter is that of sin and its effects both on the individual and on society. Hester Prynne’s pregnancy forces her sin into public view, and she is compelled to wear the scarlet A (A) as a symbol of her adultery. The characters in The Scarlet Letter are evocative of a number of Hawthorne’s shorter works. The foremost purpose of The Scarlet Letter is to elucidate the difference between shaming someone in public and allowing them to suffer the consequences of an unmerited act privately.
v A
- Adultery.
v Genre
- Romantic.
v The
Scarlet Letter is a feminist novel.
v It
presents the strength and independence of females.
v Hester
and Pearl symbolise the strength.
v The
story of novel is set in the mid-16th century in Boston,
Massachusetts.
Character In The Novel ‘The Scarlet Letter.
v Hester
Prynne – Protagonist.
Summary Of ‘The Scarlet Letter
In “The Scarlet Letter” opening chapter main narrative introduces several of the images and themes within the story to follow. A large crowed of Puritans stands outside of the prison, waiting for the door to open. The prison is described as a, wooden jail …… already marked with weather-stains and other indications of age which gave a yet darker aspect to its beetle-browed and gloomy front. The rusted iron on the prison creates an overall appearance of decay.
The crowd in front of the jail,
all maintain plain looks of disapproval. Hester Prynne is being led to the
scaffold, where she is to be publicly ashamed for having committed adultery.
She clutches her three months old daughter, Pearl. Hester is forced to wear the
letter A onto her gown
all the time. On the scaffold she is asked to reveal the name of Pearl’s father,
but Hester refuses to reveal it. In the crowd Hester’s husband from Amsterdam,
Roger Chillingworth was also present and she recognizes him. Now that he was
returned to America and was practising as a physician at that place, he has
acquired a new name Roger Chillingworth.
Hester moved to woods with her daughter. She
lived there in a small cottage. Hester supported herself while working as
seamstress but she often spends her time helping the poor and sick. Pearl turns
out to be wild and unmanageable as a child and refused to even obey her mother.
After sometime leaving in woods Hester was
asked to come to the Governor’s office. She was called there because of the
order given by Governor to separate Pearl from Hester. Hester arrives at the
Governor mansion as per the order. She was there to plead Governor to let her
keep Pearl. But the Governor did not listen any pleads and prepared to take
Pearl away. Hester grabs Pearl and stated crying that she will die if the men
will take her away. She than requests Clergyman to make them understand on
behalf of her. Dimmesdale was ready to help her and after he gave some
arguments why Hester can Keep Pearl. Bellingham agrees with Dimmesdale’s
argument and let the matter be as they currently are.
At this very time Dimmesdale had started
suffering from heart disease. Somehow, he visits Chillingworth, the physician.
Chillingworth moves with Dimmesdale so that he can provide him round the clock
care. Chillingworth realizes that Dimmesdale is hiding some dark secret. He
persuade him to tell his secret but he refused and he gets upset by this and
started crying passionately telling “No-not to thee!-not to an earthly
physician” and leaves the room. After Dimmesdale falls asleep, Chillingworth
takes the opportunity to place his hand on his heart. He was able to read
Dimmesdale’s heart which was letter ‘A’ and know what he was hiding. Chillingworth
having figured out that Dimmesdale is the true father of pearl, he goes on a
subtle campaign to hurt the minister as much as possible.
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