The Scarlet Letter is an American class that follows the journey of a women being persecuted for adultery in a very strict Puritan society. She struggles with the punishment she is made to bear paired with the guilt and shame of her crime.
Apart from what many say about this book, I actually believe that it was a very nice read. While Hawthorne definitely does use a bit more descriptive language than needed, I believe that it kind of adds to the tone of the book giving it it’s somber or happy qualities. I thought that the plot and characters were very original, especially for the time that this book was written in. I liked the meaning of the story, and my only complaint would really just be about the descriptive writing style used and the kind of abrupt and a bit unsatisfactory ending. Other than these aspects, I really did like the book. It kept me reading and the underlying symbolism really intrigued me as well throughout the book.
I’d also like to mention how it’s kind of a proto-feminist novel as I believe Hawthorne definitely depicted women in a higher fashion than how they were commonly seen during his time. Overall, I would recommend this to older teenagers who aren’t just reading for a sappy teenage romance (it doesn’t have this) but just for a meaningful and strong story and novel.