The Scarlet Letter

Part of the Legend Classics series   No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.   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 novels staying power, it is revered and referenced across the artistic spectrum; from film, literature, and television to music, opera, and the theatre; from D. H. Lawrence and Henry James to Childish Gambino.