Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth after committing adultery and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. She will not reveal her lover's identity, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.
The Scarlet Letter published in 1850, is an American novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and is considered to be his magnum opus. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores questions of grace, legalism, sin and guilt.