Book 38: The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Finished November 19, 2022

This classic tale is often used to point out how hypocritical society is, and how societal standards for conduct and acceptance are outdated. I found it to be so much more. I loved the heroine's stubborn dignity amid a humiliating situation. She submitted to the law of the town, but she wan't broken. She had to stitch a letter "A" to wear every day, so she stitched a magnificent piece of embroidery. She raised her daughter, who at times was portrayed as willful at best, spoiled at worst. She found a way to coexist with the townspeople all those years, rather than leave the town.

The preacher, Dimmsdale, was a tortured soul precisely because he was genuine and authentic. He believed what he preached, which is why he was so wracked with guilt that he flogged himself and eventually wasted away and died,

I loved the twist thrown in the Hester's husband from Europe, presumed to be dead, reappeared and figured out who the father of Hester's baby was. He, too, goes through a transformation, from middle-aged scholar to the devil's imp. I thought it was cruel that he interfered with Hester's plans to sail away with the preacher when Pearl was seven. He just couldn't let them be happy. And what a prison that is.

I was not expecting her to move back to the town in her old age. I wondered what she could possibly be nostalgic for, since she had been so badly used by the townspeople. I'm glad that Pearl married well and kept in touch with her mother. It was fitting that Hester was buried alongside Dimmsdale, as though they had been married.

A touching and surprising tale that I'm glad I read.

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