This book was created and published on StoryJumper™

©2014 StoryJumper, Inc.   All rights reserved.

Publish your own children's book: 

www.storyjumper.com

The Scarlet Letter: Plot Summary............3    

Historical Context..................................4

Speak: Plot Summary.............................5

Themes................................................6

Symbolism............................................7

Important Quotes..................................8

Discussion Questions..............................9

Activities..............................................10

Suggestions for Further Reading..............11

References............................................12

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne,adulteress Hester 

Prynne must wear a scarlet A to mark her shame. Her lover, 

Arthur Dimmesdale, remains unidentified and is wracked with 

guilt, while her husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge. 

The Scarlet Letter's symbolism helps create a powerful drama in 

Puritan Boston: a kiss, evil, sin, nature, the scarlet letter, and 

the punishing scaffold. Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece is a 

classic example of the human conflict between emotion and 

intellect.

 Summary Retrieved from:http://www.cliffsnote.com/literature/s/the-scarlet-letter/the-scarlet-letter-at-a-glance

The Puritans were a group of religious   reformers who arrived in 

Massachusetts in the 1630s under the leadership of John Winthrop 

(whose death is recounted in the novel). The religious sect was 

known for its intolerance of dissenting ideas and lifestyles. In The 

Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the repressive, authoritarian 

Puritan society as an analogue for humankind in general. The 

Puritan setting also enables him to portray the human soul under 

extreme pressures. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, while 

unquestionably part of the Puritan society in which they live, also 

reflect universal experiences. Hawthorne speaks specifically to 

American issues, but he circumvents the aesthetic and thematic 

limitations that might accompany such a focus. His universality 

and his dramatic flair have ensured his place in the literary canon.

Retrieved from:http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/context.html

Melinda Sordino begins her freshman year at 

Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New 

York, with a heavy secret weighing on her. Over 

the summer, she and her friends went to a party 

and Melinda ended up calling the police, causing 

her friends and everyone at the party to socially 

reject her. Melinda, however, is not interested in 

gaining popularity and spends much of her time in 

an abandoned janitor's closet at school. In the 

school hallways, she occasionally sees IT, a name 

she has given to senior Andy Evans, and she slowly 

begins to face what he did to her. As the school year 

comes to an end, Melinda is forced to confront Andy 

once again when he corners her in her janitor's closet. 

She defends herself and gains the respect of the school as 

many other girls have also suffered Andy's attacks silently. 

Summary Retrieved from:http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/s/speak/book-summary

Identity

Transformation

Human Nature

Social Rejection

You've previewed 7 of 12 pages.

To read more: