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Summary: The Roots of Our Double Standard
Review: Few novels capture the essence of a different time like The Scarlet Letter. Yet reading this novel about strict moral rules leaves one with a difference sense about today's society. Very often a woman who has a child out of wedlock experiences severe judgments from those around her. Yet the man involved will often stay hidden and not be subject to the same sanctions. Perhaps less changes than we think.Reading this book also provides an uplifting view of the potential for goodness in how well Hester Prynne bears her shame and raises her child. You will also come away with a renewed appreciation for the strength that women often bring to tough situations. The courage to face a disapproving society with little in the way of emotional support is probably greater than the courage needed to face physical danger. You cannot help but appreciate Hester as a symbol of true courage. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the Puritan beginnings of our modern American culture.
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Summary: Compelling story
Review: I had to read this book for school and I thought it would be hard to understand and BORING! But once I got past the 18th century diction, I found underneath it all a wonderful and compelling story. The Scarlet Letter is a social commentary, a mystery, and a bittersweet love story all rolled into one novel. A great book!
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Summary: I can't believe........
Review: I am a high school student who had to read this book for an assignment, even though I was "forced" to read this novel I loved it. At times it can be complex but if you stick to it and read it in the end it was well worth it. The characters flow extremly well and this novel can still be used to view some societies now adays. In Iran and many of those eastern countries women are still judged harshly for many things. Hawthorne truly displays the sufferings of women all through the ages
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Summary: The 'Scarlet' Landmark in Literature
Review: It is interesting that this superb piece of literature came out the same year Dickens' masterpiece "David Copperfield" (1850) came out. The roots for this novel can be found in Hawthorne's short story "Endicott and the Red Cross." This exquisite work shows us a harsh and brutally realistic picture of Puritan America. Hester draws much sympathy as the woman who suffers way too much persecution for her crime of infidelity. Dimmesdale is memorable as the guilty lover who tries to advocate for Hester when the authorities want to take Hester's illegitimate child away. He also offers a very moving passage in XVII when he openly confesses to us (the readers) his guilt. Pearl is captivating as the product of Hester and Dimmesdale's affair. While as a child she can not figure out exact details, she CAN make connections between facts. Roger (Hester's husband) is perhaps Hawthorne's greatest creation. He offers a very chilling and memorable passage in IV when he confronts Hester and reveals his identity to us. He is by far the most intelligent character in the book. Furthermore, his careful investigations contrast strikingly with the other characters breakdowns and outbursts. Hawthorne increases the complexity of this phenomenal character when Roger leaves his wealth to Hester despite her affair. Another fine aspect of this book is the way in which Hawthorne gradually unfolds the major facts and gives us time to figure them out before he flat out tells the crucial happenings.
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Summary: An original and very risky story for its time.
Review: I imagine that people who read this book in the days it was first published had mixed views pertaining to the story of a woman who is scorned for committing adultery. There were those who likely condemned the book (priests, conservative high-class citizens), while others heralded its many themes and praised its originality (women, other authors, and open-minded beings). I give this book five stars for Hawthorne's ability to move people to so many feelings, including myself, with his diction, his syntax, and his endless use of literary devices to convey Hester Prynne's suffering, the downfall of a minister loved by his parishioners, and a man whose lust for revenge feeds on itself time and again. Speaking from experience, in reading this, one must look over each sentence very carefully and shred it to pieces in order to gain the fully intended information which Hawthorne wished for readers to digest. While not the easiest read of one's life, it is certainly one of the most enlightening, with its naturistic and societal themes that set it apart from other works of any time period. This tapestry of Puritan life stands as a brilliant example of a novel that will touch many more in years that follow.
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Summary: The Scarlet Letter--ja, dat's goot eating!
Review: Dis book was vedy, vedy good. I dought it vas vorthy my children's viewing. The characters are vedy, vedy dynamic and remind me of de old country, where novels were not vritten as dey are today. Pleazse send me a givt certivficate so dat I may send a copy of it to the grandchildren back home, in the old country. Oh, how I miss the little meshuginas. Bless der GOd-lovin' hearts. Thank ye and GOd bless,ya little whippersnapper. Helga
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Summary: A sin to humanity
Review: No, I'm not talking about Hester's crime. I'm talking about this STUPID BOOK! If only Hawthorne had kept his job in the customs house (see prologue), this abomination would never have been spawned from the cess-ridden depths of Hawthorne's twisted thinking organ. (You can figure THAT out on your own). This book is untolerably boring (the only proven cure of insomnia - if you don't mind the side effects) and the descriptions are ridiculously entangling. In the words of Mr. Hawthorne himself, this book is "ignominiously" dull. PRESERVE YOUR SANITY! NEVER READ THIS! NEVER! I sleep now...
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Summary: Great story, tough read
Review: I just finished The Scarlet Letter in school. Hawthorne does an excellent job of describing every nuance of this story, and that is why at times it is a little hard to follow. But the very heart of the story is one that we all can compare with. Hester Prynne has committed a terrible sin, and bears The Scarlet Letter on her breast. This classic tale begins with Hester on the gallows platform, alone with her baby, Pearl. Throughout the course of thise novel, Hawthorne weaves his way through characters so that you feel you are a part of this story, and by the end you have no doubts in your mind how you feel about each character. This is a book that you will either love or hate, and it really depends on when you read it. Try to take your time through the book the first time you read it, then everything will make much more sense, and you won't throw down the book in disgust. On a side note, you can really skip the introduction chapter entitled "The Custom House" because it has little to do with the rest of the book.
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Summary: Good message, disinteresting prose
Review: Although I commend Hawthorne for his brilliant writing style that seems to convey exactly what he is trying to say, I must admit that I found the actual novel itself slow to read. I try to look for literary devices that unfold the novel before my eyes, but I find very few in The Scarlet Letter. Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground are prime examples of the symbolism I am looking for. The Scarlet Letter has a remarkable message about human morals and cruelty along with divine intervention, but you may find it difficult to complete due to its lack of interesting prose.
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Summary: Not What it is Made Out to be...
Review: It shocks me that the Scarlet Letter is the most taught book in the nation. It may have much symbolism and so on, but it is a convoluted mess. The author is completely detached from his audience, and for some bizarre reason, he feels he has to explain every little thing that happens in great detail. It is also irrelevant to our modern times. In our days people need to be reading things like Huxley, Orwell, Fitzgerald, Bradbury, Hemmingway, Steinbeck, Salinger, and many other great 20th century writers. This book is only relevant to those interested in the time period which it discusses.
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