The Scarlet Letter is a literary landmark, chronicling Hester Prynne's affair and the punishment she receives from the Puritan Colony in which she resides. One of the first mass-produced books in America, Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece is a chilling exploration of shame, social stigma, and society's unquenchable thirst for revenge. This cautionary tale, drenched in symbolism and psychological complexity, forces the reader to consider if guilt, sin, and evil are inherent in all of us. A testament to the novel's staying power, it is referenced across the artistic spectrum; from D. H. Lawrence and Henry James to Childish Gambino and Taylor Swift.
