The Scarlet Letter

Britannica ^ | 1850 | Nathaniel Hawthorne

[DallasBiff]

The novel is set in a village in Puritan New England. The main character is Hester Prynne, a young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock. Hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, Roger Chillingworth, arrives in New England very much alive and conceals his identity.

He finds his wife forced to wear the scarlet letter A on her dress as punishment for her adultery. After Hester refuses to name her lover, Chillingworth becomes obsessed with finding his identity. When he learns that the man in question is Arthur Dimmesdale, a saintly young minister who is the leader of those exhorting her to name the child’s father, Chillingworth proceeds to torment him. Stricken by guilt, Dimmesdale becomes increasingly ill.

Hester herself is revealed to be a self-reliant heroine who is never truly repentant for committing adultery with the minister; she feels that their act was consecrated by their deep love for each other. Although she is initially scorned, over time her compassion and dignity silence many of her critics.

[DallasBiff]

Just to me, but this over 170 year old novel, is relevant today, where any conservative must wear a scarlet"C" on their chest.

[frogjerk]

I hated this book

[KarlInOhio]

It was one of my "forced to read in high school" books. Oddly, 1984 was a required book in a class but I loved it and still regularly quote from it.

I really should reread it and a few others to see if my hatred was from being forced to read it, just not understanding it at fifteen or if I will continue to hate it.

[Hiddigeigei]

"I hated this book"
One of the great books of American literature and there are many.

[Ezekiel]

Great subject. Living parable.

Just to me, but this over 170 year old novel, is relevant today...

In the weirdest, opposite, and unexpected and unwelcome way, by way of Nathaniel who was born in Salem under a fig. tree. (Nathaniel Hawthorne born July 4, 1804, Salem, MA)

Hester herself is revealed to be a self-reliant heroine who is never truly repentant for committing adultery with the minister; she feels that their act was consecrated by their deep love for each other. Although she is initially scorned, over time her compassion and dignity silence many of her critics.

Hester = Esther = star, hidden

The name "Esther" itself is an indication as to how she led her life and fulfilled her role. The root of Esther in Hebrew is hester, meaning "hidden." Often we think that when someone is hiding something, it is out of a situation of embarrassment or discomfort. The modern-day concept is "if you got it, flaunt it." Show the world what you have to offer, be out there, be public, the more the better. It just isn't so exciting to be the heroine behind the scenes. But on's motives then need to be carefully examined.

Esther: Hidden Beauty

Amazing what Perseverance and a little Ingenuity can do. The living parable on Mars is that Ingenuity became the susbstitute for the scarlet letter A of the iconic NASA worm font. It's the scene right on the logo:

First flight: Monday, April 19, 2021: Patriot's Day, the beginning of the... Revolution. 2400 rpm...

A new world of flight opportunities just opened up.

Mars. The infamous god of war also represents every man (♂️).

Ginny is a nickname for a Virginia and

As you can see from the design, when Ginny used her body to replace the scarlet letter A, Mars the red man of war found his perfect bride. Mrs. Helicopter.

A real match made from the heavens above. Sniff. 🤧

Worm; Scarlet-worm

The Worm is Back!

Just to me, but this over 170 year old novel, is relevant today...

One if by land. (Title 42, expired.)

The Seekers - This Little Light of Mine (with lyrics)

The Revolution happens here:

In Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, a crowd gathers to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne, a young woman who has given birth to a baby of unknown paternity. Her sentence requires her to stand on the scaffold for three hours, exposed to public humiliation, and to wear a scarlet "A" for the rest of her life. As Hester approaches the scaffold, many of the women in the crowd are angered by her beauty and quiet dignity. When commanded and cajoled to name the father of her child, Hester refuses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter

A is for America:

On the page where McHenry records the events of the last day of the convention, September 18, 1787, he wrote: "A lady asked Dr. Franklin Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy -- A republic replied the Doctor if you can keep it."

January 6, 2022
Posted by: Josh Levy

https://blogs.loc.gov/manuscripts/2022/01/a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it-elizabeth-willing-powel-benjamin-franklin-and-the-james-mchenry-journal

A eucatastrophe is a sudden turn of events in a story which ensures that the protagonist does not meet some terrible, impending, and very plausible and probable doom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucatastrophe

[Dr. Sivana]

Hester herself is revealed to be a self-reliant heroine who is never truly repentant for committing adultery with the minister; she feels that their act was consecrated by their deep love for each other.

I read the book 43 years ago, but I didn't get that at all. I think the name of the daughter, Pearl, is telling. What is a pearl but something beautiful and perfect coming from an irritant?

Since the original post is all spoiler, I feel free to add on. Why was Dimmesdale himself so guilt-ridden? Oh yes, the hypocrisy is obvious, but his own skin-borne scarlet "A" still stands for the adultery itself.

[Dr. Sivana]

I hated this book

I'll take it over Moby Dick.

[Fiji Hill]

The movie version that came out in the 1990's made hash of the novel--and for that reason, I consider it one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The best movie is the 1926 version starring Lillian Gish. You can watch it for free here, but it's silent, with no musical accompaniment.

[Fiji Hill]

I also read it in high school. I didn't like it, but I did like Moby-Dick (New York: Harper, 1851), which I read in the same class. This was long before they dumbed down the high school English curriculum in California.

[Theophilus]

I hate that book.

[struggle]

People really hate this book, but I got a lot of kids to like it. It’s just written so tightly and Pearl is one of the first child characters in a novel that just seems so real. Chillingworth’s hatred consuming him and Dimmesdale’s self hate and all the self flagellation and such, it’s funny because Hester has difficulty but it’s the men around her that are in absolute pain.