A woman named Hester Prynne is condemned to jail for adultery. The novel centers on her life and the complex relationship between her and the man she cheats on her husband with, Arthur Prynne. The novel follows her through her imprisonment and her struggle to survive and find redemption in prison. It became an instant bestseller, and its popularity helped women gain the right to publicly read in New England.
Hester is a woman of strong moral principles and convictions, and she doesn’t hesitate to follow them wherever they lead her. When she is faced with a moral dilemma, she doesn’t hesitate to take the course of action that she believes is in the best interest of herself and her family. She is first and foremost a wife and mother, however, and she will not allow her husband or her children to be hurt by her actions. Most importantly, she is a woman of her word, and when she makes a promise, she holds herself to it.
Hester Prynne is called to stand before the congregation and confess her sin. She refuses to make any excuses or to justify her actions, but she promises to tell the truth if she is asked. She is unable to speak for sobs, but the people are moved by her dignity and courage. They tell her she is a better woman than their minister and send him away in tears.
Hester Prynne was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in the Massachusetts state prison at Charlestown. She was sent to jail on May 13, -16, 1730, under a sentence of two years for adultery. After Hester’s imprisonment, the first edition of the novel was published. To publicize the book, it was printed in the two leading New England newspapers, the Boston Gazette and the Boston News-Letter, and then was read aloud in the town sessions to audiences that included all the townsfolk, the ministers and the lawyers.
The Scarlet Letter is a scandal novel about the illicit affair between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister of the town of Boston. The novel centers on the consequences of Hester’s adultery: her isolation from the community, the obsession of the town’s chief justice, Chillingworth, with Hester and Arthur, and the failure of the town’s ministers to stand up for Hester. The scandal novel is also a coming-of-age novel about Pearl, the young wife of the minister. It is a complex exploration of the themes of guilt, isolation, and redemption.