history and criticism

I think that the book is pretty good so far, but it does have a few things that I can't quite relate to or understand. Most people in today's society don't get pointed out for commiting adultery. It's like an everyday thing now. People just don't do that anymore. I do think that is was great to see how the people back then viewed certain quailties and how they carried out their religious beliefs. To me, this was a story about a woman named Hester Prynne who was caught up in a bad love triangle. She was married to a scholar who had sent her ahead to Boston. She got caught up and fell in love with the minster Dimmesdale. She got pregnant and had a daughter who she named Pearl because she was the most precious and expensive thing in her life. All of her earnings went towards her. They made Hester and baby Pearl sit out on a scaffold allday to let the people come by and look at them and ridicule them. Hester had to wear a scarlet A on her bosom from hence forth. She made the most of it, though. Pearl had an intuition and she could recognize how was good and who was bad. She knew the Chillingworth, Hester's husband, was a bad man. She felt a connection with Dimmesdale. One day when Pearl was about seven years old, she asked her mother what did the scarlet letter mean and why did Dimmesdale always cover up his heart. Hester had still not revealed who the father of her child was because she loved him that much. As far as I have read the guilt is eating Dimmesdale up and he wants to tell the people but he doesn't know how. In the end you should try your best not to keep hurtful secrets inside because in the end it will be the thing that destroy's you the most!

Yes, I enjoyed this book. The STORY was good...I am sure you have an idea about it so I won't waste time with a summary. The SETTING was great...Hawthorne brought 17th Century frontier Boston alive with his stunning descriptions. The CHARACTERS were ok...yes, only ok, because I never found myself loving or hating any of them, which to me is evidence that the author was successful with his creation. But...The SYMBOLISM is what makes this book, what makes it a classic!...This book is a brilliant essay on how important it is to abide by a conscience. One mishap can lead you down a path towards destruction. BUT aiding in that destruction were Christians who were more unforgiving then the heathen around them...The christian who reads this book should learn that forgiveness was the #1 thing Christ taught and expects from us! (i.e. He who is merciful shall obtain mercy). BUT what I learned most from this book was how important it is to understand Gods grace! God is not some powerful ogre waiting to punish but a friend waiting to forgive. If this frontier town only could have known this how different their experience would have been!

However, I think this book was cheated because I read it right after the stunning 'Grapes of Wrath' and it simply could not compare, overall, and therefore can not receive the elite five star status! Still a must read if you have never...!

If stories of sacrifice, strength, commitment and love perk your interests, then this may be gratifying reading material for you. Hawthorne's text, The Scarlet Letter, requires concentration and thought to comprehend some of the wording. This book has a copious amount of run-on sentences which makes it seem way too drawn out. I also found it challenging to follow the plot and theme because of the ample amount of detail provided about each character and the various situations. I can see why The Scarlet Letter is considered a classic, but I would not recommend it to anyone.