In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a young woman named Hester Prynne is punished for adultery. As a result, Hester must wear the scarlet “A” on her clothing. In addition, she must receive torment from everyone in the community.

When the book begins, Hester is just getting out of prison, and she must go to the scaffold where she is publicly humiliated. Many make hurtful remarks. However, as Hester is getting taunted, she holds her child and stands with dignity.

Throughout Hester’s life, she must live with guilt and sin as she raises her daughter, Pearl. The problem is she refuses to tell who the father of her daughter is. Eventually, the man she was previously married to returns to Boston under the name of Roger Chillingworth, and he meets Dimmesdale, the man Hester committed adultery with; he seeks revenge.

I enjoyed reading The Scarlet Letter. Although the book is sometimes difficult to comprehend, I though the storyline was interesting, and it kept me fascinated throughout the novel. There was plenty of suspense and it kept me thinking, and in the end I was not disappointed. It was different from most of the previous books I have read; however, that is what made it unique. I would definitely recommend this book.