Hawthorne's greatest novel, a stark tale of guilt, repression and adultery in a Puritan Massachusetts colony, was hailed by Henry James as "the finest piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country. " The novel traces the impact of a single, scandalous act on the lives of three community members: the tragic, defiant Hester Prynne, the tortured Reverend Dimmesdale and the vengeful Chillingsworth. A philosophical exploration of man's struggle with guilt, sin, and pride, Hawthorne's masterpiece remains a cornerstone of American literature.