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3.19 AVERAGE


A good school read, nothing to special
challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Plot: 1
Compelling and interesting! Watching Hester change so much is riveting.
Characters: 1
I have such respect for these characters. Hester is delightful, Peal is wonderful, I love Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth is such an iconic antagonist.
Description: 1
Well written, of course.
Style: 1
Lots of people have a problem with the writing style. I don't get it. I think, though very poetic, is pretty straight forward.
Symbolism: 1
I absolutely love the themes in this book. They're still reveling today.
TOTAL: 5
I really loved this book. I recommend it to everyone.

Nathaniel Hawthorne died 150 years too early to hear my review of The Scarlet Letter, but if he were here today I'd tell him that this book absolutely slaps.
dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark reflective slow-paced
slow-paced

I never read this in school. As I wander the world, I have realized that my highschool and college reading lists were unusually small and that a lot of my contemporaries were reading more of the classics.

This wasn't awful, but I would have hated it as a teen.

Hester Prynne - A victim of the patriarchy, but not particularly woke. Doubling down on a life of celibacy, hard work, and puritan values was never going to get her back into society, even if it did generate some esteem. However, maybe it was the only way to stay sane. After getting pilloried her options were pretty limited.

Arthur Dimmesdale - Total sap. He does have some options. He could run off with Hester, or just run off himself, but he sticks around bathing in misery.
There is some fuss over the 'new learning,' he brings from Europe. What is that? Isn't he a minister? Is he importing cutting edge bible scholarship?
Also, he seems like a self-absorbed, uptight ass, so why is he so beloved?

Roger Chillingworth - Utterly incomprehensible. He is mad at Hester for having sex after he left her alone for years, and vows a lengthy revenge that precludes his ever having sex again. He reminds me of my ex-wife.
challenging tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
challenging mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes