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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book about lust, but with no feelings. For a story about the sin of passion there sure is no passion whatsoever to be found in this book. Instead, its a book of fake people saying fake things.
There is also the troubling idea of being marked for life. I just don't understand how any Christian thinks its a good thing to wear that. Is not the entire message of Christianity to be forgiven and to have sins washed away? Imagine Peter had a big B on him for his entire life-for his blasphemy against Christ?
However my main issue with the book is that it is a chore to read. There is much discussion of that in the reviews here but it truly is a not fun thing to read. I wonder if Hawthorne knows what a run on is?
The characters are very one-sided and it feels like you are told what they are the entire time, not shown.
All in all, avoid the book.
There is also the troubling idea of being marked for life. I just don't understand how any Christian thinks its a good thing to wear that. Is not the entire message of Christianity to be forgiven and to have sins washed away? Imagine Peter had a big B on him for his entire life-for his blasphemy against Christ?
However my main issue with the book is that it is a chore to read. There is much discussion of that in the reviews here but it truly is a not fun thing to read. I wonder if Hawthorne knows what a run on is?
The characters are very one-sided and it feels like you are told what they are the entire time, not shown.
All in all, avoid the book.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
gotta say, did not enjoy this one. granted, it’s not an entertainment book, but…. the richness of the themes combined with the complexity of the language made it super difficult to get through.
characters were well-written, with the exception of pearl (she’s much more volatile and inconsistent than the rest, serving as an inhuman symbol.)
the mr dimmesdale plot twist could’ve been executed better (rather than gradually getting the reader to figure it out, maybe be more subtle and then hit the reader? but then again, subtlety was not a strength in this book.)
too strong on the symbolism at many points, and hawthorne explained his metaphors a few times (slightly irritating.)
but then again, who am i to criticize such a classic book lol.
strong themes, complex plot, mostly well-written characters. (:
characters were well-written, with the exception of pearl (she’s much more volatile and inconsistent than the rest, serving as an inhuman symbol.)
the mr dimmesdale plot twist could’ve been executed better (rather than gradually getting the reader to figure it out, maybe be more subtle and then hit the reader? but then again, subtlety was not a strength in this book.)
too strong on the symbolism at many points, and hawthorne explained his metaphors a few times (slightly irritating.)
but then again, who am i to criticize such a classic book lol.
strong themes, complex plot, mostly well-written characters. (:
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter may be a revered classic, but I found it underwhelming—its sluggish pacing, dense prose, and heavy-handed moralizing make for a tedious read. Hester Prynne’s defiance against Puritan hypocrisy is compelling, yet the narrative is bogged down by relentless religious allegory and a meandering plot. Characters like Dimmesdale and Chillingworth read more as symbols than fully realized individuals. What could have been a gripping drama instead unfolds as a drawn-out morality tale, leaving me wondering why this novel remains a staple in school curricula when it feels so dated.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this book is great if you look at it through the right lense. I do, however, completely understand how someone could hate it. I read about 15 pages and was about to give up, and then I decided to just skip The Custom House introduction (which I recommend everyone to do). Not to mention Old English is awful to read and I had to look up spark-notes summaries for every chapter to fully understand. Plus, Hawthorne can get a bit wordy and repetitive at times. This book is also mostly about religion, which is a turn-off to many. I myself am interested in these kinds of ideas (from an atheist perspective haha) but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
That being said, it’s a beautiful book that tackles the ideas of religion, sin, punishment, passion, and guilt. Surface level, it is about Puritans and their hypocrisy & harmful attitudes which are exactly the opposite of what Christianity preaches. At its core, it is a moral quandary about sin. Hester’s sin could have been ANY sin, which continues to make this story relevant to today. I see many say how her punishment for adultery is outdated, which is true, but replace that sin with let’s say, homosexuality, and see how it becomes relevant to today with a culture of shame surrounding it. The Scarlet Letter is not so much about the act of Hester’s sin, but a symbol for sin itself. How shaming & guilt tripping people leads to nothing but psychological harm.
For a book being written in 1850, its ideas are progressive and eye opening when it comes to the idea of sin and punishment. This book separates sin and evil and re-evaluates how society should approach it.
I do however believe that this book should NOT be taught in schools. This book is mostly about religion, and while it’s relevant to societal problems, it’s not necessary to read in school and won’t teach a bunch of 16 year olds much.
5 stars for the ideas
3 stars for writing & language
2 stars for the amount of times I had to re-interpret paragraphs, google questions, and read summaries
That being said, it’s a beautiful book that tackles the ideas of religion, sin, punishment, passion, and guilt. Surface level, it is about Puritans and their hypocrisy & harmful attitudes which are exactly the opposite of what Christianity preaches. At its core, it is a moral quandary about sin. Hester’s sin could have been ANY sin, which continues to make this story relevant to today. I see many say how her punishment for adultery is outdated, which is true, but replace that sin with let’s say, homosexuality, and see how it becomes relevant to today with a culture of shame surrounding it. The Scarlet Letter is not so much about the act of Hester’s sin, but a symbol for sin itself. How shaming & guilt tripping people leads to nothing but psychological harm.
For a book being written in 1850, its ideas are progressive and eye opening when it comes to the idea of sin and punishment. This book separates sin and evil and re-evaluates how society should approach it.
I do however believe that this book should NOT be taught in schools. This book is mostly about religion, and while it’s relevant to societal problems, it’s not necessary to read in school and won’t teach a bunch of 16 year olds much.
5 stars for the ideas
3 stars for writing & language
2 stars for the amount of times I had to re-interpret paragraphs, google questions, and read summaries