Set in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts, The Scarlet Letter tells the haunting story of Hester Prynne, a woman condemned to wear a scarlet "A" for committing adultery. As Hester endures shame and isolation, she raises her daughter Pearl and protects the identity of the child's father, the respected Reverend Dimmesdale. Nathaniel Hawthorne's powerful exploration of guilt, sin, and redemption probes the heart of moral hypocrisy and human frailty. A foundational work of American literature, The Scarlet Letter remains a timeless meditation on the complexities of judgment, punishment, and forgiveness.