The Scarlet LetterA stark and allegorical tale of adultery, guilt, and social repression in Puritan New England, "The Scarlet Letter" is a foundational work of American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne's exploration of the dichotomy between the public and private self, internal passion and external convention, gives us the unforgettable Hester Prynne, who discovers strength in the face of ostracism and emerges as a heroine ahead of her time. As Kathryn Harrison points out in her Introduction, Hester is "the herald of the modern American heroine, a mother of such strength and stature that she towers over her progeny much as she does the citizens of Salem." |
Contents
Foreword | vii |
Preface to the Second Edition of The Scarlet Letter | xiii |
THE MARKET PLACE | 55 |
Copyright | |
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answered Hester Art thou Arthur Dimmesdale aspect beauty beheld beneath bosom breast brook brought character child clergyman cried Custom House dark deep Dimmes Dimmesdale's Dost thou earth earthly embroidered Endicott England evil eyes face fancy father felt forest gaze gleam Governor Bellingham gray hand hath Hawthorne head heart heaven Hester Prynne hither human ignominy imagine impulse infant John Endicott kind knew LEO MARX light likewise little Pearl look magistrates market place mind minister minister's Mistress Hibbins moral mother Nathaniel Hawthorne nature never Old Manse old Roger Chillingworth once passion personage physician pillory prison Prynne's Puritan Reverend Roger Chilling Roger Williams Salem scaffold scarlet letter scene secret seemed seen shadow shame smile sorrow soul speak spirit stand steps stood strange sunshine Surveyor sympathy thee thought token town trainband tremulous truth Twice-Told Tales voice whispered wild Wilt thou woman yonder young