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The Scarlet Letter is set in Boston, Massachusetts during the seventeenth-century amidst a strong Puritan community. Hester Prynne, a beautiful, young woman, is being punished publicly for adultery. As punishment, she has to wear a scarlet A across her chest, so that she is separated out as an adulterer. As Hester looks on at the crowd, her eyes stop at a man, who she realizes is her long-lost husband. The husband, on asking others the reason for such a public trial, finds the trial itself is unfair as she alone is being punished for the supposed crime of two people. He takes the name Roger Chillingworth in order to conduct an investigation that will bring Hester`s cowardly lover out into the open.
After she is released from prison, Hester starts living in a small cottage with her daughter Pearl. She leads a quiet life, while struggling to make ends meet. The novel explores sin and how it leads to suffering and expulsion from society. It also shows Puritanism and its extreme legalism. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester is shown as not conforming to the values and beliefs laid out by Puritanism. The speciality of the book at the time was the examination of morality from an American standpoint.
The Scarlet Letter received much praise from various literary critics. Religious leaders, however, took objection to the subject matter of the novel. The novel is still relevant today because of the psychological and philosophical depth it offers. The universal theme discussed in The Scarlet Letter makes it a cherished, timeless classic.ISBN - 9788171674916
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Pages : 280
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