Posted: June 10, 2023
The Scarlet Letter
The highlight of this book for me is Hawthorne's beautiful prose. Here is yet another novel that tackles crime and remorse - but the crime is not adultery and the one suffering is not the one wearing the scarlet letter.
Having just read it, I'm still reeling from how good this book is.
It's one of the less obscure classics; I, for one, have a sense of this book always just hanging around on the edge of my consciousness but never being read. And the reason for that is because I am aware that "The Scarlet Letter" is a book about how some too-strict Puritans pretty much give a poor girl a hard time just because she had an affair. This knowledge drove me away from this book for decades, since, imputing from the core premise of the book, I expected it to be intolerably self-righteous, uptight and boring.
I don't know why I picked it up and read it. I just did; and with the first several chapters all my sneering imputations go flying out the window.
"The Scarlet Letter" begins with a longish introduction that feels - from a reading perspective - different from the rest of the book. The introduction is the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, giving as an autobiographical snatch. He talks about his time as Customs Officer in Salem and in so doing gives us an idea of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the person, and Salem, the place. The intro also makes it clear that the rest of the book is not set in the same time period as the intro which happens during 1850 or so. The events of "The Scarlet Letter" happen during the late 1600s, in pre-Revolutionary America, with the early colonists still thinking of themselves as English not American. Hawthorne also adds that the story is borne from his discovery of some documents together with a fragment of the famous cloth-embroidered scarlet letter, a discovery made in the Salem Customs House.
And with that we are off to the actual story which takes us to a very young Boston, inhabited and governed by Puritans from England, although made more colorful by the occasional influx of Native Americans and "wildmen" - white men who have settled in the deep forests.
We are immediately thrown into the action as we are witness to the trial, condemnation, and punishment of one Hester Prynne. The crime is adultery, the punishment is to be shamefully displayed for the rest of her life with a letter "A" prominently placed on her bosom. Along with this comes near-total ostracism and a very low rank in Boston society. Hester is not the only victim here but also her young child, Pearl.
Hester is a married woman and her husband has just arrived to witness her trial, and, of course, to be aware of her betrayal. This husband, Roger Chillingworth, is consumed by the need to avenge himself.
Hester refuses to divulge the identity of the father of her child but we, the readers, are soon made aware of who it is. Regarding this man, he goes through an ordeal - the ordeal of the wrongdoer, which brings to my mind "Crime and Punishment" and "Macbeth"; although no murder is committed here - just adultery; something, I think, that happens in our modern societies every Thursday; or perhaps more often than that. But the backdrop of "The Scarlet Letter" is Puritan society, so a revealed case of adultery is a big deal indeed.
As the book progresses, not only does it move the plot, but it effectively fleshes out the main characters. As I read the book I become wound up in their lives and their concerns and as the plot is progressed I become by turns worried and elated at what happens to the characters. This book, which I thought would be so boring has captured me with its beauty, artistry, and power.
Soon I became concerned about how it would end because the buildup is so good that Hawthorne might not be able to "nail the dismount", so to speak. My fears become groundless; the book ends perfectly.
I am in awe of Hawthorne's capability as a writer. This author manages to capture the subtlety and nuance of each moment. To say that the prose flows is an understatement. To date Hawthorne is one of the best writers I've ever read, he has a lyrical voice that has a strong undertone of neighborly good cheer, making for both a deep and entertaining read.
This story in particular has a delightfully strong gothic flavor, reminding me of "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", a book that I love. I really should remember that classics are classics because they're good, they've survived the test of time, and I should not hesitate to pull the trigger on these books.