The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel HawthorneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hawthorne's best-selling novel, The Scarlet Letter is a comment on the human heart in conflict with itself and the religion and morality of the day. When two members of a Puritan community sin, one (the pregnant woman of course) gets punished publicly while the other (the father) escapes public punishment but privately languishes under a burden of unconfessed guilt. A third character seeks revenge on the couple and makes life even more miserable for all involved. What makes this story so interesting is that it is a romance. In other words, supernatural phenomena drive the narrative and give it its mystery and appeal. The product of this sinful union, Pearl, is an elfish child who is also a bit creepy. She senses truths she is not supposed to know and adds guilt to both her mother and her father. This book was much better this time around than when I read it in high school.
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