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The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 historical novel The Scarlet Letter explores guilt, revenge, and redemption in colonial America. Hawthorne blends supernatural elements with psychological insight in his story of one woman’s public punishment for adultery. Explore a character analysis of Hester Prynne, plot summary, and important quotes.

Summary

Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis.

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in The Scarlet Letter and in-depth analyses of Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl, Governor Bellingham, and Mistress Hibbins.

Main Ideas

Here's where you'll find analysis about the book as a whole, from the major themes and ideas to analysis of style, tone, point of view, and more.

Quotes

Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the book by reading these key quotes.

Further Study

Test your knowledge of The Scarlet Letter with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on context, background, and movie adaptations, plus links to the best resources around the web.

Writing Help

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Study Guide

Print edition

Our study guide has summaries, insightful analyses, and everything else you need to understand The Scarlet Letter.

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