The Scarlet Letter Short Summary

The book was set in 1642. Hester Prynne is a young wife. For then a year, her husband is still missing. She has been facing adultery accusation since she gave birth to Pearl, her daughter. Hester is forcefully and shamefully interrogation for 3 hours. She refuses to give the identity of the child’s father. As she stands on the scaffold, her husband, Mr. Prynne, reappears. They hold a private discussion, where they apologize to each other. Prynne was thought to have died in the hands of the Native Americans. He does not want Hester to reveal his real identity to the people and takes the name Roger Chillingworth.

Hester is released from prison and permitted to build her business, being a seamstress. Pearl grows to become a little girl. Hester suspects Pearl could be an elf-child given her strange manners.

As she delivers gloves to the house of the Governor, Hester converses with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The Reverend exhorted Hester to disclose the identity of her daughter’s father. Later, it becomes clear that the father is Dimmesdale himself. At this point, it is only Hester who knows. Pearl speaks to Reverend Dimmesdale not knowing he is a father. The Governor and Chillingworth question her ability to be a role model for Pearl.

Chillingworth lives with Dimmesdale pretending to be the minister’s doctor. Chillingworth suspects that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father. When Dimmesdale is asleep, Chillingworth reveals the chest of the minister. The doctor discovers a wound. He offers no treatment. The reverend is not aware of all that. He begins to feel uncomfortable around the doctor. He begins hating him. He reveals the hate to Hester. However, she does not disclose the true identity of Chillingworth. Years passed since the public humiliation. She is no longer as beautiful as she used to be. Her wish is that Chillingworth should exert his revenge and not Dimmesdale. The effect of the scarlet letter should be on her alone.

By Intuition, Pear understands that Hester has the A just as Dimmesdale’s hand on the chest for the same reason. When Hester and Pearl meet the, she only thinks of Chillingworth’s perfidy. Hester persuades Dimmesdale to escape with her and Pearl for them to start over as a family. Dimmesdale thinks this is a temptation for him to sin. He wants to change his mind. When Dimmesdale reveals his chest at night, it is only Hester and Chillingworth who see him.

The Reverend’s sermon that week is moving. After that, shows the scarlet letter he has on the chest. The wound is infected because it is not treated. The Reverend dies on Hester’s arms after confessing to his crime. Chillingworth also dies after that. Hester leaves town together with Pearl.