The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter is the story of Hester Prynne, a woman taken in adultery, arraigned by her Puritan community, and abandoned by her husband and her lover - a gripping narrative which provides the framework for the author's reflections on the metaphysics of good and evil. Often hailed as the first great American novel, Hawthorne's masterpiece combines moral force with austere beauty and acute psychology.